2026 MLB Draft Review Index

Below you will find each of my thirty MLB Draft reviews, team by team with links. I will work in reverse order of the team's first pick, starting with the Dodgers and ending with the White Sox. You can find my full draft rankings here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Athletics

Atlanta Braves

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

Cincinnati Reds

Cleveland Guardians

Colorado Rockies

Detroit Tigers

Houston Astros

Kansas City Royals

Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Dodgers (published 7/24)

Miami Marlins

Milwaukee Brewers (coming soon)

Minnesota Twins

New York Mets (coming soon)

New York Yankees (coming soon)

Philadelphia Phillies (published 7/28)

Pittsburgh Pirates

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants

Tampa Bay Rays

Texas Rangers

Toronto Blue Jays (published 7/27)

Washington Nationals

2024 MLB Draft Review Index

Below you will find each of my thirty MLB Draft reviews, team by team with links. I will work in reverse order of the team's first pick, starting with the Rangers and ending with the Guardians. You can find my full draft rankings here.

Arizona Diamondbacks (published 7/20)
Atlanta Braves (published 8/4)
Baltimore Orioles (published 8/13)
Boston Red Sox (published 9/14)
Chicago Cubs (published 9/7)
Chicago White Sox (published 9/29)
Cincinnati Reds (published 10/7)
Cleveland Guardians (published 10/12)
Colorado Rockies (published 10/6)
Detroit Tigers (published 9/16)
Houston Astros (published 7/22)
Kansas City Royals (published 9/28)
Los Angeles Angels (published 9/24)
Los Angeles Dodgers (published 8/7)
Miami Marlins (published 9/3)
Milwaukee Brewers (published 8/31)
Minnesota Twins (published 8/15)
New York Mets (published 8/24)
New York Yankees (published 7/28)
Oakland Athletics (published 10/1)
Philadelphia Phillies (published 7/24)
Pittsburgh Pirates (published 9/22)
San Diego Padres (published 8/2)
San Francisco Giants (published 9/8)
Seattle Mariners (published 9/6)
St. Louis Cardinals (published 9/26)
Tampa Bay Rays (published 8/29)
Texas Rangers (published 7/19)
Toronto Blue Jays (published 8/21)
Washington Nationals (published 9/20)

2023 MLB Draft Review: St. Louis Cardinals

Full list of draftees

My first reaction here is that I absolutely love the Cardinals' first two picks. In Chase Davis, they got who I think might be one of the best hitters in the entire class, and in the third round they bought low on Travis Honeyman, one of the most dynamic bats in the class who lost draft stock during an up and down season. Those two alone could make this class for them. Later on, they pivoted to their usual strategy of grabbing pitchability types from the college ranks, prioritizing pitchers with deep arsenals and the ability to execute their pitches as opposed to flamethrowers. They also looked for power in their hitters as opposed to defensive versatility, which is fine by me, and came away with some of the better bats for their draft positions because of it. Interestingly, while some teams went all over the place with over and under slot bonuses galore (I just wrote about the Mariners who went to the extreme), the Cardinals stayed by the straight and narrow with their bonuses and never went more than $100,000 over or under slot value.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-21: OF Chase Davis, Arizona {video}
Slot value: $3.62 million. Signing bonus: $3.62 million.
My rank: #7. MLB Pipeline: #22. Baseball America: #28. Prospects Live: #20.
The Cardinals started the draft off with a bang, picking out what I see as a top ten talent here at 21st overall and signing him for slot value. Chase Davis was my #65 draft prospect out of Franklin High School in the Sacramento area in 2020, but turned down a chance to go in the top couple of rounds and instead enrolled at Arizona. He barely played as a freshman, re-established himself as an interesting draft prospect as a sophomore in 2022 (18 HR, .289/.414/.583), then broke out for a huge junior season in 2023 by slashing .362/.489/.742 with 21 home runs and a 40/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 57 games. Davis has long stood out for his lean, exceptionally muscular physique as well as his plus-plus raw power, showing the ability to absolutely demolish baseballs with the very best of them (see this gargantuan walk off home run for proof). With an elite 90th percentile exit velocity over 108, very few players in college baseball hit the ball as hard and as far as he can. However, it's the development of his hit tool that has brought him from a solid prospect to a potential star. He struck out in 34.3% of his plate appearances as a freshman, worked it down to 22.8% as a sophomore, then struck out just 14.4% of the time as a junior – for reference, that was lower than fourth overall pick Wyatt Langford (14.5%). He has done it by cutting his chases way down, consistently putting himself in the best position to do damage by attacking the right pitches. The next step in his development will be honing in his pure bat to ball ability, which is fringy, as he can swing and miss within the zone a little more than you'd like. He has begun to tone down the bat wrap he has long employed in his load, but you'd like to see it get smoothed out even a little more. From there, his hands are so fast and explosive that you could really see him pulling it all together. Davis is also an above average runner with a plus arm that could make him a weapon in right field, adding a bit to the profile. The Cardinals love that he's trending hard in the right direction and has a chance to be a middle of the order impact bat, though he's off to a slow start at Low A Palm Beach, slashing .219/.375/.250 with a 12/7 strikeout to walk ratio through ten games.

3-90: OF Travis Honeyman, Boston College {video}
Slot value: $759,600. Signing bonus: $700,000 ($59,600 below slot value).
My rank: #43. MLB Pipeline: #61. Baseball America: #93. Prospects Live: #70.
I love this pick in the third round, especially below slot value. Travis Honeyman broke out as a sophomore at Boston College last year (6 HR, .329/.402/.506) and really made a name for himself in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .289/.400/.530 with four home runs and an 18/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 24 games. He entered the spring with first round buzz and even cracked my top ten at one point, but he played to mixed results with a .304/.383/.534 line, six home runs, and a 21/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 39 games before missing the end of the season with a shoulder injury. When healthy, Honeyman can impact the game in many different ways. He's ultra aggressive at the plate, but makes it work because he makes a ton of contact from the right side. In fact, only 18.6% of his plate appearances in 2023 ended with a ball in the catcher's mitt, either from a strikeout or a walk. The ball is always in play, and he's not just a slap hitter, either. Honeyman ran a 90th percentile exit velocity over 105, which would be at least average raw power, tapped with elite hands in the box that help him get the barrel to the ball all over (and outside) the zone. He can turn on the ball for home run power to his pull side, but he prefers to smoke liners around the park. An above average runner, he's unremarkable defensively and may profile in left field in pro ball, which would put pressure on his bat. Overall, he fell because teams weren't sold on his overall impact in the box after that shoulder injury, with some perhaps viewing him as a tweener that wouldn't tap enough power to profile every day in left field. Personally, I see the electric hands, the ability to hit the ball hard, elite bat to ball ability, and track record in the ACC and on the Cape and I choose to believe that he's an every day outfielder that can hit for a high average and provide 15-20 home runs per season.

4-122: LHP Quinn Mathews, Stanford {video}
Slot value: $541,700. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($58,300 above slot value).
My rank: #153. MLB Pipeline: #86. Baseball America: #105. Prospects Live: #181.
Last year, the Cardinals spent their top three picks on pitchability college lefties Cooper Hjerpe, Brycen Mautz, and Pete Hansen, and it only took three picks for them to take another in 2023. Quinn Mathews was a four year starter at Stanford and was actually a 19th round pick as a junior a year ago, but returned to school with unfinished business. The move worked out for him as he took control of the Cardinal pitching staff as a senior, posting a 3.75 ERA and a 158/40 strikeout to walk ratio over 124.2 innings in a year where offense was extremely high. He earned national attention for a June 11th start against Texas in the Palo Alto Super Regional, where he threw a nine inning, sixteen strikeout, 156 pitch complete game to get the win (a week after throwing 178 pitches over a three day span). Fortunately, it appears the Cardinals are not terribly concerned with the overuse, and they feel they have a future back-end starter on their hands. Mathews sits in the low 90's with his fastball, topping out around 95. He drops in a big, sweeping slider with depth as well as a fringy, get-me-over curveball, but his best pitch is an above average changeup with great drop. Everything plays up because the lanky 6'5" lefty has a funky delivery and hides the ball well. He also has a deep understanding of pitching and sequences and executes his pitches well, which helps his average pure command play above average. Mathews likely won't throw much for the Cardinals this summer after leading all of Division I in innings pitched with the Cardinal, but once he's rested up and ready next year, he should move quickly and could be a #4 or #5 starter sooner rather than later.

5-158: OF Zach Levenson, Miami {video}
Slot value: $381,300. Signing bonus: $381,300.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #204. Baseball America: #221. Prospects Live: #168.
In the fifth round, the Cardinals picked up one of the better all-around bats still available. Zach Levenson spent a year at Seminole State JC in Florida before transferring to Miami, where he hit .295/.406/.545 with 21 home runs and an 87/52 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games in two seasons. Levenson has plus raw power from the right side, a product of a strong 6'2" frame and great leverage in his swing. It's a fringe-average hit tool, with a solid approach and bat to ball skills, though he can get streaky at the plate and slumped in the second half of 2023. Defensively, the tools are average and he can make it work in either corner outfield spot, but won't necessarily provide positive value. Overall, it's likely a platoon profile, but he has a chance to swing his way into an everyday role if the hit tool plays up in pro ball, where he could hit 20+ home runs per season with decent on-base percentages. He's off to a hot start at Palm Beach, slashing .346/.387/.538 with a home run and a 9/3 strikeout to walk ratio through nine games.

6-185: RHP Jason Savacool, Maryland {video}
Slot value: $302,300. Signing bonus: $302,300.
My rank: #205. MLB Pipeline: #199. Baseball America: #134. Prospects Live: #350.
Jason Savacool, like Chase Davis, was a serious draft prospect out of Baker High School just outside of Syracuse, but made it to campus at Maryland and spent all three seasons in the weekend rotation. He was at his best in 2022 (2.93 ERA, 123/28 K/BB) but took a bit of a step back in 2023, finishing with a 4.22 ERA and a 95/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 96 innings as his strikeout rate fell from 28.5% to 22.6% and his walk rate rose from 6.5% to 9.3%. Savacool sits in the low 90's, topping out around 93 with average movement on his fastball. His best pitch is an above average slider, which he can also work into a distinct curveball to steal strikes, and he adds an average changeup. He lacks any plus pitches and really only has one above average pitch, but it's a deep arsenal of usable tools to work through professional lineups. The 6'1", physically maxed out righty also shows average command from a fairly stiff delivery, which may limit his potential upside in terms of adding velocity and power to his stuff. If Savacool can sequence and execute his pitches just well enough to stay off of barrels in pro ball, he has a shot to be a #4 or #5 starter, though I struggle to see much upside here beyond that and I wouldn't call him a particularly safe bet either. My ranking of #205 might make it seem like I'm more or less on board with this pick at #185, but my list only went to 209. In his first appearance at Palm Beach, he allowed two runs, walked two, and struck out one over one inning.

