2022 MLB Draft Review: Minnesota Twins

Full list of draftees

I really like what the Twins did here, especially with their first couple of picks. Brooks Lee, in my opinion, was the best college player available in the entire draft and they got him for a small over slot bonus at #8, while Connor Prielipp has a top-ten profile if he had actually been healthy and Tanner Schobel should not have lasted to #68. That's a very, very good top three. Minnesota had to shift gears a little bit to save some money later on, picking up a slew of high-floor guys that should be able to contribute in reserve roles, in the back of the rotation, or in middle relief. I do think guys like fifth rounder Ben Ross and fourteenth rounder Omari Daniel come with interesting upside. In all, it was a middle infielder-heavy draft with seven players drafted as shortstops, and most of them have a chance to at least compete to stick there.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-8: SS Brooks Lee, Cal Poly. My rank: #5.
Slot value: $5.44 million. Signing bonus: $5.68 million ($232,600 above slot value).
The Twins have to be thrilled that Brooks Lee was still available to them after getting interest as high as the first overall pick. In my opinion the best college player available, period, Lee has a chance to fly through their system and be one of the first hitters from this class to reach the majors. A highly touted prospect out of San Luis Obispo High School in California, he priced himself out of the draft with a firm commitment to play for his father at Cal Poly. He continued to build his stock throughout his time at school, including a fantastic junior season in which he slashed .357/.462/.664 with 15 home runs and a 28/46 strikeout to walk ratio over 58 games. Lee perhaps stands out most for elite bat to ball skills, making a ton of contact both inside and outside the strike zone. He was a bit of a bad ball hitter early in his career, but he cut down on his chases in 2022 and his walk rate more than doubled from 7.2% to 16.1% while his strikeout rate dropped from 13.6%, which was already low, to 9.8%. Most guys with contact rates like that are slap hitters, but Lee shows above average raw power from both sides of the plate and taps all of it in games, with a chance for plus power down the line as he continues to develop. He regularly finds the barrel and hits screaming line drives around the field, and now that he's only swinging at pitches in the zone, there's not much soft contact to be found. He's a shortstop for now, with good feel for the position and the chance to stick there if he doesn't get bumped by a better defender, but his long term position may be third base because his build lends itself more to strength than quickness. The ceiling here is an Anthony Rendon-type of player, which ain't half bad given he's a high probability major leaguer with very low bust risk. He has taken to minor league pitching well, slashing .340/.386/.491 with two home runs and a 9/4 strikeout to walk ratio through 13 games between the Florida Complex League and High A Cedar Rapids.

2-48: LHP Connor Prielipp, Alabama. My rank: #30.
Slot value: $1.62 million. Signing bonus: $1.83 million ($202,300 above slot value)
Connor Prielipp is one of the more enigmatic arms in this class and it will be very interesting to track his progress. He was utterly untouchable when he first reached campus at Alabama, tossing 26 shutout innings on just nine hits, six walks, and 43 strikeouts over his first five career starts, between the four in the shortened 2020 season and his 2021 season opener. However, he went down with an elbow injury after that first start, then only threw one inning in each of his next two starts after a lengthy absence. The end result was Tommy John surgery, which subsequently wiped out his entire 2022 season as well. So now we're left with a kid who dominated for 26 innings against mediocre mid-major competition a long time ago, got knocked around by Auburn and LSU last year, and hasn't pitched in a game since. Though it is important to note that he came back and pitched at the MLB Draft Combine in June and left evaluators, particularly the Twins scouting department it appears, very impressed. When Prielipp is on the mound, he has nasty stuff that fist much better in the first round than the second. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and has been up to 97-98 at peak, coming in from a steeper slot. His best pitch is a true plus slider that just darts under bats at the last second, while he's flashed an above average changeup in his limited looks as well. It's an exceptional three pitch mix from a lefty, especially given that he repeats his delivery well and fills up the strike zone with above average command. The 6'2" lefty has projection remaining and is fully healthy now, showing everything you want to see from a potential frontline starter except the track record. Tommy John affects us all it seems and he appears durable otherwise, but it is a big risk to take a 21 year old pitcher whose entire track record consists of 28 innings a long time ago, with the 26 most effective coming against weaker competition. Additionally as a fun aside, Prielipp gives the Twins another Upper Midwesterner as a native of Tomah, Wisconsin, a small town on I-94 about halfway between Madison and Eau Claire only two and a half hours from the Twin Cities.

