2022 MLB Draft Review: New York Yankees

Full list of draftees

While some teams like to play with the bonus pool to go well above or below slot, the Yankees played this draft extremely straightforward by paying exact slot value for each of their first five picks, never going more than more than $233,500 above slot at any point, and never going more than $92,300 below slot. They're getting better and better at developing pitching, so in this draft they picked up fifteen college pitchers out of their twenty picks. In fact, all twenty of their selections this year came from the college ranks as they looked to pick up quick moving talent that can be up in the majors and contributing by 2024-2025. The Yankees like their guys big and physical, and that was certainly the case here with each of their first seven selections standing at least 6'2" and an average overall size of 6'3", 210 led by their first round selection Spencer Jones at 6'7". Lastly, the Yankees already have west coast flair on the team between Californians Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Hicks, and Kyle Higashioka, and this draft heavily featured the west coast as well from top to bottom including in each of the first five picks.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-25: OF Spencer Jones, Vanderbilt. My rank: #29.
Slot value: $2.88 million. Signing bonus: $2.88 million.
The Yankees started off their draft class with one of the more interesting profiles available. Spencer Jones was a highly touted two-way prospect who earned some first round interest out of high school in the San Diego area back in 2019, but he got hurt his senior year and opted to head east to Vanderbilt. Despite showing a low 90's fastball and an above average curveball from a projectable frame, he never got on the mound in Nashville after Tommy John surgery cost him a third consecutive season. Meanwhile, his bat has developed slowly but steadily and he's gotten better and better throughout his time in the program. He began to turn the corner with a strong (.309/.409/.457) run through the Cape Cod League last summer, then fully broke out by slashing .370/.460/.643 with 12 home runs and a 64/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 61 games this spring. Standing a towering 6'7", he'll fit right into that Yankee lineup with fellow hard hitting skyscrapers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and he draws a lot of parallels to the former. Jones hits the ball extremely hard with some of the best high end exit velocities in the class, helping him tap power consistently in games despite more of a line drive, all fields approach. Speaking of his approach, he takes very good at bats despite not following the most straightforward development path. While he does strike out at a high clip, that's more due to his long limbs creating a longer bat path than due to chasing bad pitches. He's also a great athlete for his size, one that runs well enough with plenty enough arm strength to be an above average right fielder in time or even take a shot at center field. It's a package of tools you don't see often, so despite the swing and miss questions, the Yankees are getting huge upside in a guy who could hit in the middle of their lineup within a few years. At his ceiling, that could mean 30+ home runs per season with high on-base percentages if he manages his strikeouts.

2-61: RHP Drew Thorpe, Cal Poly. My rank: #93.
Slot value: $1.19 million. Signing bonus: $1.19 million.
I remember watching Drew Thorpe hold Vanderbilt to just two runs over seven innings in his very first college game back in 2020 (and ironically struck out Spencer Jones to close out his first inning), and since then he has quietly been one of the best pitchers on the west coast. He was at his best this spring, posting a 2.32 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and a 149/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 104.2 innings highlighted by a fifteen strikeout performance against UC San Diego in March. Thorpe sits in the low 90's with his fastball and gets up to about 96 at his best, with some sneaky life on the pitch to boot. His best pitch by far is his changeup, a nasty offering with massive fading life. It's so good that he'll often pitch off of it rather than his fastball, something you rarely see at the amateur level. Previously, the southwestern Utah native struggled to spin a quality breaking ball, but his slider took a step forward this spring and now looks like an average pitch. Despite a delivery that can be a bit rushed at the end, Thorpe pounds the strike zone and rarely lets walks derail his outings. The Yankees will want to help continue improving his slider to give him a second out pitch, and his combination of stuff, command, and a sturdy 6'4" frame could help him move relatively quickly through the minors. While his stuff isn't quite explosive enough to warrant a potential top of the rotation projection, he's a good bet to become a mid-rotation guy in the near future.