8-245: LHP Ixan Henderson, Fresno State {video}
Slot value: $193,800. Signing bonus: $230,000 ($36,20 above slot value).
My rank: #206. MLB Pipeline: #166. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #387.
The Cardinals grabbed another pitchability lefty to join Quinn Mathews, a fellow Californian in Fresno State ace Ixan Henderson (pronounced E-Shawn). He had his best year yet in 2023, posting a 3.74 ERA and a 100/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 89 innings, quietly moving up boards to establish himself as one of the better lefties on the West Coast. The stuff isn't all that loud, with a fastball that sits in the low 90's and gets up to 94 with average movement with a full arsenal behind it. Like Jason Savacool, his slider is his best pitch, though it plays closer to average while his curveball and changeup are fringy pitches. Because his slider is his lone pitch likely to miss bats in pro ball, he'll likely lean on it more going forward while he fine tunes the rest of his arsenal. All of Henderson's stuff plays up because he hides the ball well and shows solid average command, with a loose, easy delivery that could help him get to above average in pro ball. The 6'2" lefty has some projection remaining and might come with a little more upside than Savacool, but his offspeed stuff is a tick behind and he'll really need something to take a step forward. It's a nice back-end starter profile here in the eighth round for a little above slot value.

9-275: RHP Christian Worley, Virginia Tech {video}
Slot value: $175,600. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($24,400 above slot value).
My rank: #186. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #310.
Christian Worley is a nice sleeper for the Cardinals, one who has thrown just 36.2 innings over 26 relief appearances in his three years at Virginia Tech. He managed just five of those appearances in 2023, when he had a 2.70 ERA and a 15/2 strikeout to walk ratio over ten innings, but made enough of an impression for the Cardinals to hand him $200,000. What he lacks in track record, he makes up for in stuff. Worley's fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and gets up to 96, playing up further with riding action. He works in a sharp, late breaking slider that he can also shorten up into a cutter, giving him a dynamic, bat-missing offspeed pitch. Without much of a changeup or a curveball, especially given his durability questions, he likely profiles in the bullpen long term but he could thrive there. The 6'1" righty is very athletic on the mound with some projection remaining and a late birthday (he only turned 21 in June), and if he can stay healthy for longer stretches of time, he could start running his fastball more consistently into the mid 90's. He features a drop and drive delivery and does throw with some effort, but his athleticism helps him repeat it well and gives him average command.

12-365: OF Brayden Jobert, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #436. Prospects Live: unranked.
You don't get much more Louisiana than Brayden Jobert (pronounced "jo-bair"). Originally from Slidell across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, he began his career at Nicholls State way down in Thibodaux, transferred to Delgado JC in New Orleans, then finally made his way to his dream school of LSU for his final two years, where he was roommates with #2 overall pick Dylan Crews. After crushing 18 home runs and hitting for a low (.246) average in 2022, he put up a much more well-rounded season in 2023 by slashing .301/.409/.596 with 14 home runs and a 59/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 games for the national champion Tigers. Jobert takes big, powerful hacks from the left side, effectively channeling his strong 6'2" frame into above average raw power that he tapped against good pitching in the SEC. However, he's an aggressive hitter that does not control the zone well, leading to elevated swing and miss rates and making for an uphill climb in pro ball. He made his approach work against quality pitching in the SEC, which is a great sign, but he'll also turn 23 shortly after the minor league season ends and won't have as much slack to transition. He's also a below average defender that spent most of the 2022 season as LSU's DH before before playing primarily left field in 2023. He's not a great runner and will have to work hard to make a corner outfield spot work, otherwise he'll end up at first base or as a DH in pro ball. That puts more pressure on the bat, but it's hard not to like a guy who clubbed 32 home runs in two years in the SEC while running an on-base percentage near .400. He's off to a bit of a slow start at Palm Beach, where he's slashing .182/.296/.273 with an 8/3 strikeout to walk ratio over nine games.

20-605: LHP Cameron Johnson, IMG Academy {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: did not sign.
My rank: #52. MLB Pipeline: #42. Baseball America: #43. Prospects Live: #46.
He didn't sign here, so I won't go into too much detail, but I did want to touch on Cameron Johnson. Johnson has one of the most electric arms in the prep class and had first round buzz at times during the draft cycle, but instead he'll head to LSU to try to help the Tigers repeat as National Champions. He's a big, physical, 6'5" lefthander that sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and is closing in on triple digits at his peak. The fastball runs and sinks as well from a three quarter slot, helping him avoid flush contact when hitters time it up. He also misses bats with an above average slider, though his changeup is a distant third pitch at this point. Johnson can lose his release point when he gets tired and that will impact his command, so at LSU he'll focus on endurance and better repeating his mechanics in order to crack into that weekend rotation. His delivery looked a bit cleaner in 2023 and that had him moving up boards, but he also ran into some elbow problems towards the end of the season and that's likely why nobody met his signing bonus demands.

2023 MLB Draft Team by Team Reviews

Below you will find the links to all thirty of my team by team 2023 MLB Draft reviews as they are posted. I will work in reverse order of the team's first pick, starting with the Dodgers and finishing with the Pirates. You can access my full draft rankings here.

Arizona Diamondbacks (published 9/2)

Atlanta Braves (published 7/27)

Baltimore Orioles (published 8/24)

Boston Red Sox (published 8/29)

Chicago Cubs (published 9/1)

Chicago White Sox (published 8/27)

Cincinnati Reds (published 9/11)

Cleveland Guardians (published 7/31)

Colorado Rockies (published 9/8)

Detroit Tigers (published 9/21)

Houston Astros (published 7/16)

Kansas City Royals (published 9/10)

Los Angeles Angels (published 9/3)

Los Angeles Dodgers (published 7/14)

Miami Marlins (published 9/4)

Milwaukee Brewers (published 8/21)

Minnesota Twins (published 9/17)

New York Mets (published 7/15)

New York Yankees (published 7/22)

Oakland Athletics (published 9/15)

Philadelphia Phillies (published 7/18)

Pittsburgh Pirates (published 9/24)

San Diego Padres (published 7/23)

San Francisco Giants (published 8/26)

Seattle Mariners (published 8/2)

St. Louis Cardinals (published 8/4)

Tampa Bay Rays (published 8/12)

Texas Rangers (published 9/19)

Toronto Blue Jays (published 8/6)

Washington Nationals (published 9/23)

2023 MLB Draft: An early look at the Big 12 Conference

2022 draftees: 47. Top school: Oklahoma (11)
2022 preseason writeup (published 9/18/2021)

Top 2022 draftees:
1-7, Cubs: RHP Cade Horton (Oklahoma)
1-12, Tigers: 2B Jace Jung (Texas Tech)
CBA-37, Guardians: RHP Justin Campbell (Oklahoma State)
2-43, Diamondbacks: 1B Ivan Melendez (Texas)
2-45, Nationals: LHP Jake Bennett (Oklahoma)
2-51, Tigers: SS Peyton Graham (Oklahoma)

2022 was a banner year draft-wise for the Big 12, which crushed 2021's total of 38 players drafted by nine. The two Oklahoma schools alone combined for twenty draftees, including four of the first 51 picks, and the the University of Oklahoma led all schools nationwide with eleven draftees. This year, Oklahoma State will lead the way at least early on after placing four names in the top nine prospects heading into the season, certainly aided by the return of Nolan McLean, the highest drafted player a year ago to go unsigned. Let's take a look at those top ten draft prospects in the Big 12.

1. 3B Brayden Taylor, Texas Christian.

Bat: L. Throw: R. 6'1", 175 lbs. Born 5/22/2002. Hometown: West Jordan, UT.
2022: 13 HR, .314/.454/.576, 10 SB, 40/55 K/BB in 59 games.
One of the most consistent hitters in the Big 12 over the past couple seasons is finally draft eligible, and scouts couldn't be more excited. Brayden Taylor needed zero time to adjust to the college game, immediately hitting his way into the TCU starting lineup as a freshman and slashing .319/.450/.574 with 25 home runs and far more walks (104) than strikeouts (86) in 117 games so far. He had a chance to build his stock further against elite competition this summer, but didn't make much impact with the Collegiate National Team and hit a solid if unspectacular .269/.361/.385 with two home runs in 26 games in the Cape Cod League. Taylor stands out for an extremely professional approach at the plate, which is why he was able to adjust to Big 12 pitching so easily and also why he rarely slumps. He rarely ever chases out of the zone and won't swing through many hittable pitches either, and only gets into minor strikeout trouble because he tends to work deep counts. The Salt Lake City-area product has a very loose, whippy barrel that remains long through the zone, helping him work to all fields effectively while further limiting that swing and miss. There is solid power in the tank, with the ability to turn on balls and send them out consistently to the pull side. To really make the most of his power potential, he'll want to tack on additional strength to his skinny 6'1" frame, which would help that power play better to all fields and really push him into top ten consideration. With a late May birthday that will have him turn 21 less than two months before the draft, he is young for the class and has that much more time to fill out. Furthermore, his swing is more oriented for line drives for now and adding loft may help if he chooses to go that route. Either way, it's at least average power for now combined with a plus hit tool, so 15-20 home runs per year with high on-base percentages are well within reach. Defensively, he has played mostly third base to this point and has looked very solid, so a team bullish on his glove could give him a shot at shortstop. Overall, I see this package as very similar to a left handed Cade Doughty, and I really liked Doughty as a first rounder up until a late season slump last year dropped him to the second compensation round. Taylor has a very good shot at the first round as it stands now, and if he comes out in the spring a little more physical, the top ten picks are a possibility.