CBB-68: SS Tanner Schobel, Virginia Tech. My rank: #45.
Slot value: $1 million. Signing bonus: $1 million.
The Twins were heavily tied to Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross with their first selection, and that may have been the pick had Brooks Lee not fallen into their laps. Instead, they'll grab another Hokie sixty picks later, and it's a good one. Tanner Schobel has been a steady riser throughout his two seasons in Blacksburg, culminating with a fantastic season in 2022 in which he slashed .362/.445/.689 with 19 home runs and a 40/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games, at times outshining Cross himself. Schobel isn't a big guy at a listed 5'10", 170 pounds, but he plays much bigger. He takes big hacks from the right side of the plate and can really turn on the ball with above average power to the pull side, but he stays under control and can send line drives the other way as well. He's a patient hitter that is willing to work counts, keeping his strikeout rates down and his walk rates high. The power definitely plays best to the pull side, and some teams don't think it will play as well with wood bats, but the Twins (and I) certainly do and he knows how to get to it. The Williamsburg, Virginia native also plays a very solid shortstop with solid range and enough arm strength to stick, though like Lee, he might not stick. While Lee might be too physical for the position, Schobel might not be physical enough and could be pushed by someone with more explosive athleticism, though he does have enough arm. The floor here is that of a utility infielder but I think he'll be an every day guy that can pop for 15-20 home runs per season with high on-base percentages, whether that's at second base, shortstop, or third base. So far, he's slashing .207/.281/.224 with a 10/5 strikeout to walk ratio through 15 games between the Florida Complex League and Low A Fort Myers.

4-114: RHP Andrew Morris, Texas Tech. My rank: #216.
Slot value: $533,300. Signing bonus: $500,000 ($33,300 below slot value).
Andrew Morris was a sleeper on a lot of teams' boards, and the Twins were the first to pounce. He spent three years at Division II Colorado Mesa University before transferring to Texas Tech, where he put up a 4.58 ERA and a 91/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 88.1 innings. Despite playing four years of college ball, he's still somehow only 20 years old, making him three months younger than true sophomore Tanner Schobel. Morris sits in the low 90's with his fastball and gets up to around 96, adding a slider and changeup that both flash above average. He comes from a deep shoulder tilt in his delivery that puts some downward plane on his pitches, but the fastball still gets some solid riding action and the angle helps his slider play up. In my look in Lubbock, his slider looked consistently above average early on, but flattened out later in the start. There are relief concerns given his smaller 6' frame, but the Denver-area native has proven durable to this point and pounds the strike zone with above average control and average command, so there is still a good shot he winds up a #4 starter. Given his combination of experience and youth, he could move through the minors quickly and reach the majors at 22. He tossed a clean inning in his Florida Complex League debut, striking out one.

5-144: SS Ben Ross, Notre Dame College. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $398,500. Signing bonus: $220,000 ($178,500 below slot value).
No, not that Notre Dame. This one's in Cleveland. Ben Ross has been one of the better hitters in Ohio regardless of level, coming off two huge seasons at Notre Dame College including a 2022 in which he slashed .392/.452/.747 with 14 home runs and a 33/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games. Looking for more exposure against higher level pitching than what he saw in the Division II Mountain East Conference, he went off to the Northwoods League this summer and put up more huge numbers over a large sample size, slashing .421/.502/.649 with ten home runs and a 28/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 42 games. That run through the Northwoods League is likely what sold the Twins on Ross, who signed below slot to help them afford Brooks Lee and Connor Prielipp. The Springfield, Ohio native takes big, healthy hacks from the right side that help him drive the ball in the air with authority, but he stays under control and still struck out in just 13.9% of his plate appearances in the Northwoods League after running a 14.9% rate at NDC. A good defender at shortstop, he'll compete with Lee and Tanner Schobel for the position while moving up the ladder. It may be a bit of a steep transition to pro ball, but he's young for the class and only turned 21 in June so there's no huge rush. So far, he's slashing .222/.344/.519 with two home runs and a 7/5 strikeout to walk ratio through seven games between the Florida Complex League and Low A Fort Myers.

6-174: SS Jorel Ortega, Tennessee. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $301,200. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($51,200 below slot value).
Jorel Ortega was a big reason why Tennessee outperformed initial expectations and became the best team in the country for much of the season. He didn't play in 2020 and barely saw the field in 2021, but broke out in 2022 to slash .323/.398/.672 with 18 home runs and a 40/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 games. Those numbers may have been a bit inflated hitting at Tennessee's hitter-friendly home park, but hitting in the SEC is never easy no matter where you're playing. While Ortega lacks a carrying tool, he does a lot of things well. He utilizes a simple, quick right handed swing to put barrel to baseball consistently, using the whole field effectively and showing some pop to the pull side. He's an aggressive hitter that walked in just 9.5% of his plate appearances this spring, but he still makes plenty of contact and only struck out in 15.2% while facing a ton of quality pitching. It's a balanced offensive profile that could lead to 15 or so home runs per season with decent on-base percentages at best, especially if he gets a little more patient at the plate. Defensively, he again shows average tools across the board and could wind up filling any position the Twins need him at. The Puerto Rican mainly played second base in Knoxville, but also saw some time at first base and has enough arm strength to make it work at shortstop or third base. It's probably a strong utility profile going forward. Through three games between the Florida Complex League and Low A Fort Myers, he has one hit in five at bats to go along with three strikeouts and two walks.