3-100: RHP Trystan Vrieling, Gonzaga. My rank: #102.
Slot value: $611,400. Signing bonus: $611,400.
Gonzaga had a loaded pitching staff that featured Gabriel Hughes (now with the Rockies) and William Kepmner (Giants) as their two most famous names entering the season, but Vrieling made it a true three headed monster with a big junior season. He finished the year with a 4.91 ERA and a 107/46 strikeout to walk ratio over 80.2 innings, but he was much stronger early in the season (3.16 ERA, 79/25 K/BB through nine starts) before tiring later in the season (9.13 ERA, 28/21 K/BB over his final six starts). At his best, Vrieling features above average command of a very solid four pitch arsenal, looking like a potential #3 starter. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and tops out at 97 with steep plane and some riding life, while his curveball, slider, and changeup all flash above average. When he's going right, he can locate even the offspeed pitches well to both sides of the plate, making for a complete profile. However, his command deteriorated as he tired later in the season and he was hit hard, leaving him as a bit of an enigma. The 6'4" righty will need to build up his durability in the Yankees system and get more consistent with everything, and he's certainly in the right system to do so.

4-130: OF Anthony Hall, Oregon. My rank: #120.
Slot value: $456,500. Signing bonus: $456,500.
Anthony Hall is not a terribly dissimilar player to Spencer Jones, albeit with a half grade off the tools across the board. Also a San Diego-area product like Jones, he showed well in the Cape Cod League (.283/.382/.481, 4 HR) before breaking out this year at Oregon, where he slashed .333/.402/.640 with 14 home runs and a 43/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 games. Big and strong at 6'2", Hall can really put a charge into the ball with a leveraged, smooth left handed swing. He previously had trouble tapping that power in games as he didn't always swing at the best pitches, but he's progressively gotten more disciplined in the box and controls the strike zone much better now. That led to him increasing his isolated power (SLG minus AVG) from .184 last year to .307 this year while simultaneously dropping his strikeout rate from 21.7% to 16.6%. It's still a power over hit profile, but certainly a much more balanced one. Hall is a decent runner that can hold his own in a corner outfield spot, but he won't be a value add out there and it will be the bat that carries him up. At best, he profiles for 20-25 home runs a year with average on-base percentages, providing some nice upside for a guy whose floor is that of a platoon/bench bat with pop.

5-160: RHP Eric Reyzelman, Louisiana State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $340,700. Signing bonus: $340,700.
Eric Reyzelman has some of the loudest stuff in the Yankees draft class at his best. A San Francisco transfer, he pitched well on the Cape (2.93 ERA, 38/8 K/BB in 27.2 IP) before landing at LSU this spring, where he put up a 4.04 ERA and a 66/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 42.1 innings out of the bullpen. He loves to attack hitters with his fastball, which is easily his best pitch for now sitting in the mid 90's and touching 99 in short stints. It has a ton of riding and running life on it as well, making it very tough to square up. He has a cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup all in his pocket, but he usually leaves them there and sticks with the old #1 as he's much more confident in that fastball. The slider stands out as perhaps his best secondary with good shape, though he does need to sharpen it up. The 6'2" righty is a very good athlete that moves well on the mound with an athletic delivery, and the arm strength is clearly already there. The Yankees' player development system will need to help him choose a couple secondaries to focus on and also get more consistent with his command, and if they can, he has a sneaky chance to start. If not, he can just lean on the slider and watch his fastball approach triple digits, which I'm sure the Yankees would not mind. The San Francisco Bay Area native is a really fun ball of clay and it will be interesting to see what he looks like in a few years.