2. RHP Juaron Watts-Brown, Oklahoma State.

Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 190 lbs. Born 2/23/2002. Hometown: Hanford, CA.
2022 (@ Long Beach State): 4-4, 3.69 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 111/29 K/BB in 73.1 innings.
Juaron Watts-Brown is slowly but steadily trending up and up and up. He was originally a Texas Tech commit, but decided to stay in his home state and attend Long Beach State at first. After sitting out his freshman season in 2021, he announced his presence loudly in 2022 and parlayed that into a strong run through the Cape Cod League (3.83 ERA, 53/16 K/BB in 40 innings). Now he'll head to the Big 12 like he originally planned, but he'll move past Lubbock on his way to Stillwater. Watts-Brown is throwing harder and harder, now sitting in the low 90's with his fastball and getting up to around 96 while adding a full arsenal of secondaries. His slider and curveball both have two-plane action, but remain distinct from each other and look like above average pitches, while his changeup provides a fourth average or better pitch. Everything plays up from a pretty ideal release, as he gets down the mound extremely well to create great extension and a lower release point, in turn giving his fastball nice riding life. The 6'3" righty is very athletic on the mound with plenty of projection remaining, making for a very fun ball of clay for Josh Holliday's staff and eventually a pro staff to play with. For now, the command is fringe-average and could use some improvement, as he can yank his front side at times and lose his release point. It's nothing major and I don't expect it to hold back his profile, which looks to fit somewhere in the second round range for now but which could easily leap into the first round if he takes well to the Big 12. I'm personally a believer which is why I rank him as the best pitching prospect in the conference.

3. RHP Tanner Witt, Texas.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'5", 215 lbs. Born 7/11/2002. Hometown: Houston, TX.
2022: 2-0, 1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 14/3 K/BB in 11 innings.
One of the more highly regarded recruits to reach campus following the 2020 draft, Tanner Witt jumped straight into a prominent role in the Longhorn bullpen as a true freshman in 2021 and put up a 3.16 ERA and a 73/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 57 innings. Transitioning into the rotation in 2022, he looked very sharp in starts against Rice and Alabama to start the season, pitching his way into top ten consideration for 2023, but went down with Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched since. The surgery will keep him out for at least the early part of 2023, though it's not out of the question that he could return later in the season and reclaim some of that draft stock. Even without much track record as a starter, it's hard not to like Witt. He sits in the low 90's and can get up to 96-97 at his best, with natural riding action above what most others are capable of. Interestingly, the 6'5" righty throws from an extremely high release point that puts steep downhill angle on the ball, so those two characteristics counteract each other a little bit. Witt drops in a big 12-6 curveball that he has feel to land for strikes, though it can catch too much of the plate at times and get hit. He also shows an average slider and an above average changeup, giving him a full arsenal of four average or better pitches. The Houston native is very advanced for his age, repeating his delivery well and showing solid command of his four pitch mix, looking every bit like a starting pitcher. He does have an interesting quirk in his delivery where he pulls the ball out of his glove briefly at the top of his leg lift, then taps it back in before bringing out for real. This gives hitters an extra look at his grip, which could become a problem with more seasoned pro hitters, but it's also not a difficult fix. The injury does put a dent in his stock simply because he doesn't get to show what he's capable of, but Witt is very young for the class and won't turn 21 until the third day of the draft, so he's playing with a little bit of house money there. He's also extremely projectable and looks durable aside from the elbow surgery, which at this point is pretty inevitable for any pitcher. Witt looks like a high probability mid-rotation starter.

4. SS Nick Goodwin, Kansas State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 190 lbs. Born 9/6/2001. Hometown: Overland Park, KS.
2022: 11 HR, .255/.354/.525, 6 SB, 57/30 K/BB in 57 games.
Nick Goodwin may not have a carrying tool, but he does a lot well and has a chance to be a real breakout performer in 2023 after holding down a very solid .267/.354/.502 slash line over two years at Kansas State so far. In addition to being a dependable cog for the Wildcats, he showed similarly well in the Cape Cod League with a .267/.342/.466 line, six homers, and a 42/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 44 games. He's not huge, but he taps average power to all fields with a quick right handed swing that puts good loft on the ball and effectively maximizes his strength. There is some swing and miss, as his strikeout rate jumped from 19.3% as a freshman to 23.1% as a sophomore and clocked in at 22.8% on the Cape, but he has consistently performed well against high level pitching both in the Big 12 and on the Cape so it's not a huge concern. It would be nice though if he could at least cut that down below 20% in 2022, and if he could get it down around 15-16% or so while maintaining his power, this suddenly goes from a third round profile to something much more interesting. Defensively, he has handled shortstop at Kansas State well and will get a chance to play there in pro ball, though he may not be quite explosive enough to make it work long term and could fit better at second or third base. Overall, there is upside of a 15-20 home run infield bat with decent on-base percentages if he cuts down his strikeouts a little, and he'd fit well as a utility infielder even if he does continue to strikeout out at a moderate rate.

5. 2B Roc Riggio, Oklahoma State.
Bat: L. Throw: R. 5'9", 180 lbs. Born 6/11/2002. Hometown: Simi Valley, CA.
2022: 11 HR, .295/.413/.519, 2 SB, 58/34 K/BB in 54 games.
If you watched the 2022 Oklahoma State Cowboys, it would have been hard not to notice Roc Riggio. The 5'9" showman with long hair dyed bright blond plays with as much energy as anybody on the field, the epitome of a new-school, let-the-kids-play electric factory. Having earned considerable draft interest out of his Los Angeles-area high school in 2021, he reached campus in Stillwater and immediately hit his way into the starting lineup as a freshman, acting as a catalyst for one of the best lineups in the country with his bat flips and all-out style of play. Riggio continued on to the Cape Cod League over the summer but couldn't quite match his big freshman season, slashing just .200/.258/.339 with three home runs and a 37/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 36 games. The profile here is carried by the bat, as he takes big hacks from the left side to tap above average power despite his small frame. He does a good job of getting loft under ball when it's down in the zone while keeping a more level swing up in the zone, boding well for both his future power production and contact ability, though for now he's still adjusting to college level pitching and has some swing and miss in his game. He struck out 22.4% of the time for Oklahoma State this spring then ran a 29.6% K rate on the Cape, so bringing that down will be high on the priority list. Right now he profiles for 20+ home runs a year with solid on-base percentages if he can. Riggio is not the greatest athlete and will have to work to remain at second base, with the outfield a real possibility if he gets pushed by a better defender in pro ball, so his value will rely on his ability to hit pro pitching. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he's younger than most of the juniors he'll compete against for draft position and turns 21 a month before the draft.

6. SS Marcus Brown, Oklahoma State.
Bat: L. Throw: R. 5'11", 185 lbs. Born 9/14/2001. Hometown: Springdale, AR.
2022: 4 HR, .316/.378/.441, 5 SB, 38/21 K/BB in 64 games.
Roc Riggio may be the most exciting player on the Oklahoma State roster, but the guy playing right across the bag from him is the school's flashiest defender. Springy and athletic, Marcus Brown moves very well around the dirt and makes it look easy out there with an above average arm. That glove will be the carrying tool in his profile, but he can swing it a little bit too. Employing a loose left handed hack that gets the barrel long through the zone and produces plenty of line drive contact, he puts nearly everything in play and struck out just 13.7% of the time in 2022, easily the lowest mark on this list. A career .323/.388/.436 hitter in Stillwater, like Riggio he struggled to make an impact on the Cape and slashed just .233/.315/.295 in 44 games there. His 20% strikeout rate was much lower than Riggio's 29.6%, but still elevated above his number with the Cowboys as he struggled to find gaps and fences with wood bats. Still, I remain fairly optimistic on the bat especially given that his glove will buy it plenty of time to develop. Though he's undersized at 5'11", he naturally whips the barrel through the zone with authority and getting even a little bit stronger could help him threaten for double digit home run totals in pro ball. He'll always make plenty of contact and keep defenses on their toes, though the minimal swing and miss in his game to date does keep his walk rates down – 7.6% at OSU and 6.1% on the Cape.

7. OF Elijah Nuñez, Texas Christian.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 5'10", 185 lbs. Born 12/6/2001. Hometown: Arlington, TX.
2022: 1 HR, .281/.435/.368, 31 SB, 48/58 K/BB in 60 games.
Elijah Nuñez brings an old school profile to the ballpark here, so he stands in contrast to many other players scouts will be looking at. A glove-first guy like Marcus Brown, he will certainly stick in center field with plenty of speed and exceptional feel for the position, immediately providing a strong baseline of value. It's easier to carry a profile with your glove if you catch or play a mean shortstop like Brown, but Nuñez gets it done in center field with the best of them. He's also a very patient hitter at the plate that doesn't swing and miss much (16.7% strikeout rate) and draws a ton of walks. In fact his 58 free passes tied for eighth in the nation last year, a feat made even more impressive when you consider he was younger than all seven players ahead of him as well as the guy tied with him, and also the fact that he did so in fewer games than all but one player in that group. When he does swing at the ball, he's a gap to gap line drive hitter that doesn't try to do too much, with below average power that has manifested in just two home runs in 114 career games for the Horned Frogs. While the glove and legs give his profile plenty of baseline value, his offensive profile will be reliant on keeping those on-base percentages high because he likely won't threaten for double digit home runs. To me, it's a pretty clear fourth outfield profile but one that has a chance to be extremely valuable.

8. RHP Cam Brown, Texas Christian.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 215 lbs. Born 10/15/2001. Hometown: Flower Mound, TX.
2022: 5-2, 4.42 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 49/31 K/BB in 53 innings.
Cam Brown is very much an enigma at this point. One of the stars of the showcase circuit in the summer of 2019, he was pitching his way into the top two rounds but did not look like himself during his COVID-shortened senior spring in 2020. That led him to campus at TCU, where he barely pitched as a freshman and had an up and down sophomore season in which he did not miss nearly as many bats as hoped. Taking his talents to the Cape Cod League over the summer, he pitched to mixed results once more and allowed seven runs in nine innings with an 11/9 strikeout to walk ratio. At his best, Brown looks like a bona fide impact starting pitcher, running his fastball into the upper 90's and flashing above average with his entire arsenal of secondaries, consisting of a slider, curve, and changeup. It's really loud stuff from a big league body, but he's just never been able to put it all together. The delivery can get stiff and he struggles to command it all, often falling behind in the count and leaving pitches over the plate to get hit or giving up free passes. I'm worried that the fastball may play a bit true out of his hand and play below its low to mid 90's velocity, and inconsistent secondaries led to just a 20.6% strikeout rate last year. The DFW native could benefit from a pro development program to help him find more deception and perhaps improve his command a tick, in which case he really could pull it all together and become a mid-rotation starter in the majors. At some point, though, you're going to want to see some results and he just hasn't missed enough bats in the Big 12 yet to feel comfortable projecting him in that role. But that's why you get three years in college, right?