7-204: RHP Kyle Jones, Toledo. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $235,600. Signing bonus: $235,600.
Two rounds after drafting Ben Ross out of Notre Dame College in the Cleveland area, the Twins went back to the region to take another player out of a smaller northern Ohio school. Kyle Jones had a very solid season for Toledo, posting a 4.24 ERA and a 114/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 91.1 innings against a pretty solid MAC schedule. Jones sits in the low 90's with his fastball, which is fairly generic coming in with steep angle, but he's mainly noted for his offspeed stuff. His curveball has big 12-6 break and can send hitters diving down out of the zone to catch it, while his splitter has sharp diving action to elicit its fair share of chases as well. The 6'1" righty fills up the strike zone with above average command and has every chance to stick as a starter, though he will have to figure something out with his fastball in order to do so. That either means adding velocity to make up for its lack of bat missing qualities or finding a way to get some life on it. If he does move to the bullpen, he can pitch more effectively off his curveball and splitter as a junkballer of sorts, and given his command, he could be very effective in that role. The Detroit-area native could move fairly quickly given his advanced pitchability and the fact that he's already 22. He tossed a clean inning in his Florida Complex League debut.

10-294: SS Dalton Shuffield, Texas State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $153,800. Signing bonus: $20,000 ($133,800 below slot value).
Dalton Shuffield is already 23, so this isn't exactly an upside play. A fifth year senior that has been a mainstay in the Texas State lineup since 2018, he broke out for his best year yet in 2022 by slashing .378/.444/.668 with 13 home runs and a 32/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 61 games. That made him a major factor in leading Texas State to a #2 seed at the Stanford regional as one of the best mid major programs in the country. He has a very unique setup at the plate, leaning on his back leg while extending his front leg almost straight towards the plate, holding his hands high while waggling the bat and bouncing that front foot. Still, he consistently gets into a good hitting position and uses exceptional barrel control to make consistent, hard contact to all fields. Very undersized at 5'9", 170 pounds, the power is below average even if he did crack 13 home runs this spring, so he'll focus more on a gap to gap approach in pro ball. Given his bat to ball skills and propensity to square the ball up, that should work out just fine. He's an aggressive hitter that makes a lot of contact even on pitches outside the zone, so even though he effectively kept the strikeouts down with a great 11.7% rate in 2022, he may want to be a little more selective in pro ball. The San Antonio native is an above average runner that shows plenty of range at shortstop, pointing to a future as a utility infielder that can slap some doubles and triples for you. So far, he's slashing .333/.474/.533 with one home run and an even 4/4 strikeout to walk ratio through five games between the Florida Complex League and High A Cedar Rapids.

14-414: SS Omari Daniel, Walker HS [GA]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $232,800 ($107,800 above slot value).
Omari Daniel was originally committed to Oregon, but changed at the last minute to Northwest Florida State JC and will now attend neither as the Twins borrowed more than $100,000 against their bonus pool to grab him with a fourteenth round pick. Daniel is a physical specimen at 6'2", 185 pounds, with plenty of strength already present in his still-projectable frame. He can really rope the ball from the right side, showing big time bat speed and great leverage with some uppercut action. As he gets stronger and learns to deploy his power in games, that could translate into plus power in time. The approach is a little bit raw and he may need to spend a year in complex ball to sort things out, but that's why these physical tools are available in the fourteenth round and he's pretty young for a high schooler anyways, only having turned 18 in May. In the field, Daniel stands out for a plus arm that he deploys well, naturally playing his momentum through ground balls and getting his body moving towards first base. The Atlanta-area native is an above average runner for now that should stick at the position, though if he bulks up any further third base could be a better fit. I think I'd like to see him get quicker about making throws without a shuffle/extra step, but again he's young and has plenty of arm strength to get to that point. Be patient with this one but there is a ton of upside.

20-594: OF Korbyn Dickerson, Trinity HS [KY]. My rank: #178.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: did not sign.
I have to think the Twins were offering the same money to Omari Daniel and Korbyn Dickerson, and it was Daniel who was willing to sign while Dickerson will head to Louisville. The Cardinals have to be ecstatic about getting Dickerson to campus, bringing with him tremendous upside that could help him emerge a first round pick in 2025, especially given that they lost outfielders Levi Usher (Royals) and Cameron Masterman (A's) to the draft this year. He is a great athlete with plenty of whippy bat speed and the chance at plus power as he fills out his 6'2" frame, though his pitch recognition is a bit behind and he'll need some mechanical cleanup to catch up to ACC pitching. For that reason he may not start right away, but it shouldn't be long before he's playing every day and mashing. The Louisville-area native is also a plus runner that could take over for Usher in center field.

2022 MLB Draft: An early look at the SEC

2021 draftees: 68. Top school: Arkansas (9)
2021 preseason writeup (published 11/7/2020)

Top draftees:
1-2, Rangers: RHP Jack Leiter (Vanderbilt)
1-10, Mets: RHP Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt)
1-14, Giants: RHP Will Bednar (Mississippi State)
1-19, Blue Jays: RHP Gunnar Hoglund (Mississippi)
2-40, Red Sox: OF Jud Fabian (Florida)
2-42, Diamondbacks: SS Ryan Bliss (Auburn)
2-44, Rockies: RHP Jaden Hill (Louisiana State)

Beyond hosting both College World Series final teams in Mississippi State, the SEC continued to show why it is college baseball's premier conference in 2021 by leading the way with 68 players drafted. Every team in the league had multiple players selected while five different schools saw at least seven players go in the draft. Meanwhile, Arkansas tied with Texas Tech for the second most players drafted of any individual school with nine, behind only UCLA's ten.