6-190: RHP Chase Hampton, Texas Tech. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $264,000. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($233,500 above slot value).
The Yankees lone over slot bonus of the first ten rounds is Chase Hampton, a big righty out of Texas Tech. He was well known as a high school senior but went undrafted in the five round 2020 draft, so he headed across the state to Lubbock and has shown flashes of big potential. As a draft eligible sophomore this year, Hampton put up a 4.29 ERA and a 72/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 56.2 innings as the Red Raiders Sunday starter, finishing off the season with a twelve strikeout performance against Notre Dame at the Statesboro Regional. This seems like the kind of profile that could have gone back to school for his junior season and put it all together, which is why the Yankees bought in early with a large over slot bonus for a guy who went unranked on the MLB Pipeline top 250 and came in at #291 on the Baseball America 500 and #548 on Prospects Live. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's but can touch the upper 90's early in his starts, showing nice riding action on the pitch. He mixes in a curveball, slider, and changeup, all of which flash potential and give the Yankees a lot to work with. Big and strong at 6'2", 225 pounds, the East Texas product has calmed down his delivery a bit since his high school days in Kilgore and has a chance to start if the Yankees are patient and get it right. He still needs to get more consistent with his secondaries and command but he's very young and brings a lot to the table. The profile is actually fairly similar to Eric Reyzelman above him, except that Hampton is much more physical (35 pounds heavier at the same height) and trusts his secondaries more while Reyzelman is thinner and more athletic with a little extra hop to his fastball at the same velocities.

7-220: RHP Cam Schlittler, Northeastern. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $207,500. Signing bonus: $205,000 ($2,500 below slot value).
This is a big, strong pitcher that will be fun for the Yankees player development system to work with. Cam Schlittler had a nice season in the Northeastern rotation, where he out-pitched the more well known Sebastian Keane (also a Yankee draft pick) to the tune of a 3.53 ERA and an 85/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 91.2 innings. He's a huge guy listed at 6'6", and honestly he looks even taller standing up on that mound. The fastball sits in the low 90's but he can touch the mid to upper 90's when he reaches back, coming in with steep downhill plane albeit without much life. He shows great feel to spin the ball, with a sweepy slider flashing above average with great shape and a softer curveball looking average with more top to bottom movement. As with the two arms drafted before him, he does need to get more consistent with those secondaries and his command, but I think he'll get there. Schlittler is not a great athlete, relying more on his height than his lower body to get downhill towards the plate, though he does not throw with much effort and could start in pro ball. Perhaps toughest for some Yankees fans to get over will be the fact that he grew up in Walpole in the shadows of Gillette Stadium and less than twenty miles from Boston, so he's a New Englander through and through.

12-370: RHP Jackson Fristoe, Mississippi State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $272,500 ($147,500 against bonus pool).
Jackson Fristoe seemed like a good candidate to go back to school after a tough sophomore season, but the Yankees picked him up for a large day three bonus to see what they could make of him. After a solid freshman season at Mississippi State, Fristoe regressed in 2022 and posted a 7.71 ERA and a 48/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 37.1 innings for a Bulldogs team that fell far short of expectations. He has a premium body at 6'4" and moves very well on the mound, with a low to mid 90's fastball that can touch higher with life. He throws a sharp cutter/slider in the upper 80's that could be a true weapon if he gets more consistent with it, and also flashes a less used changeup that's effective when it's on. His command is presently below average and the Yankees will need to help streamline his long arms and legs into a more consistent delivery, but the pieces are certainly there to build on. It's a relief profile for now, but you never know. Though the western Kentucky native is eligible as a true sophomore, he's a full year older than his graduating class and already turned 21 in March.

14-430: RHP Kris Bow, Southern Nevada JC. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
Kris Bow has been one of the more interesting JUCO arms on the west coast for a few years now, and he finally put it all together with a great 2022 season in which he posted a 2.16 ERA and a 64/23 strikeout to walk ratio over 41.2 innings for the College of Southern Nevada. He has a low to mid 90's fastball with some riding life from a low release point, as well as a full arsenal of secondaries led by an above average slider. He has a very sturdy 6'4" frame and should be durable, but hasn't started on a consistent basis at CSN and he'll have to prove his stuff can hold up over longer periods of time. Still, he has a combination of size, arm strength, secondaries, and command that is difficult to find on day three of the draft, so he could be lightning in a bottle for New York. He just finished his third year at Southern Nevada after previously committing to transfer to Arizona, so he'll turn 22 early in the offseason.