9. 3B/RHP Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 205 lbs. Born 7/24/2001. Hometown: Garner, NC.
2022: 19 HR, .285/.397/.595, 2 SB, 107/37 K/BB in 64 games.
2022: 2-1, 5.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 39/13 K/BB in 25.1 innings.
Nolan McLean will rank as the ninth best prospect in the Big 12 for the second year in a row after the Orioles failed to meet his signing bonus demands at the 81st overall pick last year, making him the highest drafted player to go unsigned. Eligible as a sophomore last year, he'll still be close to age appropriate this year and will turn 22 just after the draft, making him just a couple months older than Nick Goodwin, Marcus Brown, and Cam Brown. A true two-way player, he was one of three Cowboys to appear in all 64 games last year (along with #6 prospect Marcus Brown) and also made 23 appearances on the mound, so scouts have seen him plenty to this point. At the plate, McLean stands out for plus-plus raw power as evidenced by this 478 foot opposite field home run that ranks among the best in the country. He's big and strong at 6'3" with long arms that naturally channel that strength into leverage and bat speed, but he has been extremely inconsistent to this point thanks in large part to a well below average hit tool. In fact, his 107 strikeouts this past season set an all time Division I record, as he struggles to adjust his grooved swing to correct for mistakes in pitch/location identification. The power is absolutely tantalizing, but when you strike out 36.9% (!) of the time, it's hard to get scouts to buy in. Going back to school will give him a chance to at least bring that number down below 30% and ideally closer to 25%, where scouts could slap a 40 grade on his hit tool and call it a risk worth taking. The Orioles actually drafted him as a pitcher this past season, and he'll have an opportunity to step into a larger role for Oklahoma State as the Cowboys lost their top seven arms by innings pitched to the draft, the transfer portal, or graduation. He can touch the upper 90's in short stints and is gradually improving his feel for spin with both a curveball and slider in hand, together helping him miss enough bats to run a very strong 35.1% strikeout rate. Below average command, in addition to his duties at third base, have kept him in the bullpen so far, but it would be interesting to see if Josh Holliday and co. give him a shot in the rotation this spring with so many spots opening up. If he takes another step forward with that command, suddenly the arm strength and feel for spin become really interesting here.

10. LHP Lucas Gordon, Texas.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'1", 195 lbs. Born 2/13/2002. Hometown: Los Angeles, CA.
2022: 7-2, 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 77/26 K/BB in 85.2 innings.
Once Tanner Witt gets healthy, the 2023 Texas rotation will have a very similar feel draft-wise to the 2021 rotation. Witt, like Ty Madden, is a potential first rounder from Houston with a power fastball from a high slot and strong command, while Lucas Gordon, like Pete Hansen, is a soft tossing command/control lefty from California. Funny how that works out sometimes. Gordon is coming off a very strong sophomore season in Austin where he formed a strong one-two punch with Hansen, forcing his way into draft conversations by his performance even if the stuff doesn't quite match up yet. He sits around 90 with his fastball and can get up to about 94 at best with some run, so it's an average pitch. Gordon has strong feel for both his sweepy slider and slurvy curveball, but they lack the power and bite you look for in a swing and miss secondary offering. His best pitch is a plus changeup with excellent fading action, rounding out a full big league arsenal. The 6'1" lefty repeats his delivery very well with above average command of both his fastball and his offspeeds, showing the ability to spot everything to both sides of the plate, and he ran a very respectable 7.2% walk rate as a sophomore. The stuff can get hit hard when he leaves it up and over the plate, and in aggregate he didn't miss many bats with just a 21.2% strikeout rate. Scouts know that Gordon can pound the strike zone and control at bats, so in 2023 they'll look for the Los Angeles product to show a little more velocity on his fastball and/or power on his breaking balls to help grow his margin for error a little bit. It's a back-end starter profile if he can.

Honorable Mention: LHP Ben Hampton, West Virginia.
Ben Hampton was the first player off the list, but I wanted to give him his due after an incredible run through the Cape Cod League. He was draft eligible as a sophomore in 2022 but didn't get much interest after posting a 4.66 ERA and a 90/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 83 innings at West Virginia, but reached another level on the Cape with a 2.27 ERA and a 51/4 strikeout to walk ratio over 43.2 innings. The fastball velocity just isn't there yet, parking in the upper 80's and rarely scratching 90, but he hides it very well and gets good ride on it, making it something of an invisiball. His primary offspeed pitch is a sweepy slider with depth that he locates well, and everything plays up because he mixes and matches his stuff to keep hitters off balance. There is not much projection remaining in his stocky 6'1" frame so there is no guarantee he ever consistently reaches the low 90's, where the profile would be much more attractive. Still, there are some similarities to Monmouth's Trey Dombroski a year ago, who went in the fourth round to the Astros, even if Hampton is a good four inches shorter. Despite the exceptional numbers on the Cape, Hampton was up and down in conference play last year (6.15 ERA, 46/17 K/BB in 41 IP) and has never had success against high level competition before this summer. Throw in that he's old for the class, turning 22 a few weeks after the draft, and it's hard to know exactly what to make of the soft tossing Wisconsinite. 

The top 7 unsigned college prospects returning to school for 2023

The draft is behind us, the signing deadline is behind us, and most importantly from my perspective, all thirty team by team draft reviews are behind me, so it's time to take a look at the guys who didn't sign. Those kids are back on campus now enjoying Week 1 of college football and taking part in fall practice to get ready for the 2023 season. Well, maybe not Jace Grady or Isaiah Thomas since Dallas Baptist and Lewis-Clark State don't have a football team. Usually I let this list go ten deep, but my personal draft list of 225 players, only six college players are returning to school. So here are those six, plus Colby Halter frankly because he's a famous name to help flesh this list out a little and one more bonus name at the bottom:

1. RHP Andrew Walters, Miami. My 2022 draft rank: #127.
Miami already returns a young roster for 2023 but is getting a huge boost with Andrew Walters unexpectedly coming back for his senior season. He was drafted in the eighteenth round by the Orioles and had a chance to sign when it became apparent that third rounder Nolan McLean would not, but that money went to seventeenth rounder Carter Young instead and Walters is happy to return to Coral Gables. After beginning his career at Eastern Florida State JC near his hometown of Palm Bay, he transferred to Miami as a sophomore in 2021 and excelled, earning a larger role in 2022 and posting a 1.65 ERA and a 62/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 32.2 innings this spring out of the bullpen. He carved up ACC hitters with just one pitch for the most part, a riding mid 90's fastball that tops out around 99 that hitters just could not pick up. He hides it extremely well and executes his locations, so hitters could sit on it and still come up empty. Walters adds a slider but it's a below average pitch, lacking bite and offering more a change of pace than anything else. If the Hurricanes want to, they can move the 6'4" righty into the rotation given his above average command, strong frame, and repeatable delivery, especially now with Carson Palmquist and Alex McFarlane gone to the Rockies and Phillies, respectively. A move to the rotation would really test his ability to execute that fastball over long periods of time, but the hope is that he can sharpen that slider into at least an average pitch to more effectively handle extended innings. To start in pro ball, he'll also need a changeup, but it would be perfectly reasonable for Miami to just send Walters back out in the bullpen as one of the best relievers in the ACC.

2. RHP Brandon Sproat, Florida. My 2022 draft rank: #131.
Brandon Sproat going unsigned was a surprise, as the Mets drafted him in the third round but couldn't come to terms, making him the second highest drafted player to go unsigned after Oklahoma State's Nolan McLean. The Florida pitching staff usually gets raided during the draft, and as always they were prepared to replenish with a deep pool of underclassmen and a premium transfer in Hurston Waldrep from Southern Miss. Getting Sproat back on top of that is huge, and it gives the Gators one of the SEC's best staffs overall. He has always flashed huge arm strength from the right side but was held back by command, then took a big step forward in that regard as he moved into the rotation this spring to the tune of a 3.41 ERA and an 82/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 89.2 innings. He sits in the mid 90's as a starter but can touch triple digits in relief, though the fastball can play a bit true and he didn't miss as many bats in 2022 as you'd like for someone that throws that hard. The Pensacola-area native has two quality secondary pitches in a solid slider that flashes above average as well as a changeup that looks plus at its best, and more effectively mixing those pitches in could help him miss more bats as well. His command has improved to fringe-average and he gets down the mound very well, lending hope that he can stick as a starter long term when that may not have been the projection heading into the season. To do so, he'll have to hold that command together and probably get a little more consistent with his breaking ball, and it would also be nice if he could find a way to put more life on his fastball. With a September birthday, the 6'3" righty is on the older side and will be nearly 23 when the 2023 draft rolls around.

3. RHP Colby Holcombe, Mississippi State (via Northeast Mississippi JC). My 2022 draft rank: #169.
For the second year in a row, Mississippi State will get one of the country's most talented JuCo arms to campus, but they'll hope for better results than Andrew Walling after he pitched just three innings this spring. Colby Holcombe spent his freshman year at Northeast Mississippi JC in Booneville, where he was downright dominant at times and posted a 2.60 ERA and a 115/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 65.2 innings. He had some duds, including three starts where he allowed at least five runs, but also had three different starts in which he went at least seven innings, allowed no runs, no more than two hits, no more than two walks, and struck out at least a dozen. Holcombe has overpowering stuff, sitting in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touching as high as 99. At this point, he doesn't always hold that velocity deep into his starts, but the arm strength is there. He spins two vertical breaking balls in a slider and a curveball, with the former coming in harder and the latter showing deeper bite. The Florence, Alabama native also works in a changeup, but he doesn't need it much and it's behind his other pitches. Holcombe is very young, only set to turn 20 in December, and will stay in Starkville for two years before he's draft eligible again. That gives him plenty of time to build up his stamina in a starting role and refine his fringy command, especially given his huge 6'7" frame that can make it difficult to keep his long levers in sync. His fastball also plays a bit true, which wasn't an issue when he was blowing it by hitters at Copiah-Lincoln Community College but could come into play in the SEC. Still, if he can sit consistently in the mid 90's, it remains a very good fastball.