The SEC has always been known for premier pitching, with Vanderbilt righty Jack Leiter earning the largest signing bonus of any player in the draft and four pitchers going in the top nineteen picks a year ago. In 2022, however, the pendulum looks to have swung slightly to the position player side, with a deluge of big bats all jostling for position in the first round. By my count, I see about twelve players who are in a very good position to go in the first round, and while of course that won't be the case come July, it bodes well for the conference's chances of matching or bettering last year's mark of four first round draftees. The depth here is really impressive, and beyond the top couple of names, I really feel bad ranking any of these players outside of the top five and I see very little separation between the top and bottom of the list, which I extended to twelve after doing ten for the other conferences. One interesting trend I noticed was size, as the twelve players on the list average less than 6'1" in height and Hunter Barco (6'4"), the last player on the list, is the only one above 6'2". Not typical for a conference like this one.

1. 3B Jacob Berry, Louisiana State.
Bat: S. Throw: R. 6', 210 lbs. Born 5/5/2001. Hometown: Queen Creek, AZ.
2021: 17 HR, .352/.439/.676, 2 SB, 58/33 K/BB in 63 games.
LSU made a huge splash by hiring away Arizona head coach Jay Johnson this summer, and that move paid immediate dividends when all-everything slugger Jacob Berry decided to follow his coach across the country on Interstate 10. As a true freshman last spring (albeit the age of a sophomore), he was one of the best hitters in the entire country and served as the centerpiece to arguably college baseball's best lineup, slugging the Wildcats to their first College World Series appearance since 2016. He then cranked it up another notch with the US Collegiate National Team, slashing .387/.475/.871 with four home runs in eleven games against arguably the best amateur competition in the country. Berry may only be six feet tall, on the shorter side for a slugger, but he packs as much strength into that smaller frame as you could possibly expect. He trusts that strength and utilizes a simple, direct swing from both sides of the plate to tap into easy plus raw power very consistently in games, never having to sell out or swing out of his shoes to get there. The Phoenix-area product is a patient hitter that draws his walks and keeps his strikeouts to a reasonable level, and he's completely unfazed by high-end velocity and offspeed stuff. There is no doubt that Berry will handle the slight jump in competition from the Pac-12 to the SEC, and very few have any concerns about his ability to continue to produce at a high level immediately in pro ball once he's drafted. The bat will be the carrying tool, because he's a below average defender at third base with a choppy glove that may end up having to move to first base. He'll have plenty of bat to profile at first, but as a decent athlete with better mobility than you'd expect for his frame, a team may be able to run him out at the hot corner if they're patient and prioritize development in that part of his game. Regardless, offensive production is what earns the big bucks and he has it in spades, and between Berry (.352/.439/.676, 17 HR), Dylan Crews (.362/.453/.663, 18 HR), Cade Doughty (.308/.368/.546, 13 HR), Gavin Dugas (.295/.407/.641, 19 HR), and Tre' Morgan (.357/.441/.526, 6 HR), you'll be hard pressed to find a more intimidating lineup in 2022 than the one in Baton Rouge.

2. SS Carter Young, Vanderbilt.
Bat: S. Throw: R. 6', 180 lbs. Born 1/24/2001. Hometown: Selah, WA.
2021: 16 HR, .252/.341/.559, 9 SB, 84/31 K/BB in 61 games.
Jacob Berry has been a more consistent hitter to this point in his career, so I have him as the number one prospect in the conference, but Carter Young has the higher ceiling and probably a better chance to break through and earn a number one overall selection. An immediate contributor in his shortened freshman season in 2020 (.328/.373/.377), he carried that success over into the 2021 season and was one of the SEC's more dynamic players for much of the season, but he injured his shoulder in May and when he returned a few weeks later, he didn't look like the same player. The post-injury slump hurt his overall numbers and he finished with over a 30% strikeout rate, but after taking the summer off to rest and heal, his proponents expect huge things in 2022. Young, like Berry, is a switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate, taking healthy, uppercut hacks that really help him channel his lean strength into useable game power. The swing can get big at times, but when he's going right he's an extremely tough out that is equally willing to take you deep or slap a line drive the other way. There has always been swing and miss in his game, an issue exacerbated by the injury, but the hope is that a healthy 2022 combined with another year of development can help get that under control. On the flip side, the Washington state product is an above average defender who will definitely stick at shortstop, with a plus arm and plenty of range to positively impact the game with his glove. Teams love up the middle athletes early in the draft, and Vanderbilt is no stranger to producing that kind of talent between shortstop Dansby Swanson (first overall, 2015) and utility man Austin Martin (fifth overall, 2020). Young is a better defender than Martin and has more power than both, so how high he goes in 2022 ultimately hinges on the consistency of his hit tool.