18-550: RHP Sebastian Keane, Northeastern. My rank: #220.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
Sebastian Keane was one of the more famous recruits to ever reach campus at Northeastern, coming into Boston having spurned top five round interest out of his northern Massachusetts high school. He's been up and down for the Huskies, but unfortunately 2022 was more of a "down" and he finished with a 5.99 ERA and a 50/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 70.2 innings. Now he'll join rotation mate Cam Schlittler in the Yankees system, and they'll work to get him on track. Keane is a great athlete with a low 90's fastball that gets up to 96, while adding a slider that flashes plus at its best in addition to a less used curveball and changeup. The stuff can be extremely inconsistent, with his slider losing snap and his fastball sitting closer to 90 at times, and in 2022 he really struggled to miss bats. His 15.0% strikeout rate this year was by far the lowest on my list, a product of leaving too many pitches over the plate and that regression in his stuff. Still, he doesn't walk too many hitters and has shown flashes of dominance, such as in the Cape Cod League last summer, and has the athleticism and premium stuff at peak to become an impact arm. He's just really far away from that right now and trending in the wrong direction, which is why he's being drafted here in the eighteenth round and not thirteen to fourteen rounds higher like he was projected at his best. And one last piece of good news for Yankee fans – though he grew up in Massachusetts and went to college in Boston, Keane did grow up a Yankees fan, so he's not crossing rivalry lines here.

2022 MLB Draft: an early look at mid-majors (east)

2021 draftees: 94. Top school: Central Florida (4).
2021 preseason writeup (published 1/1/2021)

Top draftees:
1-9, Angels: RHP Sam Bachman (Miami OH)
1-20, Yankees: SS Trey Sweeney (Eastern Illinois)
1-23, Indians: RHP Gavin Williams (East Carolina)
CBA-33, Brewers: 2B Tyler Black (Wright State)
2-41, Orioles: 2B Connor Norby (East Carolina)
2-49, Phillies: OF Ethan Wilson (South Alabama)
2-50, Giants: LHP Matt Mikulski (Fordham)

Playing in a mid-major conference is a bit different than a power conference like the SEC or ACC, as players don't always see the same level of competition and have to rely on more than just in-season performance to get noticed. Especially before the season begins, many rely on standout performances in places like the Cape Cod League or the Northwoods League to get noticed, silencing doubters who believe their big in-season performances were a product of a weaker schedule. This year's group features as much star power as any mid major class, and we'll start by taking a look at the top ten prospects from schools east of the Mississippi River.

1. OF Chase DeLauter, James Madison.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'4", 235 lbs. Born 10/8/2001. Hometown: Martinsburg, WV.
2021: 6 HR, .386/.508/.723, 7 SB, 14/25 K/BB in 26 games.
James Madison University in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley isn't your traditional baseball powerhouse, as they didn't have any players drafted in 2020 or 2021 and haven't seen a player go in the top six rounds since Jake Lowery was a fourth rounder back in 2011. Chase DeLauter will look to change that in 2022, heading into the season as one of the most hyped prospects in the entire country regardless of level. Though he's only played 42 games in his JMU career so far, he's made the most of his time on the field with a .385/.488/.657 line, and he boosted his stock even further with an excellent run through the Cape Cod League in which he hit .298/.397/.589 with nine home runs and more walks (21) than strikeouts (18). DeLauter stands out for his plus raw power from the left side, getting to that power very consistently in games with an effortless left handed swing that can almost appear nonchalant at times. He's built like a power hitter with a big 6'4" frame, and his loose hack generates plenty of natural loft. He never has to sell out to get to his power so he's always under control, and that power plays very well with wood. Not just a slugger, the West Virginia product is a disciplined hitter that has been in complete control of his at bats in CAA play and continued to manage the strike zone with precision against elite Cape arms despite the big step up in competition. He chooses good pitches to hit while letting the bad ones go, has been unfazed by velocity and breaking stuff, and makes loud contact as soon as pitchers come into his ample hitting zone. As an added bonus, he's extremely young for a college junior and won't turn 21 until October, making him even younger for this class than Jud Fabian was for last year's class. Heading into 2022, he has nothing left to prove with the bat. He's already obliterated CAA pitching, so perhaps the best thing he can do for himself is improving his defense. DeLauter is a solid runner with a good arm that has earned him 22 innings for JMU on the mound, giving him the ability to play a fringe-average center field for now, but given his size he'll likely slow down and move to right field. If he can convince some scouts that there might be a long term future in center, he could be in play at the very top of the draft and regardless figures to go early in the first round. The ultimate projection here is a true middle of the order hitter that will hit for power while getting on base at a high clip, perhaps like a more consistent Cody Bellinger with a bit less speed.