4. OF Jace Grady, Dallas Baptist. My 2022 draft rank: #179.
It was a surprise to see Jace Grady go undrafted, but I guess he has unfinished business in Dallas. Grady broke out as a sophomore for the Patriots a year ago then continued to rake in the Cape Cod League, leading to talk he could go in the top two rounds this spring. While he still finished with strong numbers in 2022, slashing .310/.419/.509 with ten home runs and a 60/40 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games, he wasn't quite as consistent as many hoped and looked more like a day two candidate than a day one pick. For that reason, he'll head back to Dallas Baptist and try again. Grady has a strong all-around game that fits very well in college, showing an all fields approach with some power to the pull side that played up with wood bats on the Cape. He made a lot of early count contact last spring, where he only walked or struck out in 26.8% of his plate appearances, but he often worked deeper this spring as that rate jumped to 36.1%. Similarly, many of his doubles and triples a year ago turned into home runs this spring, but that came with an increased strikeout rate from 15.8% to 21.7%, which is a bit too high for his profile. He'll look to get that back down in 2023 and play within himself. The Central Texas native stands just 5'9" and does possess some power, but he's at his best when he lets it come naturally instead of actively trying to tap it. He's also an above average runner that runs the bases well and could stick in center field once he does head to pro ball, though his below average arm would push him to left if he can't. At Dallas Baptist in 2023, he'll look to cut that strikeout rate back down and prove he can stick in center, where he would be much more likely to find an every day MLB role than in left.

5. 3B/RHP Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State. My 2022 draft rank: #190.
Nolan McLean was the highest drafted player to go unsigned this year, going to the Orioles at #81 overall to open the third round. Baltimore wound up signing seventeenth round pick Carter Young to a massive $1.33 million bonus, while McLean will head back to Oklahoma State. McLean came to Stillwater with a chance to earn some reps under Mike Gundy at quarterback, but never played a snap and is focusing on baseball, specifically playing both ways. Originally thought of as a better pitching prospect at Garner High School in the Raleigh area, his bat came on late but he went undrafted in 2020, then at Oklahoma State he was almost exclusively a hitter as a freshman in 2021. He got more reps playing both ways in 2022, and it's still not clear where his future lies, though the Orioles did draft him as a pitcher. McLean does have more experience as a hitter and slashed .285/.397/.595 with 19 home runs and a 107/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 64 games this spring. The power is the real calling card, as he possesses plus-plus raw juice (evidenced by this 478 foot opposite field bomb) from a strong 6'3" frame and an extremely leveraged right handed swing. When he gets his arms extended and gets the barrel to the ball, he can absolutely mash a baseball like very few other amateur hitters in the country. Meanwhile, his 107 strikeouts set an all time Division I record, so swing and miss is a big part of his profile. He's moderately disciplined in the box but there is very little adjustability in his grooved swing, making him very much a mistake hitter and causing him to struggle when he doesn't pick the pitch up immediately out of the hand. Upon returning to school next year, cutting that strikeout rate from 36.9% down to something around 25% or better will be a priority. On the mound, he put up a 4.97 ERA this spring with a 39/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 25.1 innings, all out of the Cowboys bullpen. His fastball sits in the mid 90's and gets into the upper 90's, and he also shows feel to spin a breaking ball with both a curve and a slider that are trending up. His command remains below average and he's likely a reliever, but going back to school will allow for more clarity on his profile with just 27.1 career innings under his belt. With Victor Mederos (Angels), Bryce Osmond (Angels), Trevor Martin (Rays), and Kale Davis (transferred to Oklahoma) all gone from the Oklahoma State pitching staff, McLean will get a great opportunity to step into a bigger role in 2023.

6. RHP Ty Floyd, Louisiana State. My 2022 draft rank: #198.
LSU was already in a great spot after landing massive transfers like Tommy White, Christian Little, and Paul Skenes, among others, in addition to bringing in a hugely talented freshman class. Getting back Ty Floyd, one of the most talented young arms on their pitching staff, is icing on the cake. Floyd was one of the most talented young arms on the LSU staff in 2022 and probably wasn't quite pro ready, so returning to Baton Rouge is probably the best move for his career. This past year, he had a 3.77 ERA and a 70/23 strikeout to walk ratio over 59.2 innings, mostly as a starter. Out of high school, he showed tremendous athleticism and projection that just needed refinement, and two years later, he's made modest improvement but remains raw. Floyd's fastball can touch 95 early but settles more in the low 90's as the game progresses, adding a slurvy breaking ball and a seldom used changeup. The fastball plays above its velocity because it comes in with a flat approach angle from short arm action, especially when he gets it up in the zone. It was good to see him hold up in a starting role this spring, though going back to LSU will give him the opportunity to tighten up that breaking ball a bit and help it find its identity, in addition to refining his nascent changeup. If he can do those two things while holding down decent command, pro teams will be very interested to get the live armed 6'2" righty into their system. There is a lot of untapped potential to be found here, but he hasn't quite put it together yet.

7. 2B Colby Halter, Florida. My 2022 draft rank: unranked.
Colby Halter was one of the bigger prep names to reach campus out of the class of 2020, then made an immediate impact as a freshman by slashing .302/.379/.453 in 49 games. With high expectations for 2022, he took a step back and finished at just .240/.338/.380 with eight home runs and a 66/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 65 games as a draft eligible sophomore. Halter did find his stroke a bit in the elite Cape Cod League this summer, slashing .288/.391/.471 with seven home runs in 43 games (.304/.418/.511 before the draft), but still went unpicked as he looks to rebuild his stock. He has a very long track record of hitting dating back to his prep days, with the 2022 college season being the only time in his amateur career where he has looked anything but stout at the plate. The Jacksonville native makes good all fields contact when he stays within himself, though he got power conscious this spring and struck out at a 22.4% clip. His strong Cape run really helped reestablish his power potential, and because of that he has a shot for fringe-average power in pro ball. If he can get back to keeping it simple at the plate and get his strikeout rate safely below 20% next spring, he could be drafted somewhere on day two. It's a moderately attractive defensive profile as well, as he handled second base and third base capably for Florida and brings some versatility once he gets to pro ball.

Bonus: OF Isaiah Thomas, Lewis-Clarke State. My 2022 draft rank: unranked.
Isaiah Thomas is coming back. He ranked #109 on my 2021 list after slashing .305/.361/.583 with 13 home runs and a 63/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games at Vanderbilt, but went undrafted and came out at #5 on this same list a year ago. Instead of returning to Vanderbilt, he stepped away from the game for mental health reasons and didn't appear in a game in 2022. Now, it appears he's ready to go again, originally transferring across the country to Oregon before switching late to Idaho NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State. Given that he'll turn 23 a few months before the next draft and hasn't swung a bat since 2021, it's hard to know what to make of the South Florida native, but expectations are high for 2023. He possesses plus raw power from a strong, lean, explosive 6'3" frame, and he tapped it consistently in games against an SEC schedule. He did so despite an extremely aggressive approach that led to a 25.8% strikeout rate and just a 3.7% walk rate, but his barrel is so accurate that it didn't hinder him at all. After swinging at nearly everything in 2021, he'll look to shore up that approach at Lewis-Clark State and force pitchers to come to him, if only to show teams that he can stay disciplined once he hits pro ball. Still, there aren't many hitters in college baseball that can scorch the ball like Thomas. Last time we saw him on the field, he was an above average runner with an above average arm, making for a very strong profile in right field, and it remains to be seen where the Warriors deploy him in 2023.

2022 MLB Draft Review: San Diego Padres

Full list of draftees

The Padres went all in on pitching early, grabbing who they likely see as the two best high school arms in the entire class with their first two picks in Dylan Lesko and Robby Snelling. After grabbing a college arm in Adam Mazur in the second round, they bet big again with a fourth consecutive arm in Henry Williams, who like Lesko is working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The bats in this class were a little more diverse in terms of skill sets, between the excellent hit tools of Nathan Martorella, Jakob Marsee, Nick Vogt, and Graham Pauley and the big time power of Lamar King Jr. and Griffin Doersching. It's a uniquely Padres class with all the high upside high school talent, hoping to give a jolt to a system that lost a boatload of talent just a few weeks later in the Juan Soto trade.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-15: RHP Dylan Lesko, Buford HS [GA]. My rank: #11.
Slot value: $4.09 million. Signing bonus: $3.9 million ($185,000 below slot value).
The Padres started off this draft with a bang, grabbing the guy who for much of the spring was considered the best pitcher in the class, period. Dylan Lesko has been one of the most famous names in the 2022 high school class for a few years now, and he pitched like it this spring to seemingly cement himself in the top ten picks (well, as cemented as a high school right hander can be). Unfortunately, he went down with Tommy John surgery in April, and there were some points where it looked like he might make it to campus at Vanderbilt. The Padres ensured that would not happen by taking him fifteenth overall, so he was still the first high school pitcher drafted, and surprisingly got him to sign slightly below slot value. Lesko is an extremely well rounded pitcher with few weaknesses. He sits in the mid 90's with his fastball, getting into the upper 90's more and more regularly. He adds two breaking balls in a curveball and a slider, though he throws the curveball more and while it isn't quite a plus pitch yet, its big spin rates and strong shape help it project to be a plus pitch in time. The Atlanta-area native finishes off his arsenal with a plus-plus changeup that is his best pitch right now, diving down out of the zone when he throws it low and still showing good fading action when he misses up. All together, the 6'2" righty has projection remaining and should continue add power to his already nasty stuff, and he's a very good mover on the mound that gets good extension and repeats his delivery well. He hits his spots consistently and has every chance to become an ace, with a high likelihood that he's at least a mid-rotation starter.

CBA-39: LHP Robby Snelling, McQueen HS [NV]. My rank: #43.
Slot value: $2 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($995,500 above slot value).
Robby Snelling had plenty of interest throughout the back half of the first round, but as prep pitchers tend to do, he slid down the board to the Padres in the competitive balance round and signed for a million dollars above slot value, roughly the value of the 24th pick. Considered more of a third or fourth round guy entering the season, Snelling had an extremely loud spring and rocketed up boards, with some considering him possibly the best lefty in the class. He didn't rank quite that high on my list, but it's a very loud profile. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and has gotten up to 96 this spring, getting some ride on the pitch as well. His bread and butter is his curveball, a plus pitch that dives across the zone late and has missed a ton of bats. There's some aptitude for a changeup, but it's all about the fastball and really the curveball for now. The 6'3" lefty comes across his body to create tough angle on his pitches, going right after hitters and filling up the strike zone well. He commands his curveball extremely well for a high school pitcher, something that really stands out to me when I watch him pitch and should help him rack up strikeouts in pro ball. The Reno native is also a very good athlete, packing a ton of strength into that 6'3" frame and getting down the mound well, though he doesn't have a ton of projection left. He had been committed to LSU but will now have a chance to push through the system.