3. RHP Peyton Pallette, Arkansas.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'1", 175 lbs. Born 5/9/2001. Hometown: Benton, AR.
2021: 1-2, 4.02 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 67/20 K/BB in 56 innings.
The first time I heard Peyton Pallette's name was a roller coaster day and I wrote about it here. Having no idea who he was, I watched him start off an extremely experienced and disciplined top of the Texas lineup six up, six down for two innings, never throwing a fastball under 95 and striking out the last two (Big 12 #6 prospect Trey Faltine and 2021 #196 overall prospect Ivan Melendez) on six consecutive fastballs. The dude just blew me away. After that sensational season opening start, he went on to have some ups and downs including rough starts against Alabama (1 IP, 4 ER) and Ole Miss (4 IP, 7 ER), but he showed enough to stand firm as the top pitching prospect in the best conference in baseball. Pallette sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, tops out around 97, and gets tremendous ride on the pitch that just seems to explode onto hitters. He adds a plus-plus curveball with elite spin rates that looks to be one of the best breaking balls in the entire class, just crashing down on hitters as if it was spiked like a volleyball. To this point, the Little Rock-area native doesn't use his changeup as much and it's a below average pitch, so that will certainly be a point of development in 2022 and beyond. Despite standing a skinny 6'1", he's a strong kid that holds his velocity deep into starts through a low effort delivery, portending to a safe bet future in the rotation. Pallette often shows above average command but can get hit when he falls behind in the count or grooves one over the plate, so just a bit more consistency in that regard will be another thing to work on if he wants to be the first pitcher off the board on draft day. Relatively young for the class with a May birthday and younger than true sophomore Jacob Berry, there's as much talent in his right arm as anyone in college baseball and he looks the part of a high ceiling ace with some minor smoothing out of the edges in his game. The fastball/curveball combination is elite and the arm strength, body control, and athleticism are there, so the focus just needs to turn to his changeup and avoiding those lapses in command.

4. C Hayden Dunhurst, Mississippi.
Bat: S. Throw: R. 5'11", 220 lbs. Born 9/19/2000. Hometown: Carriere, MS.
2021: 7 HR, .280/.385/.435, 3 SB, 44/32 K/BB in 65 games.
Hayden Dunhurst hasn't quite put it all together yet, but strong defensive catchers who can produce in power conferences are always in demand and he firmly fits that profile. One of the top recruits nationally to reach campus from the 2019 high school ranks, Dunhurst has seen his game translate much more smoothly to the SEC than many anticipated and he now finds himself in the conversation as one of the top catchers in a loaded college class along with Mississippi State's Logan Tanner, Arizona's Daniel Susac, and Georgia Tech's Kevin Parada. He may be a bit undersized for a power hitter at 5'11", but like Jacob Berry he packs a ton of strength into that shorter frame and shows plus raw power from both sides of the plate. To this point, it hasn't shown up in games as much because he has mostly focused on making contact and hitting for average, opting to use the whole field and look for line drives rather than turn on and lift balls out of the park. Some would like to see the southern Mississippi product accept more swing and miss into his game to allow the power to play up, but regardless he has plenty of bat to profile as a starting catcher in the big leagues. Dunhurst really shines on defense, where his cannon arm ranks among the best in college baseball and can completely shut down the running game. While that plus-plus arm is his calling card, he's also come along very nicely with his glovework and figures to be an above average defender in that regard with a little more work, making the whole defensive package extremely enticing. Usually you have take a "glove-first" catcher to get that kind of defense and just hope his bat comes along, but Dunhurst has the bat. He can take it a step further by putting it all together in 2022 and tapping that power without letting his strikeout rate creep up too much, and if he can, he may be able to push to the front of the college catching pack.

5. C Logan Tanner, Mississippi State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 215 lbs. Born 11/10/2000. Hometown: Lucedale, MS.
2021: 15 HR, .287/.382/.525, 0 SB, 48/39 K/BB in 67 games.
Hayden Dunhurst and Logan Tanner have very similar profiles and are very close on this list, but I ultimately decided to put Dunhurst first because he's a switch hitter, his tools are a touch louder, and Tanner could not take advantage of Dunhurst's slower College National Team run (.160/.267/.160) as he struggled in his own right (.182/.217/.318). Tanner, also a southern Mississippi native who grew up a couple counties over from Dunhurst, was not as highly rated a recruit but was fantastic for Mississippi State in its run to the College World Series championship. He's a very well-rounded hitter that shows above average power from a compact right handed swing, effectively deploying the strength in his sturdy frame into usable game power. His patient, mature approach at the plate helps him tap that power consistently against good pitching, though his pure bat to ball skills are more average and he can sometimes get himself into trouble in deep counts. Behind the plate, he's an extremely good athlete that figures to be a plus defender, showing plenty of agility back there that is apparent to any observer. His plus arm plays up even further due to that agility, with the ability to throw from multiple angles as evidenced by this great throw against Ole Miss. With above average power that he taps in games, a strong enough approach to work in pro ball and make up for any deficiencies in his pure contact ability, and strong defense at a premium position, there are very few weaknesses in this profile and Tanner has a chance to work his way up as a starting catcher.