2. SS Zach Neto, Campbell.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 185 lbs. Born 1/31/2001. Hometown: Miami, FL.
2021: 12 HR, .405/.488/.746, 12 SB, 30/17 K/BB in 44 games.
In a region typically dominated by East Carolina and Coastal Carolina at the mid-major level, Campbell has done a nice job lately carving out a spot for itself as one of the better talent pipelines in the area. Zach Neto might be their best prospect yet, coming off a massive sophomore season in which he earned Big South Player of the Year honors before boosting his stock further with a .295/.427/.574 run through the Cape Cod League. Neto will never be the biggest or most physical guy on the field, but he makes the most of his smaller frame and then some. He has a noisy setup at the plate, rocking back and forth with significant bat waggle before employing an exaggerated load, balancing on his back foot prior to exploding forward at the ball. Oftentimes all that noise can lead to swing and miss for other players, but he quiets his hands down very well during his leg kick so that he's always in a good position to hit. From there, he produces above average power and gets to it in games with strong bat to ball skills and good pitch selection, looking the part of a complete hitter. The Miami product also provides value on defense with above average range at shortstop and perhaps just enough arm for the position, and he could be a plus defender at second base if forced off shortstop by a better defender. Neto's well-rounded bat combined with the ability to stick up the middle will have teams interested in the first round if he can even come close to matching the obscene .405/.488/.746 line he put up in 2021, with the chance to produce 20+ home runs annually with high on-base percentages if he reaches his ceiling.

3. LHP/1B Reggie Crawford, Connecticut.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'4", 235 lbs. Born 12/4/2000. Hometown: Frackville, PA.
2021: 13 HR, .295/.349/.543, 2 SB, 58/17 K/BB in 51 games.
2021: 1-1, 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 17/3 K/BB in 7.2 IP.
Reggie Crawford possesses one of the most exciting profiles in college baseball right now, which makes it all the more painful that we won't actually get to see him play in 2022 after he went down with Tommy John surgery. Still, he has legitimate first round upside as either a hitter or a pitcher, though it's hard to see him going that early in the draft without a junior year to answer the questions that naturally pop up when discussing giving multiple million dollars in signing bonus money. To date, Crawford is more established with the bat after cracking 13 home runs for UConn this spring and hitting .293/.341/.488 with a pair of home runs in twelve games evenly split between the US Collegiate National Team and the Cape Cod League. He produces plus raw power from the left side with a lightning quick bat and a ton of strength in his 6'4" frame, reminding me a bit of Alex Binelas as a hitter. He's aggressive like Binelas as well, walking just 19 times in 63 games between UConn, the CNT, and the Cape, but he does a good job of doing damage on pitches in the zone with strong bat to ball skills. Given that he's likely limited to first base in pro ball, putting pressure on his bat, scouts would have liked to see him be a bit more patient with balls out of the zone in 2022 but unfortunately won't get that opportunity. If he can tighten up the strike zone a little bit, he could flirt with 30 home runs annually in the majors. Meanwhile, there might be more untapped potential on the mound. The 6'4" lefty threw just 13.2 innings between UConn, the CNT, and the Cape in 2021, but the results were about as good as you can possible ask for as he struck out 29 of the 53 batters he faced (54.7%) and walked just four. He consistently brings upper 90's heat in short stints and touched as high as 101 with the CNT, also adding a plus slider that plays well off his fastball. Unlike most fireballing college relievers, Crawford actually fills up the strike zone well and could have above average command in time, which would be deadly given his stuff. There's some late jerk in his delivery but the overall operation is clean. A team looking for the central Pennsylvania native to develop as a starter will be doing so without having seen him complete three innings in any collegiate or summer outing, and will also have to work with him on developing a changeup. The risk is very high, but the upside is astronomical. He's a very different pitcher than Shohei Ohtani but his upside with the bat is similar.

