The MLB Draft has come and gone with the wind and is back to the fantasy baseball grind. The draft is always a fun time for dynasty managers to get excited and dig into the crop of prospects. The 2022 MLB Draft was loaded with talented prospects to make first-year player drafts a blast this year.
In today’s article, I will discuss some of the takeaways from the draft and look at the top players for fantasy purposes.
MLB Draft Thoughts and Rankings
The MLB Draft is always full of surprises, and it started with the Baltimore Orioles taking Jackson Holliday with the first overall pick. Not that Holliday was not worthy of that pick, but more that no one knew which direction the Orioles would go.
The Texas Rangers shocked the world by selecting Kumar Rocker with the third overall pick. Rocker was the tenth overall pick in last year’s draft before medicals led the New York Mets to forgo signing him. Rocker had surgery last year and proved his health in the Independent League.
Other pitchers were the surprise of the top half of the first round as the Cubs selected Oklahoma’s College World Series standout Cade Horton with the seventh overall pick. Three picks later, the Rockies selected Gonzaga starter Gabriel Hughes.
Justin Crawford went to the Phillies at pick 17, while Cam Collier fell down the board and landed in Cincinnati at the 18th overall pick. The first round was full of fun surprises and landing spots. But which teams had the best drafts?
Top MLB Draft Classes
Baltimore Orioles
Though it was a bit of a surprise, Jackson Holliday was still an excellent pick at number one overall. If he proves he can make enough contact, Dylan Beavers out of California has an intriguing power and speed combo. The Orioles selected him in the supplemental first round before taking Clemson slugger Max Wagner in the second round. Wagner slugged 27 home runs with a .370/.496/.852 this past season with Clemson. The Orioles rounded out their first day by taking Jud Fabian out of Florida, who was once thought of as a potential top draft pick. Fabian improved his contact skills this season and slugged 24 home runs with a .414 OBP in Florida. Nolan McLean, Silas Ardoin, and Douglas Hodo III were other intriguing picks.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have a depleted farm system thanks to losing draft picks and international bonuses for their cheating scandal. The Astros had a first and second-round pick this year for the first time since 2019. They knocked their first two picks out of the park with Drew Gilbert and Jacob Melton out of Tennessee and Oregon State, respectively. Gilbert slashed .362/.455/.673 with 11 home runs and four stolen bases in the SEC. Jacob Melton had a monster season at Oregon State with 17 home runs and 21 stolen bases to pair with a .360/.424/.671 slash. Their next three picks of Andrew Taylor, Michael Knorr, and Trey Dombroski are also intriguing.
New York Mets
The Mets were handed a gift when Kevin Parada fell to pick 11. The Georgia Tech catcher is one of the better hitting catchers in recent years. Jett Williams will get criticized for being undersized, but he has a very intriguing hit tool with high-end speed. If his power develops, he could be an enjoyable fantasy asset. Getting two SEC arms in Blade Tidwell and Brandon Sproat was intriguing, and prep bats in Nick Morabito and Jacob Reimer make an excellent class for the Mets.
Top-10 First-Year Player Rankings
- Druw Jones (OF-ARI)
- Elijah Green (OF-WSH)
- Jackson Holliday (SS-BAL)
- Termarr Johnson (2B-PIT)
- Kevin Parada (C-NYM)
- Cam Collier (3B-CIN)
- Gavin Cross (OF-KC)
- Jace Jung (2B-DET)
- Jacob Berry (3B-MIA)
- Brooks Lee (SS-MIN)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy baseball, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you navigate your season. From our Lineup Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball season.