2-53: RHP Adam Mazur, Iowa. My rank: #55.
Slot value: $1.44 million. Signing bonus: $1.25 million ($190,600 below slot value).
Adam Mazur has a fun profile and has been a steady riser for some time now. He originally enrolled at South Dakota State, but pitched very well in the Cape Cod League last summer (1.55 ERA, 34/6 K/BB in 29 IP) and transferred to a data-driven Iowa program this spring. The results were strong, as after holding a 5.50 ERA over two years in Brookings, he dropped it to 3.07 in Iowa City along with a 98/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 93.2 innings. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and has been up to 97, getting nice hop on the pitch. His nasty, plus slider has deep bite and functions as his main out pitch, while he also adds a curveball and changeup that look like big league pitches as well. The 6'4" righty still has projection remaining and is steadily learning to repeat his delivery better, leading to improved command throughout his time in college, and he even got better in that regard throughout the 2022 season to the point where it's now average. He has an uptempo delivery, but because of his projection, deep arsenal, and improving mechanics/command, he projects well as a #2 or #3 starter. Really my only qualm with the profile is a bit of a lower 26.1% strikeout rate this spring despite pitching for a progressive program, but otherwise it's an increasingly complete profile here.

3-91: RHP Henry Williams, Duke. My rank: #115.
Slot value: $680,400. Signing bonus: $800,000 ($119,600 above slot value).
Henry Williams is another injured pitcher the Padres are taking a chance on, but he has much less track record and requires much more projection than Dylan Lesko despite being two years older. Williams made just one appearance for Duke in the shortened 2020 season then showed well in 2021, posting a 3.65 ERA and a 45/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 37 innings while missing some time with injuries. He showed extremely well in fall practice, but again went down with arm soreness and in December, that turned into Tommy John surgery. That said, this is how you get a potential ace for just $800,000. The Connecticut native sits in the low 90's with his fastball, but he was up to 95 in the fall as the velocity slowly crept up. He's flashed some plus sliders at times, though it needs more consistency, and there is some feel for a changeup. You're buying the projection here, as Williams is a 6'5" beanpole with a ton of room to fill out and he's very young for a college junior to boot, not turning 21 until September. He's extremely athletic on the mound, with a very loose delivery that lends itself well to throwing strikes, and he puts high spin rates on all his stuff that give it extra hop and projection. This is the kind of profile that takes off if things break right. Now Tommy John aside, there are still massive durability questions here, as Williams will have gone through his three years of college throwing 0.2, 37, and zero innings, respectively, all before missing time yet again before his Tommy John. He needs to get a lot stronger to stick in the rotation, which could also mean his stuff takes a massive step forward as he fills out. The Padres are fully bought into that happening, and I'll be very interested to follow along.

4-120: C Lamar King Jr., Calvert Hall HS [MD]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $502,800. Signing bonus: $502,800.
The Padres finally picked a position player here with their fifth pick, going for an upside play in Lamar King Jr. King is the son of former NFL defensive end Lamar King, and he looks like an NFL player's son with a big, strong, 6'3" frame. That strength helps generate above average raw power that could become plus in time as he irons out his swing, as he has a fairly stiff operation for now that might cost him some pop. You help him get his arms extended more consistently, and he could end up sending the ball impressive distances. His power is ahead of his hit tool for now, but he does take pretty good at bats and recognizes pitches fairly well. I think with more refinement in the Padres system, the Baltimore-area native has a chance to get to a fringe average or even an average hit tool. He's a solid defender behind the plate and moves very well for his size, helping him use that big frame block balls in the dirt. High school catchers are notoriously difficult to develop and King has a lot of work to do, but the upside here is a starting catcher that can blast 20+ home runs a year and that's worth a $500,000 gamble. King was in a great position, as he could have attended the catching factory that is Georgia Tech.

5-150: 1B Nathan Martorella, California. My rank: #192.
Slot value: $375,500. Signing bonus: $325,000 ($50,500 below slot value).
Nathan Martorella brings a little bit of an unusual profile as a hit-over-power first baseman, but it's an interesting one. He didn't hit much over his first two seasons at Cal, but broke out in 2022 to slash .333/.424/.553 with eleven home runs and a 29/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games. He takes short, simple hacks in the batters box with the goal of spraying hard line drives around the field, rarely looking to do too much. With a stocky build at 6'1", 225 pounds, he translates his compact strength into a high frequency of hard hit balls, finding the barrel extremely consistently with a keen eye at the plate and a very patient approach. Martorella a first baseman only, so the pressure will be on his bat. The power isn't quite where you want it for a first baseman, but given his knack for barreling the ball and hitting it hard, he could tap average power if he begins to lift the ball more. The Salinas (Monterey County) native could move relatively quickly through a thinned out Padres system, with a ceiling of 15-20 home runs a year and high on-base percentages. So far through five games in the Arizona Complex League, Martorella has two singles and two walks.

7-210: OF Nick Vogt, UC Santa Barbara. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $224,300. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($24,300 below slot value).
Nick Vogt gives the Padres another Californian as a guy who can contribute in a lot of ways even if he doesn't have a true carrying tool. After performing poorly over his first two seasons at UC Santa Barbara, like Nathan Martorella he broke out in 2022 to slash .317/.405/.541 with seven home runs and a 39/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games. He has long arms and uses them to spray hard line drives around the field with regularity, with enough raw power in the tank to leave the yard when he gets those arms extended. He's a disciplined hitter that makes a lot of contact, helping him get on base at better than a .400 clip this spring. The Central Valley native out of Davis is also a solid runner that has a chance to stick in center field, which would dramatically increase his value as a potential fourth outfielder. Whether he reaches that ceiling hinges on his ability to handle breaking balls, as multiple sources noted that he was a much better hitter against high velocity fastballs than quality breaking balls. If he can, this is a very productive fourth outfield profile. He is hitless through his first six at bats in the Arizona Complex League.

8-240: 1B Griffin Doersching, Oklahoma State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $180,900. Signing bonus: $25,000 ($155,900 below slot value).
At just $25,000, this pick has a chance to be one of the best bargains of the draft. That tends to happen when you're nearly 24 on draft day, older than guys like Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Doersching played four years at Northern Kentucky, where he bashed 47 home runs in 161 career games and slashed .316/.488/.772 as a senior, then transferred to Oklahoma State this spring and continued to rake to the tune of a .296/.407/.673 slash line, 15 home runs, and a 51/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 42 games. He has absolutely massive raw power, as evidenced by this allegedly 513 foot home run against Texas Tech that left the stadium over the scoreboard. It's effortless power, too, as the 6'4", 250 pound hulk of a human being just flings the barrel at the ball with a simple, direct swing, and the ball just jumps off his bat like he loaded it with TNT. He does come with swing and miss concerns, running a 26.3% strikeout rate in 2022 that was well up from the 16.1% mark he put together in his senior year at NKU against weaker competition. Even though he rarely swings out of his shoes, he still has below average bat to ball skills and regularly chases, so the transition to pro ball will be a steep one. Given that I'm writing this on his 24th birthday (HBD Griffin), he doesn't have much time to figure it out. He's limited to first base defensively, so he'll have to tap that power in pro ball to move up. With his power, tattoos, and long blonde hair, the Milwaukee-area product can quickly become one of the Padres' more recognizable prospects and could become a power hitting platoon bat in the near future. He's already off to a hot start in the Arizona Complex League (albeit where he is much older than his competition), slashing .400/.538/.800 with just two strikeouts through five games.

11-330: RHP Isaiah Lowe, Combine Academy [NC]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $400,000 ($275,000 against bonus pool).
The Padres made one more big splurge to open up day three, signing Isaiah Lowe away from a Wake Forest commitment for fifth round money. Lowe showed scattered command and inconsistent stuff over the summer, but was a much more complete pitcher this spring. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and tops out around 94, adding a sweeping slider that looks above average at its best as well as an improving changeup that could also be an above average pitch. The 6'1" righty has a strong lower half and gets deep into his glutes during his delivery, putting flat plane on his fastball while also aiding in the shape of his slider, which relies more on horizontal movement than vertical movement. After regularly coming off line and losing his arm slot over the summer, he repeated his delivery better this spring and showed better command because of it, giving him the chance to stick as a starter. The North Carolina native is extremely old for a high schooler, having turned 19 back in May, but the Padres were more than happy with his progress this spring and think he can catch up quickly. There is not a ton of projection in his frame, though he could stand to add a few ticks to his fastball which is currently average velocity-wise. If he can get more consistently 92-94 than the 90-91 he sits now, that flat plane could really make it play up.

12-360: LHP Austin Krob, Texas Christian. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
Austin Krob spent a year at Kirkwood JC in Iowa before transferring to TCU in 2020, then showed well over his first two years in Fort Worth and looked like a mid day two pick. Instead, he opted to bet on himself and returned to campus for his senior season, which unfortunately did not go quite as planned as he finished with a 5.12 ERA and a 45/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 31.2 innings, missing a month and a half with injury. Krob ran a solid 31% strikeout rate in 2022, but figures to be more of a crafty lefty that should fit somewhere between a back-end starter and a long reliever in pro ball. His fastball sits in the low 90's, touching 95, while his sweeping slider is his best pitch and helps him miss bats. He also adds in an average curveball and an above average changeup, though his stuff wasn't always at its crispest this spring as he battled those injuries. The 6'3" lefty comes from a low three quarters slot that helps his stuff play east-west, giving hitters and especially left handed hitters a unique look that can make for a very difficult at bat when he's locating. The command has looked above average at times, and if he can hold that, he has a chance to reach his ceiling as a back-end starter. If not, or if he doesn't prove durable enough to handle 150+ innings a year, his stuff could tick up in relief and he could ditch the curveball to focus on his best pitches.