4. LHP Carson Whisenhunt, East Carolina.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'3", 205 lbs. Born 10/20/2000. Hometown: Mocksville, NC.
2021: 6-2, 3.77 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 79/22 K/BB in 62 IP.
East Carolina has established itself as perhaps the premier destination for talent outside the Power Five conferences, so it's no surprise to see one of the top mid major pitchers in the country coming from Greenville. A year after Gavin Williams went 23rd overall to the Indians, Carson Whisenhunt finds himself in the first round conversation, if perhaps a touch behind where Williams ended up. He followed a strong sophomore season with an impressive run with the US Collegiate National Team, striking out ten over six innings while allowing just four baserunners. Whisenhunt has a very balanced arsenal beginning with a low 90's fastball that can get up to around 95 at his best, not overwhelming velocity but certainly enough to stand out from the left side and it's velocity he holds throughout his starts. The 6'3" lefty adds an above average slider that dives across the plate and can elicit some ugly swings, while his plus changeup is perhaps his best pitch as it just dies on its way to the plate. With a simple, low effort delivery, he makes all three pitches play up by hitting his spots and tunneling them off of each other reasonably well, checking all the boxes you look for in a big league starting pitcher. As it stands, he projects as a low risk mid-rotation starter that can effectively work past both lefties and righties, and in 2022 he'll look for either a slight velocity bump or perhaps try to flash plus more often with his slider if he wants to safely work his way into the first round. Another point of emphasis will be command, which is now solid average but trending towards above average if he keeps on his current trajectory.

5. OF Tyler Locklear, Virginia Commonwealth.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 210 lbs. Born 11/24/2000. Hometown: Abingdon, MD.
2021: 16 HR, .345/.515/.686, 8 SB, 40/46 K/BB in 54 games.
Tyler Locklear brings us yet another big masher, this time out of VCU in Richmond. After a breakout year at the plate that saw him blast 16 home runs with an on-base percentage above .500, he continued to impress in the Cape Cod League by slashing .256/.333/.504 in 34 games and tying with Chase DeLauter for the league lead with nine home runs. A quiet setup at the plate gives way to an explosive swing that produces plus power and some impressive home runs, power he's clearly gotten to in games against good competition and with wood bats. A very patient, disciplined hitter at VCU, he expanded the zone a bit more against quality arms on the Cape but still limited his strikeout rate to a reasonable 22.7% as he didn't go too crazy with the chases. For the most part, Locklear picks good pitches to attack and therefore regularly puts himself in a good position to do damage, and it's also interesting to note that he finished eighth in Division I last year with 22 hit by pitches (plus nine more on the Cape). The northeastern Maryland native won't provide much value on defense and will therefore have to hit his way up, but he can hit the ball as hard as anybody and is a disciplined enough hitter to make it work in pro ball. It's probably a second round profile for now, but if he can show up in 2022 with better plate discipline and prove he can pair that plus power with an above average hit tool, he could easily swing his way into the first round.

