2022 MLB Draft Report: Top 150 Prospects

We are heading down the final stretch just days away from starting the MLB Draft on Sunday. Gossip and rumors will continue to swirl right up to when the Baltimore Orioles make their first pick selection. It’s quite the time for Baltimore. They are one of MLB’s hottest teams, thrusting themselves back .500, and will add another premium prospect to their already loaded farm system. 

As our intended goal covering this year’s MLB Draft class since mid-February, we at Sox Machine and FutureSox want to provide as much information as possible on who the White Sox could be selecting this year. It’s not an easy task when the team is making their first selection at Pick 26 and requires casting a wide net of possibilities. 

For our Patreon supporters, you can access the 2022 MLB Draft Database. You will have the Top 150 MLB Draft Prospect Rankings, where each prospect ranks within MLB/Baseball America/ESPN/The Athletic lists, and links to film, too. 

Here’s a breakdown of this year’s Top 150 Draft Prospects by position group.

Top 5 College Hitters

Brooks Lee very well could be the #1 overall pick as Baltimore looks to send additional bonus money to their #33 pick. Lee hit .357/.462/.664 with a 16% BB-rate and just a 9.8% K-rate. Georgia Tech is known as Catchers U. and they produced another great prospect in Kevin Parada who bashed 26 home runs in 2022. 

15 college hitters are ranked within our first 32 prospects. It’s expected to be a heavy hitter first round.

Top 5 College Pitchers

Jim Callis calls this year’s College Pitchers class one of the weirdest he’s seen. There’s the talent to dream on and good pitches that could develop into great ones, but health is a significant issue. Connor Prielipp was considered a preseason Top 10 before needing Tommy John surgery. He’s thrown a bullpen session for scouts before the SEC tournament in May, but his four-seamer was 92 mph, a far drop off from the 97 mph seen last year. 

Carson Whisenhunt missed the NCAA season due to a suspension, so that’s a red flag. His numbers in the Cape Cod league are so-so after four starts, but scouts are still buyers into his plus-changeup. 

For White Sox fans, this is the position group to pay most attention to if the rumors become true. There was a contingent of White Sox personnel watching the Knoxville Regional during NCAA Postseason, where they saw Tennessee’s Blade Tidwell and Campbell’s Thomas Harrington. 

Top 5 Prep Hitters

Even though Cam Collier played Junior College and the Cape Cod League, he’s just 17 years old. He joins an awe-inspiring group of prep hitters who are the crown jewel of this year’s draft class. Druw Jones and Jackson Holliday have famous MLB dads (Andruw Jones and Matt Holliday); Elijah Green is the son of Eric Green, who was a former NFL Tight End. Termarr Johnson doesn’t have the past bloodlines as his counterparts, but he has one of the most impressive swings and plate approaches. 

The expectation is that all five of these prep hitters will be selected within the first eight picks. 

Top 5 Prep Pitchers

Dylan Lesko at one time was considered a potential Top 5 pick, but he would get injured during the season that required Tommy John surgery. Most people still believe he will be taken in the first round and sign a significant bonus to buy out his commitment to Vanderbilt. However, if Lesko slips past pick 15 (San Diego), all eyes will be on the comp-round picks to see if a team has agreed to a big over-slot bonus. If Lesko doesn’t go in the Top 35 of picks, he could be heading to Vanderbilt. It’s one of the big storylines to follow on draft day. 

One of this year’s fast risers is Robby Snelling. At one point, considered a two-sport athlete playing football and baseball at the University of Arizona, Snelling changed his mind to follow Jay Johnson and commit to LSU. At 6’3”, 220 lbs, Snelling has the prototypical body frame scouts covet and believe he has the chance to improve his velocity over time. The White Sox haven’t selected a prep pitcher in the first round since Kris Honel in 2001, and Gio Gonzalez supplement first round in 2004. Snelling could break that streak. 

Top 150 Rankings

Methodology: This list is a combined average ranking from MLB.com, Baseball America, ESPN, and The Athletic.