6. RHP Landon Sims, Mississippi State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'2", 225 lbs. Born 1/3/2001. Hometown: Cumming, GA.
2021: 5-0, 1.44 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 100/15 K/BB in 56.1 innings.
I will usually be the low man on college relievers. Their track record is as poor as any demographic in the draft, as they're already often performing at maximum capacity and don't get that "bump" in stuff that college starters do in shifting to relief work in pro ball. That said, Landon Sims is different. Despite facing extremely tough competition in 2021, he still struck out 46.9% of his opponents with an elite fastball/slider combination that very few hitters have solved to this point. Sims sits in the mid 90's and will regularly touch 97 without exerting himself, and the pitch plays up further because he gets tremendous riding life that makes it appear to catch another gear halfway to the plate. If you want the dictionary definition of an "explosive" fastball, here's what it looks like from behind the plate. On top of that plus-plus pitch, we have another one in the slider. Sims' slider has devastating late bite, just diving into oblivion at the last possible second and leaving hitters looking silly like this. On top of having two plus-plus pitches, he shows above average command that really helps the two pitches play off each other, something you very rarely see from an amateur pitcher with that kind of stuff. He served as the closer in 2021, often pitching two or three innings at a time, but not because he lacks the ability to start. Mississippi State's staff was absolutely loaded and Sims' mentality on the mound fits perfectly in a closer's role, as he's a fire breathing competitor that will make damn sure you see nothing but his very best from start to finish. He lives for the big stage and relishes in high pressure situations, so he'll for sure be able to handle the bright lights of even MLB's larger markets. So why #6? First, the five players ahead of him project as a middle of the order slugger, an all-around catalyst, an ace, and back to back starting catchers, so that's all elite talent and nothing to be ashamed of falling behind. Second is the reliever thing, and you can see the track record in this tweet. When a starter converts to relieving in pro ball, his stuff takes a natural jump as he goes from throwing six or seven innings at a time to just one or two, but a college reliever doesn't get that bump. I really want to see how Sims' stuff holds up in a starting role in 2022 before feeling comfortable with him as a first round pick, especially as it pertains to holding velocity (he's usually about 93-95, T97 in relief) and keeping that devastating late snap on his slider. We also haven't seen much of a changeup because he really hasn't needed it. There's no reason not to think he can make that jump to starting, especially given his efficient delivery, ridiculous arm strength, strong command, and overall competitiveness on the mound, so he still ranks among the best in the SEC and therefore the best in college baseball. We'll just have to wait and see.

7. 3B Cade Doughty, Louisiana State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'1", 195 lbs. Born 3/26/2001. Hometown: Denham Springs, LA.
2021: 13 HR, .308/.368/.546, 1 SB, 32/22 K/BB in 58 games.
Cade Doughty does not have the loudest tools in the SEC, and certainly does not compare favorably to the other names on this impressive list when it comes to power, speed, or overall athleticism. However, the kid is somewhat reminiscent of another former LSU Tiger, Daniel Cabrera, in that he can just flat out play baseball. I actually like Doughty significantly more than I liked Cabrera, and I (like many others) am enamored enough with his natural feel for the game to rank him high on this list. Doughty was a highly regarded recruit coming out of the Baton Rouge-area high school ranks and I liked him then as well, and all he's done since then is just hit and hit and hit. Doughty is a very professional hitter that makes a ton of contact from the right side, consistently going with the pitch and working an all fields approach. With a bat path that is naturally long through the hitting zone, he has some margin for error on pitches he mistimes. Not just a slappy gap to gap hitter, he has plenty of leverage in his 6'1" frame and taps into above average power both to his pull side and the opposite field. The end product is a very well-rounded bat that has a chance to produce 15-20 home runs annually in the majors while posting relatively high on-base percentages, and I have a feeling he's going to end up closer to his ceiling than his floor. In 2022, he might want to get a bit more selective to try to draw a few more walks, as he tends to make contact early in the count and walked in just 8.5% of his plate appearances last year. He also provides value on defense, with good range and instincts in the infield and an above average arm that would make him a net-positive defender at either second or third base.

8. 2B Robert Moore, Arkansas.
Bat: S. Throw: R. 5'9", 170 lbs. Born 3/31/2002. Hometown: Leawood, KS.
2021: 16 HR, .283/.384/.558, 6 SB, 51/41 K/BB in 61 games.
Every year, guys come around that are just ballers. Last year it was Ryan Bliss, now with the Diamondbacks, and this year Robert Moore seems like the guy. The son of Royals general manager Dayton Moore, Robert is undersized and lacks big tools but can just flat out play baseball with the best of them. He graduated early from Shawnee Mission East High School in the Kansas City suburbs and enrolled at Arkansas when he was just 17, and promptly hit .317/.403/.444 as a freshman despite not being old enough to vote. Moore continued that success with a strong sophomore season at 18-19 years old and then hit .351/.415/.378 as one of the youngest members of the US Collegiate National Team. Standing just 5'9" and with a skinny frame at that, he works counts extremely well and is completely unfazed by elite, older pitching, taking professional at bats consistently day in and day out. The switch hitter is very mechanically sound in his swing from both sides of the plate, creating a ton of whip that gives him more power than you'd expect for his size, especially to the pull side. That power didn't really show up with wood bats for the CNT, where he had just one extra base hit (a double) in eleven games, and given his size it's fair to question how much he'll have in pro ball. It's not quite a Nick Madrigal profile because there is some swing and miss in his game, and he may have to decide going forward what kind of a hitter he wants to be and how much contact he'll trade for power. To me, how much the power will show up with wood bats is probably the most important question. Moore is a sparkplug on defense as well, playing a standout second base for Arkansas and potentially showing the ability to move over to shortstop in pro ball if he can get a little stronger and improve his arm a touch. Either way, he's a plus runner and has the range to play anywhere on the diamond. There are players you don't bet against, and Bob Moore seems like one of them with a Dustin Pedroia ceiling.

