The 2022 MLB Amateur Draft kicked off with the first 80 picks on Sunday night. Another 536 choices are made on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Orioles were the first choice for the third time in history and they used it at Oklahoma High School Jackson Holiday. Yes, he is Matt Holliday’s longtime son. Here are all the picks for this year’s first round.
Similar to baseball season itself, the MLB draft assessment requires a marathon mindset, not a sprint. The players recruited this weekend will disappear into minors for a few years before re-emerging and working through the pain of growing up, then finally establishing themselves as top players. This is not the event for instant gratification.
That won’t stop us from announcing winners and losers, of course. Here are some of the winners and losers from the 2022 MLB Draft, with a focus on the winners because no one likes to be called losers.
Winner: Sons of Big Gangs
For the first time in draft history, the sons of former MLB players were selected as the first and second picks in the draft. A total of four sons of a big gang were drafted in the first round:
1. SS Jackson Holiday: Orioles (son of Matt)
2. Drew Jones: Diamondbacks (son of Andrew)
17. Justin Crawford: Phyllis (son of Karl)
19. 3B Cam Collier: reds (son of lu)
Holliday is the second son of former Major League pick with #1 pick, joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (Choice #1 in 1987). Such a good company out there. Teams value the dynasties of the big leagues and this has never been more evident than during Sunday’s first round.
Winner: Kumar Ruker
A year ago, former Vanderbilt Champion Rocker was the 10th pick in the draft, but mets He didn’t sign it because something in his body was frightening them. Rucker had minor shoulder surgery last Septemberand was pushed into the Independent League this spring, and No. 3 went to Notice in this year’s draft. The rocker’s go where he did was a big surpriseHe was expected to go in the back half of the first turn somewhere, but it’s fine for him. Things went well after last year’s disappointment. (Also, Rucker reunites with Commodore Jack Leiter, his running mate. Texas won Leiter with the second pick last summer.)
Because the Dodgers crossed the third luxury tax tier of $250 million last season, their first-round pick moved back 10 places, so they didn’t have a first-round pick on Sunday. Their first pick was the No. 40 overall, which they used on the Louisville Dalton Rushing catcher. Los Angeles is so good at crafting and developing that Rushing could potentially become a star, but it’s never fun not having a first-round pick. This is especially true for fans watching at home (or in L.A.), as they have to wait to hear their team call out the name.
Winner: The Reds
Cincinnati Collier landed with the 18th pick even though he was expected to be a top 10 pick all spring, sometimes even in the top five. Collier is a great prospect because he’s 17 years old with a GED, finished high school early, and attended junior college so he could get into the draft as if he were a high school student. Collier has a huge upside – he’s got some Raphael Devers comp for his racket – and getting him with the No. 18 pick is a big, massive win for the Reds. My favorite pick of the night.
Loser: College Kids
LSU masher Jacob Berry No. 6 went to Marlins He was technically the first college player to be selected in this year’s draft. Technically I say because Rucker, who spent two years at Vanderbilt, was recruited from an independent league. It is the first time since 1971 that a college player has not been selected in the top five selections. Finally, 15 four-year undergraduates were taken into the first round, the lowest number since 2018.
Winner: Kid Horton
A couple of months ago, Horton’s top 10 selection seemed crazy. The Oklahoma ace returned from Tommy John surgery in late March, and didn’t really step in until June, when he was dominant during the Sooners’ race to the College World Series Finals. Horton’s impressive post-season show Cubs As pick number 7. Far and away was the biggest get up pull the stream this spring. The kid made a lot of money in the first division after the season.
Winner: Diversity
For the first time in draft history, four of the top five players were black. Baseball struggles with diversity, both on and off the field, and we hope this year’s draft is an indication that the tide is turning. One of the most effective ways to grow the sport and attract new audiences is to make sure every child sees someone who looks like them on the playground.
Loser: pitchers
Teams are increasingly risk averse and this shows on Draft Day. Clubs focus on hitters because they are “safer” than bowlers which come with a lot of inherent injury risk. Also, many of the top candidates in the Draft category took a hit this spring. It was a poor throwing class, and as a result, only seven bowlers were selected in the first round, nine if you add No. 20 pick Owen Murphy and No. 30 pick Reggie Crawford, two-way players. This is the lowest number of shooters captured in the first round this century.
Winner: Two-Way Players Fans
Two players went both ways in the first round! The brave Use choice number 20 on Illinois high school student Owen Murphy and giants Use pick #30 on Reggie Crawford at UConn. Both will start their careers as two-way players. Crawford is recovering from Tommy John’s surgery and only threw eight rounds in college, but he threw 99 mph off the left side, and showed some promise with the bat, too. The consensus is that Crawford’s future lies in the heap because, well, he’s shooting 99 mph from the left, but San Francisco intends to develop him as a two-way player. cheerful!
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