2022 MLB Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

Full list of draftees

The Giants had a couple clear themes with his draft. First is that they started off with six consecutive pitchers (and ten pitchers in their first twelve picks), highlighted by two lefties at the top in Reggie Crawford and Carson Whisenhunt to join a strong core of left handed pitching prospects in the system like Kyle Harrison, Nick Swiney, Seth Lonsway, and Matt Mikulski. Power fastballs were the name of the game for most pitchers, with Crawford, William Kempner, and Liam Simon showing the ability to hit triple digits with impressive life, while Whisenhunt was more of an outlier in that he's more of a command/offspeed guy. When it came to position players, the Giants opted for hit over power it seems, playing it safe while they reached for the moon on high risk, high reward arms like Crawford and Simon. Interestingly enough, there was a big time West Coast vibe here that included two picks out of Fresno State and one each from Gonzaga, Oregon State, Saint Mary's, Pacific, Arizona, and Arizona State. I like to highlight one or two local picks in every writeup, and the Giants drafted five different players that grew up within an hour and a half drive of the San Francisco Bay so I had ample to choose from.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-30: LHP/1B Reggie Crawford, Connecticut. My rank: #47.
Slot value: $2.49 million. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
I'm fascinated by this pick, as are most people that have seen Reggie Crawford play. While most prefer him as a pitcher, the Giants took him as a two-way player and we'll see how that plays out. He missed the 2022 season with Tommy John surgery, but he already has plenty of track record in the batter's box as a career .309/.362/.546 hitter at UConn with 14 home runs in 64 games, with big power from the left side and an aggressive approach that will need to be refined at the next level. There is honestly some Shohei Ohtani in the offensive profile as a big, defensively limited, power hitting lefty with a free swinging approach. He can certainly make it work as a hitter, though with pitching potentially as his primary focus, he'll likely always swing and miss at a high rate and it's not a given that he'll tap his power enough to play every day given that he'll be limited to first base. There is, however, a ton of upside on the mound and that's what I'm most interested in. The track record is extremely limited, but in 2021, he was nothing short of untouchable when he was on the mound. Between 7.2 innings with UConn, four with the College National Team, and two in the Cape Cod League (just 13.2 total, mostly against elite competition), he struck out 29 of the 53 batters he faced (54.7%!) and walked just four. Crawford does it with a mid to upper 90's fastball that can touch as high as 101 in short stints, exploding on hitters who also have to keep in mind a slider that flashes plus at its best. The delivery is very simple and could perhaps use a little refinement, but he has filled up the strike zone when he's been on the mound so the operation works well overall. The 6'4" lefty has a lot to prove if he wants to stick as a starter in pro ball, but the upside is massive with his electric stuff and special left arm. If the stuff or command ticks down too much once the Giants get him healthy and stretched out, it's pretty hard to not see him as an impact arm in the back of the bullpen anyways. To top it all off, Prospects Live has noted that scouts have dubbed him with "generational makeup," meaning he has an exceptional work ethic and could emerge as a true team leader down the road. There's a lot to love here.

2-66: LHP Carson Whisenhunt, East Carolina. My rank: #57.
Slot value: $1.05 million. Signing bonus: hard to peg, likely a little bit above slot value.
Carson Whisenhunt is a bit of a unique arm in this class because he did not pitch at all for East Carolina this spring, but not because he was hurt. Just before the season, he tested positive for a banned substance, which he claims to have taken by accident in one of his supplements. He returned in the Cape Cod League to mixed results, with a 7.87 ERA but a sharper 21/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 16 innings against elite competition. The 6'3" lefty was viewed as a fringe-first round talent by many outlets throughout the draft cycle, but opinions on him were split and it's hard to peg whether he'll require an above slot bonus and if so, by how much. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, topping out around 95 with some angle, but his real weapons are his offspeed pitches. Whisenhunt's changeup is among the best in the class, with huge fade to the arm side that sends even seasoned hitters flailing. His curveball is another pitch that could be above average, with deep two plane break. It all plays up because he possesses above average command of both the fastball and the offspeeds, enabling him to sequence more effectively and miss barrels. If San Francisco can play with his fastball a little bit to give it more life or add a tick of velocity, he has a real shot to be a mid-rotation starter for years to come. It's a really good get at the back of the second round, when most thought he would have been long gone off the board.

3-106: RHP William Kempner, Gonzaga. My rank: #136.
Slot value: $577,200. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
Brandon Crawford (Pleasanton native) is 35 and likely nearing the twilight of his career, but the Giants could bring up another Bay Area product to rep Northern California, albeit in a very different role. William Kempner grew up in San Jose and attended Valley Christian High School down on the south side of town, then moved on to Gonzaga where he has turned into one of the harder throwers on the West Coast. He showed extremely well for almost the entire season, bringing a 0.81 ERA into his final start before Wright State blew him up for nine runs at the Blacksburg regional to balloon his final ERA to 3.00 while he struck out 48 and walked 21 over 36 innings. Kempner is an extremely unique arm, getting his fastball up to 100 at its best with nasty run and sink from a sidearm slot and sitting in the mid 90's as a starter. The fastball is his bread and butter, but the 6' righty also adds a sweeping slider and a good changeup, both of which flash above average. The command is fringy, as he tends to miss east-west due to his arm slot. In his delivery, Kempner rocks his weight back towards first base before pushing off into a high leg lift, working down the mound to produce a lot of power but with high effort. Combine all that together between the fringy command, high effort delivery, and stocky build, and he's probably destined for the bullpen, where I think the stuff could really play up. A three pitch righty that can touch 100 with nasty movement and throw a reasonable amount of strikes sounds good to me.

4-136: RHP Spencer Miles, Missouri. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $431,100. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
The Giants took on a project in Spencer Miles, who showed well on the Cape last spring (2.54 ERA, 24/9 K/BB in 17.2 innings) but has otherwise been unremarkable at Missouri, posting a 6.27 ERA and a 122/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 145 career innings. Miles sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can reach back for the upper 90's, though it's an average running pitch that has been hit hard throughout his time in Columbia. His breaking balls are much better, with the bigger curveball diving across the zone and his tighter slider playing well off his fastball, and that combined with the arm strength is what the Giants are drafting him for. The 6'3" righty does a pretty good job of filling up the zone, and San Francisco will want him to fill up the zone with his breaking balls more often rather than pitching off the fastball like most amateur pitchers are taught to do. If that works out, Miles has some upside as a back end starter, perhaps more if the Giants can do something to get more life on his already high-velocity fastball. Otherwise, it will be easier to pitch of his breaking stuff in a bullpen role. Regardless, Miles turned 22 shortly after the draft and is therefore relatively old for a college junior, and he likely won't require full slot value to sign.

5-166: RHP Liam Simon, Notre Dame. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $322,600. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
This pick is a bit reminiscent of Seth Lonsway last year, except that Liam Simon is right handed. He has truly explosive stuff, sitting in the mid 90's with his fastball and getting up into triple digits with a combination of steep angle and a ton of lift. While he does pitch off that fastball, it's such a good pitch that hitters are often fooled by his hard slider and he gets plenty of whiffs when he locates reasonably well. The problem, as with Lonsway, is that command. The big 6'4" righty has an exaggerated wrist curl in the back of his delivery and a very late arm, with the latter making it very difficult to repeat his arm slot with any consistency as he often casts and yanks pitches. That can make for very uncomfortable at bats for right handed hitters as upper 90's fastballs sail up and in, and it also led to middling results with a 4.99 ERA and a 56/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 30.2 innings this year as a swingman. For that reason the New Jersey product is certainly a reliever in pro ball, where he can continue to pitch off his fastball and perhaps only need moderate improvement in his command to become a high leverage reliever.

7-226: C Zach Morgan, Fresno State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $198,700. Signing bonus: likely around slot value, perhaps a bit below.
The Giants picked up another Northern Californian in Zach Morgan, a Central Valley product through and through that attended Lincoln High School on the north side of Stockton before heading down 99 to Fresno State for college. A redshirt junior that turned 22 in March, he broke out with a huge 2022 season in which he slashed .381/.454/.592 with eight home runs and a 17/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games. Morgan doesn't stand out on the field with an average 6' build and unremarkable physical tools, but he will never, ever miss a hittable pitch and that's his greatest strength. He makes a ton of contact early in the count, leading to a minuscule 6.7% strikeout rate this spring even as he bumped that ISO (isolated slugging percentage) up to .211. He doesn't hit the ball particularly hard and any power he produces will come from the sheer volume of barreled baseballs rather than big time bat speed or strength, and he'll have no trouble barreling pro pitching. Morgan is an average defender on the other side that should stick with some work, giving him a good chance to become a backup catcher in San Francisco in the near future.

8-256: OF Wade Meckler, Oregon State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $168,500. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
Keeping with the West Coast theme, the Giants grabbed Orange County native and Oregon State star Wade Meckler in the eighth round. Meckler didn't play much over his first two seasons in Corvallis, but showed well in 2021 before emerging as one of their best hitters in 2022, slashing .347/.456/.478 with two home runs and a 49/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 games. He's a very patient hitter that ran a walk rate north of 16% in 2022, spitting on bad pitches and working counts very well. It's a simple operation in the box with very little extra movement, in which he just flings the barrel at the ball and goes with the pitch rather than trying to wind up and uncork for power. That contact-oriented swing, plus the fact that he's only 5'10" anyways, is why he's only hit six home runs in 135 career games for the Beavers, but there is some whip in the barrel that leads me to believe he could trade some contact for power if he wanted to, not that I see any reason he should. He profiles as a fourth outfielder with limited upside due to the lack of power projection, but as a 22 year old senior sign who has excelled against high level pitching and in high pressure environments, he could move relatively quickly through the system.

16-496: 2B Andrew Kachel, Fresno State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: likely around $125,000.
We'll finish off with one last local product in Andrew Kachel, a graduate of Christopher High School on the north side of Gilroy out on 101. He's a three year performer out of Fresno State, where he's a career .312/.407/.563 hitter with 24 home runs and an 82/62 strikeout to walk ratio over 113 games. He actually got off to a slow start in 2022 with just one hit against ten strikeouts over his first six games, but recovered well to finish right in line with his career numbers. A bit undersized at a skinny six feet tall, he does damage with strong barrel control from a rhythm-based bat waggle and a line drive approach. He also hit very well last summer in the California Collegiate League (.370/.473/.546) where his metal bat home runs manifested more often as doubles and triples. There is some swing and miss in Kachel's game but not too much to be concerned, and he profiles as a utility infield type that can get on base when you need him.

