It’s the day of the 2022 MLB Draft in Los Angeles and the Baltimore Orioles have made their selection.
With the No. 1 pick, the Orioles took Jackson Holiday, the top prospect and son of former major leaguer Matt Holiday. The Arizona Diamondbacks followed up with another son of a former major leaguer (Andrew), selecting Drew Jones.
The Texas Rangers shocked many by selecting Kumar Roker, one of the biggest names in the draft, at No. 3. The Pittsburgh Pirates took Termar Johnson fourth, with the Washington Nationals rounding out the first five picks. The first 80 picks will be made on Sunday night, followed by rounds 3-10 on Monday and ending with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday.
Which teams will make the picks that will surprise everyone? MLB experts Dave Schoenfield and Dan Mullen have everything you need to know about who your favorite team selected on draft night.
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1. Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holiday, SS, Stillwater HS (OK)
Who is Holliday? The son of a major league All-Star (Matt), Holiday has distinguished himself as the best prep shortstop in this class with his powerful bat. He hit .685 with 17 home runs, 79 RBIs and even stole 30 bases in 40 games during his high school season. There is a question of whether he can stick at shortstop or eventually move to second base as a pro, but his offensive skill set will play both positions.
Why the Orioles took him here: After months of speculation that the Orioles could go many different ways with this No. 1 pick, Baltimore showed why by taking someone other than consensus No. 1 prospect Drew Jones here. The big question now is whether Baltimore will be able to sign Holiday with some savings and then use the savings to move slots to players from their later picks tonight (Nos. 33 and 42).
In Holiday, the Orioles get an elite talent who has steadily moved up the recruiting boards this spring thanks to his array of quality tools and projection at the plate. Holiday joins a group of recent top draft prospects currently making their way to Baltimore as the O’s exit their rebuild. — Mullen
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Drew Jones, CF, Wesleyan HS (Georgia)
Who is Jones? The No. 1 player on Kiley McDaniel’s recruiting committee, Jones is the son of five-time MLB All-Star Andrew Jones. A set of tools sets Jones apart from the rest of the 2022 recruiting class. He’s a plus hitter with plus power, plus-plus speed and a plus defender in center field, but could also play shortstop in his pro career. While there is no perfect competitor for Jones, a healthy Byron Buxton is a good place to start.
Why the Diamondbacks took him here: The Diamondbacks should be ecstatic to see the consensus No. 1 player in this draft class fall into their lap with the No. 2 pick. Arizona gets a player with 30/30 potential at the plate and an elite first-rate defender position. D-backs fans are free to start dreaming about the possibility of a Druw Jones/Alek Thomas/Corbin Carroll outfield in the future of the franchise. — Mullen
3. Texas Rangers: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Tri-Cities (independent)
Who is Rocker? Arguably the biggest name in the draft for the second year in a row, Rocker lands here after going unsigned by the Mets as the No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft. Instead of returning to Vanderbilt for the 2022 spring season, Rocker did five starts this summer for Tri-City (N.Y.) of the independent Frontier League. His mid-90s fastball with the ValleyCats and near-MLB-ready stuff helped him get to this spot despite longer-term questions about his throwing arm, including shoulder surgery in September 2021.
Why the Rangers brought him here: In what will be the biggest shock of the night, the Rangers stunned everyone with the former Vanderbilt star, a player who wasn’t projected to go until maybe the 15th at the earliest — and now he will join former Vandy teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers system. This does follow the Rangers’ trend of going after polished college prospects in recent years: Josh Jung in 2019, Justin Foscu in 2020 and Leiter last year with the second pick. The hope is that all four will be in the majors soon and join Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to get the Rangers back in the playoff hunt. — Schonfield
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Termar Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (Georgia),
Who is Johnson? It’s rare to see a prep second baseman who can reach this high on draft night, but Johnson has consistently ranked near the top of this class due to his elite hit tool. Despite playing in a lower-level high school league and standing just 5-foot-10, Johnson impressed scouts with his raw power and quickness on the basepaths, but make no mistake—his ability to consistently make hard contact is what lands him here.
Why the Pirates took him here: Despite being listed at 5-foot-10, there’s a good chance Johnson develops as the best pure hitter in this class — and that could help him move quickly through the minors for a high school infielder. While his future is likely at second base, the Pirates are getting an offensive prospect who ranks right up there with Holiday and Jones at No. 4 overall. — Mullen
5. Washington Nationals
14. New York Mets
Choice of compensation
31. Colorado Rockies
32. Cincinnati Reds
Competitive balance Round A
33. Baltimore Orioles
34. Arizona Diamondbacks
35. Atlanta Braves
36. Pittsburgh Pirates
37. Cleveland Guardians
38. Colorado Rockies
39. San Diego Padres
40. Los Angeles Dodgers
(The Dodgers’ first pick drops 10 spots, from 30 to 40, due to exceeding the competitive tax balance threshold.)
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41. Boston Red Sox
(Compensation for unsigned 2021 second-round pick Jude Fabian.)
42. Baltimore Orioles
43. Arizona Diamondbacks
44. Pittsburgh Pirates
45. Washington Nationals
46. Miami Marlins
47. Chicago Cubs
48. Minnesota Twins
49. Kansas City Royals
50. Colorado Rockies
51. Detroit Tigers
52. New York Mets
53. San Diego Padres
54. Cleveland Guardians
55. Cincinnati Reds
56. Oakland Athletics
57. Atlanta Braves
58. Seattle Mariners
59. St. Louis Cardinals
60. Toronto Blue Jays
61. New York Yankees
62. Chicago White Sox
63. Milwaukee Brewers
64. Houston Astros
65. Tampa Bay Rays
66. San Francisco Giants
67. Baltimore Orioles
68. Minnesota Twins
69. Oakland Athletics
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70. Tampa Bay Rays
71. Tampa Bay Rays
72. Milwaukee Brewers
73. Cincinnati Reds
74. Seattle Mariners
75. New York Mets
76. Atlanta Braves
77. Toronto Blue Jays
78. Toronto Blue Jays
79. Boston Red Sox
80. Houston Astros
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