2022 MLB Draft: Mock Draft 6.0

The 2022 MLB draft begins on July 17 in Los Angeles. This year’s class is deep with position players. The pitching crop has multiple high-end prep arms while the college class is less talented, especially after numerous pitchers suffered season-ending injuries.

After the top five to seven players, scouts believe this year’s class has a lot of parody. It won’t shock anyone if there is chaos in the first round.

The Orioles are deliberating between multiple players, including prep players Druw Jones and Termarr Johnson. Jones is the best player in the draft and remains the slight favorite to go first overall.

Right-hander Kumar Rocker is the biggest wild card in the draft. He is drawing interest from numerous teams and could hear his name called as soon as the No. 12 pick.

Below is my first-round mock draft. There are some changes from my previous version a few weeks ago.

1. Baltimore Orioles: Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan (Ga.) HS
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) HS
3. Texas Rangers: Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola College
5. Washington Nationals: Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (Fla.)
6. Miami Marlins: Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly
7. Chicago Cubs: Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays (Ga.) HS
8. Minnesota Twins: Jacob Berry, 1B, LSU
9. Kansas City Royals: Justin Crawford, OF, Bishop Gorman (NV) HS
10. Colorado Rockies: Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech
11. New York Mets: Jett Williams, SS, Rockwall-Heath (TX) HS
12. Detroit Tigers: Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech
13. Los Angeles Angels: Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage (Fla.) HS
14. New York Mets: Brock Porter, RHP, St. Mary’s (Mich.) Prep
15. San Diego Padres: Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford (Ga.) HS
16. Cleveland Guardians: Cole Young, SS, North Allegheny (Pa.) HS
17. Philadelphia Phillies: Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga
18. Cincinnati Reds: Zach Neto, SS, Campbell
19. Oakland Athletics: Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee
20. Atlanta Braves: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Tri-City
21. Seattle Mariners: Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State
22. St. Louis Cardinals: Daniel Susac, C, Arizona
23. Toronto Blue Jays: Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama
24. Boston Red Sox: Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee
25. New York Yankees: Sterlin Thompson, OF, Florida
26. Chicago White Sox: Tucker Toman, 3B, Hammond (S.C.) HS
27. Milwaukee Brewers: Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison
28. Houston Astros: Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma
29. Tampa Bay Rays: Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen (NV) HS
30. San Francisco Giants: Dylan Beavers, OF, California

Read more in-depth stories on top 2022 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.

Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for seven years. He has interviewed 356 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com and The Arizona Republic, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.