2022 MLB Draft Review: Los Angeles Dodgers

Full list of draftees

The Dodgers had their first round pick pushed back ten spots due to luxury tax penalties, then also lots their second round pick after signing Freddie Freeman, leaving their first two picks at #40 and #105. Still, the Dodgers always draft well and were able to extract good value from the position they were in, with a very bat-heavy draft that didn't see a pitcher taken until Virginia lefty Brandon Neeck. There was also some California flair with picks out of UCLA, St. Mary's, and Westmont in addition to two additional picks (Arizona State's Sean McLain and Baylor's Kyle Nevin) that grew up in Southern California.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

2-40: C Dalton Rushing, Louisville. My rank: #37.
Slot value: $1.95 million. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
The Dodgers may have had their pick pushed back, but they still got a very good player at number forty. Dalton Rushing didn't play much over his first two years at Louisville, but hit .319/.406/.543 with seven home runs in 39 games in the Cape Cod League and significantly raised his profile. His rise continued this spring, when he hit .310/.470/.686 with 23 home runs and led Louisville to super regionals. Rushing has a strong, compact 6'1" frame with a compact swing from the left side, but he produces plus power from it that he has tapped more and more in games. He does swing and miss some, but he's disciplined at the plate and draws a ton of walks, so the transition to pro pitching should not be an issue. It's a really appealing offensive profile that could produce 25-30+ home runs a year, with relatively high walk-driven on-base percentages. The defensive side isn't quite as clear, as he hasn't received consistent reps behind the plate and he's looked just decent back there. The Dodgers can choose to be patient with him back there, but with long term answers like Will Smith and Diego Cartaya already in the organization, they may not need to. If he's not a catcher, the Memphis-area product will probably be confined to first base or DH since he's not nearly fast enough to play the outfield. Still, the bat has a chance to be good enough to profile anywhere, and if he does manage to stick behind the plate, it's a potential All Star profile. I expect he'll sign somewhere around slot value.

3-105: SS Alex Freeland, Central Florida. Unranked.
Slot value: $582,400. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
Alex Freeland was in that next group of guys I would have added to my list if I had the bandwidth, but he's coming off a very solid sophomore season at UCF in which he hit .282/.419/.570 with eleven home runs in 42 games. With an August birthday, he's eligible this year but still younger than most other college eligible players and carries some leverage, so I don't think he'll take much of a discount if at all. Freeland is a polished switch hitter that works counts well and draws plenty of walks, also showing off some pull side power when he can get his arms extended and catch the ball out front. He did not hit well on the Cape last year (.211/.348/.250 with no home runs in 28 games) but his strong sophomore season does alleviate some of those concerns. I'm not fully convinced that the power will play up with wood, but he's young, polished, and has a good 6'2" frame to build off. The Dodgers also have a lot of success with this type of player, as they do with most types of players. Defensively, he may have to move off shortstop (especially in a system as deep as the Dodgers'), but the Southwest Florida native should be athletic enough to handle second base and third base adequately. It's a utility outlook for now, but certainly with a chance for more if he can impact the ball with wood bats the way he did in the AAC this year.

4-135: OF Nick Biddison, Virginia Tech. My rank: #175.
Slot value: $435,000. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
Nick Biddison will follow Saige Jenco and Carson Taylor on the Blacksburg to LA pipeline, and he'll do so as the very last player to crack the public portion of my rankings this year. Biddison had an up and down career with the Hokies, earning some draft interest heading into his junior year after a strong shortened 2020 campaign, but he slumped to .235/.331/.388 as a junior and came back to school. That decision paid off, as he broke out for a .351/.434/.598 slash line with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases while hitting atop the best lineup in the country. The Richmond-area native is a sparkplug on the field, one who can impact the game in a lot of ways. He's disciplined at the plate and makes a lot of contact, and despite his compact 5'10" frame, he has sneaky power and can hit for impact to all fields. Biddison is an above average runner as well and knows how to deploy his speed, helping him on both sides of the ball. He's as versatile as it gets, having played every position except pitcher and shortstop during his time in Blacksburg (yes, including 28 games at catcher!), but he's probably a full time outfielder for the Dodgers and that's what they drafted him as. Despite being a senior, he's young for the class and was still 21 on draft day.

5-165: SS Sean McLain, Arizona State. My rank: #218.
Slot value: $325,200. Signing bonus: likely around slot value, perhaps a bit below.
The Dodgers went local in grabbing Beckham (Tustin) High School grad Sean McLain, the younger brother of current Reds prospect Matt McLain and the older brother of highly regarded prospect and Arizona State prospect Nick McLain. Sean has been a very steady hitter for the Sun Devils over the past two seasons, hitting .328/.410/.487 with ten home runs over 113 games. He possesses a quick, compact right handed swing that sprays line drives to all fields with great consistency, helping drive high batting averages wherever he's played. For now, the power is below average and I don't think he'll ever be much of an over the fence threat, though he has been an extra base machine in Tempe with 31 doubles and four triples over the past two seasons as he consistently finds gaps. The Orange County native is fairly aggressive at the plate, but he controlled the zone better as a sophomore and I feel confident he'll handle pro pitching well. A good runner that manned shortstop for Arizona State this spring, he profiles better at second base going forward but could fill in there in a pinch. I see a classic utility profile here, one that can hit for average and make a little noise on the basepaths.

6-195: SS Logan Wagner, P27 Academy [SC]. My rank: #145.
Slot value: $253,200. Signing bonus: likely well above slot value.
For their first high school pick of the event, the Dodgers will likely go way above slot value to pull Logan Wagner away from a Louisville commitment. A Chicago-area native, he transferred down to P27 Academy in the Columbia, South Carolina area as a senior to face better competition and it paid off big time. He put up a huge senior season that had scouts rushing in to see him play, and likely would have gone a couple rounds higher if signing bonuses didn't play such a big role. A switch hitter, Wagner shows off a powerful operation from both sides with a rotational operation that sees him put loft on the ball with authority. He was a bit inconsistent last summer on the showcase circuit, but he made a lot more contact in the fall and this spring, enough for the Dodgers to feel very confident he will tap his above average power against pro pitching. As with most prep prospects, there is a lot of ceiling here as a potential every day guy that adds value to the Dodger lineup. Although he was drafted as a shortstop, he figures to slide over to third base in pro ball due to a lack of quickness, though his strong arm should help him make it work there.

7-225: SS Christopher Campos, St. Mary's. Unranked.
Slot value: $199,700. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
The Dodgers picked up their second Southern Californian in Christopher Campos, who grew up in Hacienda Heights and attended Damien High School a little to the north in La Verne. He was a two-way guy at St. Mary's, but it looks like the Dodgers want him as a shortstop only after he hit .299/.361/.373 for the Gaels this year despite a late season slump and injury. Campos struck out in just 10% of his plate appearances this spring, making a ton of contact and making defenses worse. However, he's undersized at 5'10" and didn't make a ton of hard contact, so his production for now is very dependent on his BABIP as he also doesn't walk much. There's raw strength in there, as Campos also had a 2.16 ERA and a 23/8 strikeout to walk ratio across 16.2 innings on the mound where he ran his fastball up to 95, so he'll have the arm strength to stick on the left side of the infield. Los Angeles will work to bulk him up just a little bit so that he can hit for some impact at the big league level and really put those excellent bat to ball skills to work.

12-375: RHP Jacob Meador, Dallas Baptist. My rank: #150.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: probably around $125K if he signs.
Jacob Meador is not a lock to sign here (though I think it's likely), but if he does, it's a very interesting profile to inject into the Dodger system. Again if he does, the Dodgers have a really interesting prospect on their hands. Meador was a known commodity out of his Fort Worth-area high school, but instead opted to attend TCU and build his stock. He struggled to break through their deep pitching staff and transferred just down I-20 to Dallas Baptist, where he got the innings he was looking for but still couldn't quite put it together. In all, Meador posted a 5.24 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, and a 91/44 strikeout to walk ratio across 68.2 innings. The 6' righty has an explosive fastball that can get up to 96 with great riding action, settling more often in the low 90's. His curveball is a true hammer, eliciting ugly chases when he's at his best, while his changeup also flashes above average on his best days. A good athlete, he has all the ingredients to turn into a real impact arm, but his command has been very inconsistent and he gets into too many hitters' counts. The Dodgers have done a great job with Nick Nastrini, a similar pick a year ago with perhaps a more extreme profile, and they have a chance to turn Meador into a solid starting pitcher if they can get him to throw more strikes. If not, he has the nasty stuff to play up in the bullpen.

13-405: OF Chris Newell, Virginia. My rank: #199.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: probably around $125K if he signs.
Signing bonus-wise, Chris Newell is probably in the same boat as Jacob Meador in that he'll probably sign, but on day three of the draft nothing's ever a certainty. Newell was an even better prospect than Meador out of high school, where he had a chance to go in the top one hundred picks in 2019, but elected to head down south to Virginia to build his stock further. The move initially looked like it paid off after he hit .407/.545/.729 over 18 games in his shortened freshman season, but he's been much less consistent over the past two seasons and has slashed .258/.354/.432 with a 30.6% strikeout rate in that timeframe. A very good athlete, the Philadelphia-area product flashes above average raw power that he does sometimes get to in games, including twelve home runs this past season. His hands are very quick in the box and he gets uphill in his swing to create loft, but he struggles to reach fastballs up in the zone and for now has trouble recognizing offspeed, leading to a much less refined approach at the plate than most hitters coming out of UVA. Newell is also an above average runner that will stick in center field, providing some value when his bat is cold. While he has suffered through long stretches of futility at the plate, there are also few players out there more dangerous when he's hot, and Los Angeles will hope to bring that best side out of him more often.

15-465: SS Nicolas Perez, B-You Academy [PR]. My rank: #174.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: likely well above $125,000 if he signs.
Nicolas Perez is less likely to sign than Meador and Newell as a high school product with a Florida State commitment in hand. If he does sign, it will be well above the $125,000 threshold for day three picks and will count against the bonus pool. Perez won't turn 18 until September, which makes him one of the youngest players picked in the entire draft. He's steadily commanded more and more attention in Puerto Rico before exploding for an excellent showing at WWBA in the fall, and the Dodgers are buying into the trajectory here. He's not huge at six feet tall, but he has room to fill out his frame and continue to add strength, which will play up because he has strong feel for the barrel as it is from a powerful right handed swing. For now, he's an aggressive hitter, but it hasn't hurt him to this point and again, he's so young that you have to expect it. He's also a solid defender at shortstop with a chance to stay there as he gets bigger, faster, and stronger, and could become an all around contributor at the next level.