9. OF Jud Fabian, Florida.
Bat: R. Throw: L. 6'2", 190 lbs. Born 9/27/2000. Hometown: Ocala, FL.
2021: 20 HR, .249/.364/.560, 6 SB, 79/40 K/BB in 59 games.
We spent a lot of words on Jud Fabian in 2021, and we're going to do it again in 2022. Having graduated a semester early from Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida in 2018, he enrolled at Florida in time for the 2019 season and had established himself as one of the top prospects in the country (and #3 in the SEC) by the time the 2021 season rolled around. What ensued was an extremely up and down junior year for Fabian, who had four multi-homer games (including one against #2 overall pick Jack Leiter) but at one point also managed to strike out 15 times in 22 hitless plate appearances. The Red Sox still drafted him with the 40th overall pick and offered him a multi-million dollar signing bonus, but it wasn't anywhere close to the $3 million he had asked for (a price some other teams were reportedly willing to meet) and he's returning to school. Last year, Fabian was one of the youngest eligible players from a four year school, still two and a half months shy of his 21st birthday, so he'll be age appropriate for this year's draft and is younger than Hayden Dunhurst. He does a lot of things well and really only has one weakness in his game. The Ocala product has plus raw power and does an excellent job of lifting the ball, with a swing ideal for blasting balls out of the park that has done so consistently against the best arms in the country. As up and down as his season was, he never went more than four games without a home run in the regular season. He also has a very strong eye at the plate, effectively working counts and recognizing spin even against premium velocity and stuff. The problem with his bat, however, is that he simply lacks the barrel accuracy to consistently tap his power and get on base. Fabian's uppercut swing means that even though he rarely chases bad pitches, he often swings through hittable ones and can be prone to long bouts of coming up empty at the plate. In 2022, he'll have to prove he can be more consistent, because another year of ups and downs could knock him out of the top two rounds or so. However, even a small reduction in his strikeout rate where he at least avoids the major slumps that plagued him in 2021 could lock him into the first round. On defense, Fabian provides plenty of value with plus speed and range that will fit very well in center field, taking some pressure off his bat and also helping him out on the bases.

10. LHP Connor Prielipp, Alabama.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'2", 205 lbs. Born 1/10/2001. Hometown: Tomah, WI.
2021: 1-1, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12/1 K/BB in 7 IP.
Connor Prielipp is somewhat of the mystery man in this conference. He began his college career perhaps as well as you could possibly expect, tossing 26 shutout innings with 43 strikeouts, six walks, and just nine hits allowed in five non-conference starts against Northeastern, UNLV, Harvard, Lipscomb, and McNeese State. The first four came in the shortened 2020 season, while the McNeese State start ended up being his only start of the 2021 season as his elbow gave out on him. He came back for two much less effective relief appearances against Auburn and LSU in mid-April and mid-May, respectively (2 IP, 3 ER, 4 K), but went down with Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the 2022 season as well. It's not often that an injured pitcher with just 28 collegiate innings to his name can make a first round push, especially when they were not a highly regarded recruit, but Prielipp really is special. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and has been up to 97, velocity he has maintained throughout his handful of starts. His slider is a plus pitch with late bite, darting under bats at the last second, and his changeup is an above average pitch in its own right. With a simple, easy delivery, the 6'2" lefty commands his pitches well and has all of the traits you look for in a frontline starting pitcher, and if he hadn't gotten hurt he may very well be the number one player on this list. However, the fact that we haven't seen how he handles a larger workload is important, as he'll be asked to throw roughly seven times his career high in innings in a big league rotation, and for that reason you can't project him as a starter with as much certainty as a guy like Peyton Pallette. Prielipp's five starts have also come against weaker competition, with the two worst innings of his career being the only two he threw against SEC teams (albeit while hurt). On talent alone, he might be the best in the conference, so his low ranking on this list is really just a byproduct of the depth of the conference combined with the unfortunate fact that we just won't have seen him pitch in a very long time come draft day.

