2022 MLB Draft: Day One Recap

Below is team-by-team analysis of last night’s draft activity. Remember that you can find more detailed scouting reports and tool grades for the players drafted over on The Board.
Pick | Rank | FV | Name | Position | Age | School | Strengths |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 1 | 60 | Druw Jones | CF | 18.6 | Wesleyan HS (GA) | Everything |
34 | 59 | 40+ | Landon Sims | MIRP | 21.5 | Mississippi State | Plus FB/SLD combo |
43 | 84 | 40 | Ivan Melendez | 1B | 22.5 | Texas | Elite Raw Power |
Arizona got the consensus best player in the draft in Druw Jones, and he stands a chance to help alter the course of their franchise. Folks in the game think drive and determination is a separator when it comes to successfully rehabbing from Tommy John, and if his on-mound presence is any indication, Comp Pick bulldog righty Landon Sims seems to have that. Ivan Melendez has among the most raw power in this draft and was the most outstanding player in college baseball in 2022 after making adjustments that led to fewer strikeouts.
Pick | Rank | FV | Name | Position | Age | School | Strengths |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 | 38 | 45 | Owen Murphy | SP | 18.8 | Riverside-Brookfield HS (IL) | FB/CRV, Athleticism |
35 | 39 | 45 | JR Ritchie | SP | 19.0 | Bainbridge HS (WA) | FB/CRV, Projection |
57 | 120 | 35+ | Cole Phillips | SP | 19.1 | Boerne HS (TX) | Velocity |
76 | HM | 40 | Blake Burkhalter | MIRP | 21.8 | Auburn | Velo, Plus Cutter |
Atlanta had a remarkable first day, taking three high school pitchers and a late-season pop-up college arm. Owen Murphy and JR Ritchie both have prototypical prep pitching profiles as projectable righties with vertically-oriented fastball/breaking ball combinations. Phillips had a huge velo boost this spring, into the upper-90s, then blew out. The Braves will need to polish his secondaries after his TJ rehab. Burkhalter’s stuff was incredible during the College World Series, another “tip-of-the-iceberg” prospect for the Braves. He could end up with three above-average pitches. Part of why he fell is because his delivery features a lot of effort that points to the bullpen. Read the rest of this entry »