6. LHP Trey Dombroski, Monmouth.
Bat: R. Throw: L. 6'5", 235 lbs. Born 3/13/2001. Hometown: Manasquan, NJ.
2021: 5-1, 2.73 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 64/8 K/BB in 52.2 IP.
If you're old school and you miss the crafty lefties of days gone by, then Trey Dombroski is the prospect for you. Despite not lighting up the radar gun, he walked less than three percent of his opponents between his sophomore season at Monmouth and the Cape Cod League, combining for an incredible 115/11 strikeout to walk ratio in 90.1 innings. With a 2.73 ERA at Monmouth and a 1.19 mark on the Cape, he proved extremely effective at preventing runs, too, which is always important. Dombroski only sits around 90 with his fastball, occasionally creeping into the low 90's in games and topping out around 94 in side bullpens. Instead of blowing that pitch by hitters, he relies on mixing and matching his full four pitch arsenal with precise location. Behind his fastball, the 6'5" lefty adds a sweepy slider, a bigger curveball, and a diving changeup, all of which work well off each other. He comes from a relatively wide, high release point that might not fit new-age models looking for pitchers to get out in front and release the ball low to the ground, but you can't deny his results and sometimes old school can still be cool. His exceptional run through the Cape boosted his stock significantly as he proved he could miss some of the most talented bats in the country, whereas it might have been harder to get behind an 88-91 arm pitching in the MAAC as teams search for velocity. He has the look of a safe bet #4 starter and probably fits in the second or third round, but any increase in velocity in 2022 will have scouts sitting up in their seats for sure. Monmouth hasn't had a player drafted since 24th rounder Anthony Ciavarella in 2016 and hasn't seen a player go any earlier than that since Pat Light went 37th overall in 2012, so regardless this will be an exciting spring in West Long Branch.

7. RHP Sebastian Keane, Northeastern.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 185 lbs. Born 11/2/2000. Hometown: North Andover, MA.
2021: 6-1, 4.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 73/20 K/BB in 70.1 IP.
Sebastian Keane has been a well known commodity to scouts since his high school days, coming into Northeastern with as much hype as any recruit they've had in recent memory. This year, he'll look to be the first Husky drafted in a single digit round since Aaron Civale was a third rounder in 2016. Keane has not quite put it all together yet, looking more good than great throughout most of his career at Northeastern, but scouts have always loved the immense talent in his right arm and think 2022 could be a breakout year. The fact that he performed well on the Cape (3.85 ERA, 25/7 K/BB in 21 IP) helps his cause as well given that Northeastern doesn't play the toughest schedule. For now, the 6'3" righty works mainly off a deadly fastball/slider combination, sitting in the low 90's and topping out around 96 at his best with the former while missing plenty of bats with the latter, a plus pitch. He also works in a curveball and changeup, though those two are certainly behind the fastball and slider and he doesn't use them as much. Keane is fairly closed off in his delivery and has a long way to go to get back on line, which occasionally affects his command when he doesn't get on time. For that reason, there is some relief risk here, where he could fall back on the fastball and slider and potentially see them both tick up, but evaluators are hoping he can make the minor tweaks necessary to become an impact starting pitching prospect this spring. That would require him featuring his curve and/or changeup more prominently in his arsenal and proving he can locate and miss bats with them, while getting a bit more consistent in the command department would be a big boon as well. There's a ton of arm strength, athleticism, and projection to build off here, so there are certain to be at least a few teams that are very bought into his upside.