11. OF Cayden Wallace, Arkansas.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 205 lbs. Born 8/7/2001. Hometown: Greenbrier, AR.
2021: 14 HR, .279/.369/.500, 0 SB, 61/29 K/BB in 60 games.
Cayden Wallace was one of the top recruits to make it to campus following the shutdown, and he immediately made an impact by working his way into the middle of arguably the best lineup in the country as a true freshman. After swatting 14 home runs as a teenager playing an SEC schedule, he continued to produce with wood bats in the Cape Cod League and slashed .290/.352/.468 with two home runs over 18 games. Because he turned 20 over the summer and will be 21 a few weeks after the draft, he'll be eligible this year as a true sophomore. The first thing you notice with Wallace is the power, as he produces big exit velocities and crushes baseballs impressive distances from the right side. Not the biggest guy in the world at six feet tall, he packs in plenty of lean muscle and produces a ton of force. Evaluators saw him as power-over-hit in high school and that was the case during his freshman season, but he handled SEC pitching better than many expected right out of the gate and was unfazed by the premium stuff he saw on the Cape. There is still some swing and miss in his game with a right handed uppercut that can get a bit long at times, but the barrel does get into the hitting zone early and he does a great job of staying through the ball. As his pitch recognition skills sharpen with age, he should become an average hitter in the big leagues with the potential for plus power. The central Arkansas native is a below average runner but certainly not a base clogger, and his cannon right arm gives him a chance to be an average defender in right field. He played infield in high school and could stick at third base with some more seasoning, and he may get the opportunity to prove himself a bit at the position in 2022 after playing mostly right field in 2021. There's a little more projection required with Wallace because he doesn't control the strike zone as well as many of the names above him on this list, but he's also younger than most of them as well. Either way, expect big things from him in 2022.

12. LHP Hunter Barco, Florida.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'4", 220 lbs. Born 12/15/2000. Hometown: Jacksonville, FL.
2021: 10-3, 4.01 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 94/26 K/BB in 83 innings.
Hayden Dunhurst, Landon Sims, Cade Doughty, and Cayden Wallace may have been nationally-known prospects coming out of high school, but Hunter Barco was the most hyped of all of them at Bolles High School in Jacksonville, earning first round grades from some evaluators. His performance at Florida has been more up and down than he may have liked so far, but with a 3.52 ERA and a sharp 120/32 strikeout to walk ratio through 102.1 innings over two seasons, he remains very much a contender for the first round. Barco has a deep arm plunge in his delivery and comes from a low three quarters slot that gives a unique look to hitters, especially from the left side, getting down the mound well with his lower half and showing off his athleticism. His stuff can be inconsistent, with a fastball that can get up to 96-97 at its best but which has also been known to drop into the upper 80's. The slider is his best pitch, a plus, sweepy breaker when it's on that creates a lot of confused swings, while his split changeup gives him another above average pitch. Barco's in-zone command can come and go but he does a very good job of pounding the strike zone even when he isn't feeling as precise with his location, and only once in his twenty career starts has he walked more than three batters in an outing. The 6'4" lefty has projection remaining and is a very good athlete, and he gave a glimpse at his ceiling this summer when he struck out eight of the ten batters he faced for the US Collegiate National Team. On the docket for 2022 will be a bit more consistency, which could help him overtake Connor Prielipp, Landon Sims, and Peyton Pallette as the best arm in the conference.

Honorable Mentions
Given the depth of this conference, I wanted to touch on a couple more names that just missed. Vanderbilt's Spencer Jones was the first name off the list, as he hasn't received much playing time in Nashville but slashed an impressive .309/.409/.457 on the Cape and shows plus raw power from a 6'7" frame. He was one of the more famous players in the 2019 prep class out of high school in the San Diego area but made it to campus after injuries wiped out his senior season, and at the time he drew early round interest as a pitcher with a low 90's fastball and an above average curveball as well. He hasn't pitched at all for Vanderbilt and has only played in 48 games overall in two seasons, so it will be interesting to see how much he can tap that power in games on a consistent basis in 2022 and whether his strong plate discipline can translate to a plus hit tool despite the natural swing and miss you get with arms as long as his. And maybe we'll finally get to see him pitch. Tennessee's Blade Tidwell is another interesting draft-eligible sophomore who will turn 21 in June, coming off a strong true-freshman season in the Volunteer rotation where he had a 3.74 ERA and a 90/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 98.2 innings. The 6'4" righty has a power right arm that can run his fastball up to 97 with ease, sitting in the mid 90's and showing very good feel to spin both a slider and curveball as well. His control is ahead of his command but he pounds the strike zone consistently and rarely hurts himself with walks, giving him a high floor as a back-end starter with a mid-rotation ceiling. Florida's Brandon Sproat might have the strongest arm in the entire conference, but he has a 5.53 ERA and a 26/18 strikeout to walk ratio over just 27.2 innings because he's struggled to throw strikes. His fastball sits in the mid 90's and can touch 99 in relief, while his above average slider provides an out pitch. To this point, he looks like a reliever because of that below average command and the lack of a reliable changeup, but there are no glaring issues in his delivery and more consistent innings in 2022 might help him pull it together enough to earn a shot as a starter. Lastly, LSU's Eric Reyzelman is one of the more interesting transfers out there, having come over from San Francisco. While his numbers against weaker competition weren't that impressive over two years with the Dons (5.72 ERA, 56/36 K/BB in 50.1 IP), he was much stronger on the Cape this summer (2.93 ERA, 38/8 K/BB in 27.2 IP) and he's a breakout candidate for 2022. The 6'2" righty now sits in the low 90's with his fastball and can touch 96-97 in short stints, adding a full arsenal behind it headlined by an above average slider. Reyzelman has a very loose, athletic delivery with some deception and is young for the class, in fact younger than true-sophomore Tidwell despite being a junior.