Sunday night, after concluding its pre-All-Star Break schedule, all 30 teams gathered for the annual MLB draft.
1. Jackson Holiday (SS) – Baltimore Orioles
The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, Jackson Holiday has spent his entire life around the game. He’s been talked about as a prospect for years, and now he’s the top selection overall, going to the Orioles.
This is Baltimore’s fourth top-five pick in the same number of drafts. This season, the number one overall pick in 2019, catcher Adley Rutschman, made his MLB debut.
2. Druw Jones (CF) – Arizona Diamondbacks
Two picks and two sons of former MLB All-Stars. This pick was Druw Jones, the son of former Braves’ star Andruw Jones.
As was his father, Jones is projected to be an excellent defensive center fielder, and his current developmental arc suggests that he’ll enter the bigs with all the tools.
Two previous first-round picks of the Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll (2019) and Jordan Lawler (2021), appeared in the All-Star Futures Game this season.
3. Kumar Rocker (RHP) – Texas Rangers
The Vanderbilt star was a top-10 pick of the Mets in 2021, but with concerns about his elbow and the New York trying to sign him at a reduced rate, the two sides never came to an agreement. Rocker was back in the draft this year, now taken third overall by the Rangers.
With a fastball that’s been touching 99 mph in the independent Frontier League this summer, if there were elbow issues a year ago, they don’t seem to be a problem anymore.
4. Tamarr Johnson (2B) – Pittsburgh Pirates
Tamarr Johnson had many evaluators ranking him as the best prospect in this draft. He has an incredible bat, but is limited defensively. What dropped him to fourth was the inflexibility of position, but the Pirates are more than happy to be the beneficiaries of that deficient trait.
One scout referred to his bat as “a combination of Wade Bogg’s plate discipline and Vladimir Guerrero Sr’s bat-to-ball skills.”
5. Elijah Green (OF) – Washington Nationals
Elijah Green is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound prospect who has the potential to play center field. His size and speed aren’t surprising. That’s because his dad, Eric Green, was a tight end with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Green, the future National, has the potential to hit at the MLB level, and some scouts predict that he will become a regular All-Star for the Nats.
They can’t wait, as according to World Series odds at BetUs Sportsbook, Washington is one of eight teams priced at +200000, or 2000-1, to win this season’s title. So, if you’re apt to take a flier…’
6. Jacob Berry (3B/OF) – Miami Marlins
The first reach of the first round is Jacob Berry, who most scouts agree will be a liability defensively.
Many of those scouts project him as a big leaguer because of his offense, but other scouts point out that his less-than-exciting exit velocity means that he’ll never go deep with any sort of consistency.
7. Cade Horton (RHP) – Chicago Cubs
You may remember Cade Horton and his College World Series finals-record 13 strikeouts. Now, you’ll hear about him as a member of the Cubs, with his 90-plus MPH fastball and a slider that can also get to around 90.
He missed all of 2021 after Tommy John surgery, so his durability is a question. However, the smoke in his right arm is not debatable.
8. Brooks Lee (SS) – Minnesota Twins
The first-place Minnesota Twins have added a shortstop with an excellent feel for the strike zone. He struck out in just 10 percent of his plate appearances at Cal Poly last season, and he’s going to be a good-to-great hitter from both sides of the plate.
He’s not finishing his development at shortstop, but the signs point to the Twins having him start there in the minor leagues.
9. Gavin Cross (OF) – Kansas City Royals
Current Royals’ rookie Bobby Witt Jr. is third on the AL Rookie of the Year board, according to MLB odds. They’ve now added another future solid bat in Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross.
A center fielder this past season, but is projecting as a right fielder at the MLB level.
10. Gabriel Hughes (RHP) – Colorado Rockies
Gabriel Hughes pushed his fastball into the high 90s this season while improving his control. That was critical because his previous wildness was expected to work against him. Hughes is the highest-selected Gonzaga Bulldog taken in the draft.