8. SS Eric Brown, Coastal Carolina.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 5'10", 190 lbs. Born 12/19/2000. Hometown: Bossier City, LA.
2021: 9 HR, .294/.413/.513, 11 SB, 37/33 K/BB in 50 games.
Eric Brown doesn't pop off the page looking like a top prospect, but the more you watch him play, the more he'll convince you he can be an everyday big leaguer. After a strong sophomore season for Coastal Carolina, he showed well in the Cape Cod League by slashing .269/.356/.408 with five home runs and 13 stolen bases in 36 games. Undersized at 5'10", he employs a unique setup at the plate in which he begins with his hands next to his forehead, rocking back into a big leg kick while pointing the bat head almost straight back towards the pitcher. From there, he pulls his hands back while still balanced on that back leg before ripping off a linear, leveraged swing. Despite everything going on in his load, he's very balanced throughout and repeats it consistently, making plenty of hard contact from the right side with a disciplined approach and the willingness to spray line drives around the park rather than do to much. Come into his wheelhouse, though, and he'll punish you, with the ability to produce some screaming line drives and more over the fence power than you'd expect from his 5'10" stature. He's also a strong defender whose athleticism translates well to the shortstop position, where he's balanced and steady enough to continue to play there in pro ball. That makes his bat all the more interesting, with the chance to hit near the top of a big league lineup with 15-20 home runs annually and high on-base percentages if he reaches his ceiling.

9. RHP Andrew Taylor, Central Michigan.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'5", 190 lbs. Born 9/23/2001. Hometown: Alto, MI.
2021: 11-4, 1.81 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 125/24 K/BB in 94.1 IP.
You might not find a more consistent performer at this level than Andrew Taylor, who carried a 1.21 ERA through his first fourteen starts before ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time against a white-hot Notre Dame offense that tagged him for seven runs in his final start of the season. At that point, I don't think anybody was slowing the Irish down anyways. After the season, Taylor got two starts in the Cape Cod League and showed well, striking out eleven in seven innings while allowing just one run on three hits and three walks. He's a lanky 6'5" righthander that can run his fastball up to around 94, but he's comfortable sitting around 90 for now. He adds an above average curveball and changeup, with the latter the more consistent pitch and the former tending to pop out of his hand at times when he doesn't fully snap it. Everything works together from an extremely smooth delivery that, when combined with the massive projection in his frame, screams more velocity, and he commands all his pitches very well. Throw in the fact that he's very young for the class and won't turn 21 until September, and you have a prospect who could take some serious leaps forward in the right development system. For now, teams will be looking for even a slight velocity bump so they don't have to report too many 88's and 89's back to the higher ups, and he has a chance to move up boards quickly if he can provide that. There's a back-end starter projection here with a very good chance for more.

10. OF Colby Thomas, Mercer.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 190 lbs. Born 1/26/2001. Hometown: Valdosta, GA.
2021: 10 HR, .247/.356/.479, 9 SB, 53/24 K/BB in 53 games.
Mercer will probably never have another prospect like Kyle Lewis, who went eleventh overall to the Mariners in 2016 when many thought he could be in play at the very top of the draft, but Colby Thomas provides an interesting sleeper and hopes to be the highest Bear drafted since then (he'll have to beat 2018 fifth rounder Austin Cox). Thomas exploded onto the scene with a huge freshman debut in the shortened 2020 season, slashing .333/.403/.681 with five home runs in 16 games, but was more solid than spectacular in his full sophomore season. A trip to the Cape Cod League raised his profile, where he hit a respectable .229/.309/.459 with four home runs in 34 games. He's another potential breakout pick for 2022, with the underlying tools necessary to surprise some people. A bit on the smaller side at six foot even, he shows above average raw power from the right side that he can get to in games and which showed up with wood bats. He does a nice job leaving his hands back and getting his barrel long through the zone, both creating the leverage necessary to produce power from his smaller frame as well as giving him more opportunity to read pitches and limit his swing and miss. The South Georgia native is a bit of a free swinger, though interestingly enough he cut his strikeout rate from 22.8% at Mercer this past spring to a very respectable 19.5% on the Cape. Beyond his bat, Thomas is an above average runner with an above average arm that has a chance to stick in center field, further boosting his value. At his peak, Thomas has a chance to hit 15-20 home runs annually with decent on-base percentages and a few stolen bases, a profile that could fit in any lineup.