It’s 2022 MLB draft day in Los Angeles and the Baltimore Orioles have made their selection.
With the No. 1 overall pick, the Orioles took Jackson Holliday, top prospect and son of former major leaguer Matt Holliday. The Arizona Diamondbacks followed up with another son for a former major leaguer (Andruw), selecting Druw Jones.
The Texas Rangers shocked many by picking Kumar Rocker, one of the most well known names in the draft, at No. 3. The Pittsburgh Pirates took Termarr Johnson fourth overall and the Washington Nationals nabbed Elijah Green to round out the first five picks. The first 80 picks will be made Sunday night followed by Rounds 3-10 on Monday and concluding 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 took on draft night.
7 p.m. ET: Watch the 2022 MLB draft on ESPN
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Ranking the top 300 MLB draft prospects
1. Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS (OK)
Who is Holliday? The son of a major league All-Star (Matt), Holliday has separated himself as the best prep shortstop in this class by way of 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 will end up moving to second base as a pro, but his offensive skill set will play at either position.
Why the Orioles took him here: After months of speculation that the Orioles could go a number of different ways with this No. 1 pick, Baltimore showed why by taking someone other than consensus No. 1 prospect Druw Jones here. Now the big question is if Baltimore will be able to sign Holliday at any savings and then use the savings to go over slot on players at its later picks tonight (Nos. 33 and 42).
In Holliday, the Orioles are getting an elite talent who has risen up draft boards steadily this spring thanks to his array of quality tools and projection at the plate. Holliday joins a group of recent top draft prospects currently making their way toward Baltimore as the O’s come out of their rebuild. — Mullen
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Druw Jones, CF, Wesleyan HS (GA)
Who is Jones? The No. 1 overall player on Kiley McDaniel’s draft board, Jones is the son of five-time MLB All-Star Andruw Jones. An array of tools sets Jones apart from the rest of the 2022 draft class. He is a plus hitter with plus power, plus-plus speed and a plus defender in center field but also could play shortstop in his pro career. While there is no perfect comp for Jones, a healthy Byron Buxton is a good place to start.
Check out highlights that helped make Druw Jones the second pick in the 2022 MLB draft.
Why the Diamondbacks took him here: The Diamondbacks have to be ecstatic to see the consensus No. 1 player in this draft class fall into their laps with the No. 2 pick. Arizona is getting a player with 30/30 potential at the plate and an elite defender at a premium position. D-backs fans are free to start dreaming about the possibility of a Druw Jones/Alek Thomas/Corbin Carroll outfield in the franchise’s future. — Mullen
3. Texas Rangers: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Tri-Cities (Independent)
Who is Rocker? Arguably the most well-known name in the draft for a second straight year, Rocker lands here after going unsigned by the Mets as the No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft. Instead of going back to Vanderbilt for the 2022 spring season, Rocker made five starts this summer for Tri-City (New York) of the independent Frontier League. His mid-90s fastball with the ValleyCats and nearly MLB-ready stuff helped get him to this spot despite longer-term questions about his pitching arm, including a September 2021 shoulder surgery.
Check out Kumar Rocker’s highlights from his season with the Tri-City Valley Cats as he gets set to join the Rangers after being selected third overall.
Why the Rangers took him here: In what will be the biggest shocker of the night, the Rangers stun everyone with the former Vanderbilt star, a player not projected to go until perhaps 15th at the earliest — and now he’ll join his former Vandy teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers system. It does follow a Rangers trend of going for polished college prospects in recent years: Josh Jung in 2019, Justin Foscue in 2020 and Leiter last year with the second pick. The hope is all four will soon be in the majors and join Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to get the Rangers back in the playoff hunt. — Schoenfield
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (GA),
Who is Johnson? It’s rare to see a prep likely second baseman go this high on draft night, but Johnson has steadily ranked near the top of this class because of his elite hit tool. Despite playing in a lower-tier high school league and standing just 5-foot-10, Johnson has impressed scouts with his raw power and speed on the basepaths, but make no mistake about it — his ability to make hard contact consistently is what lands him here.
Why the Pirates took him here: Despite being listed at 5-foot-10, there is a good chance that Johnson will develop 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 Holliday and Jones at the No. 4 overall pick. — Mullen
5. Washington Nationals: Elijah Green, CF, IMG Academy HS (FL)
Who is Green? Two years ago, Green was garnering the most hype of any player in this draft class and drawing comparisons to a young Ronald Acuna Jr. The physical tools that had him in the early conversation as a No. 1 overall pick remain, but Green’s swing mechanics, approach and contact rate have been question marks throughout his prep career.
Why the Nationals took him here: No surprise here, even with Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada still on the board. The Nationals have a young catcher in Keibert Ruiz and Mike Rizzo always loves to gamble on the high-upside talent. In some ways, Green is similar to Brady House, last year’s No. 1 pick, as a high school player with big raw power and swing-and-miss concerns. Plus, rumor is the Nationals may need an outfielder… — Schoenfield
Who is Berry? Berry was named national freshman of the year at Arizona before following his coach Jay Johnson to LSU. A switch-hitter who has arguably the best current combination of hit/power/plate selection in this draft, Berry is a likely big league regular — though his ceiling and ultimate position remain questions.
Why the Marlins took him here: There might not be a safer player than Berry taken tonight. He’s a proven hitter at the highest levels of college baseball and his hitting ability will likely carry him to the majors as a solid everyday player — but the drawback is there aren’t any tools that scream star player here. This pick is reminiscent of when Miami selected Vanderbilt outfielder J.J. Bleday out of the SEC with the No. 4 pick in 2019.
7. Chicago Cubs: Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma
Who is Horton? A late-riser on draft boards, Cade Horton was dominant on the mound during Oklahoma’s College World Series run capped by a MCWS final record 13-strikeout outing against eventual champion Ole Miss in Omaha. Before being sidelined due to Tommy John surgery, Horton arrived at Oklahoma a local product of Norman High as one of the nation’s most heralded recruits in 2020 as a two-way star on the diamond and also as a quarterback.
14. New York Mets
Compensation picks
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
(The Dodgers’ first pick drops 10 spots, from 30 to 40, due to exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold.)
41. Boston Red Sox
(Compensation for unsigned 2021 second-round pick Jud 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
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