Here is the latest Top 200 prospects from Prospects Live: https://www.prospect...p-200-prospects
This Top 200 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed…
- *This college crop of hitters is good. Really good. And deep.
- *The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory.
- *While college pitching isn’t particularly top-heavy, there looks to be some pretty good value plays in the second and third round region this year. There’s some really big fastballs available in the Top 100 or so picks.
1. Chase DeLauterOutfield, James Madison
DeLauter is a physical specimen. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, the product of Martinsburg, West Virginia can really bang at the plate. He burst onto the scene in 2021, slashing .386/.508/.723 with 6 homers and 7 stolen bases in just 26 games. He worked 25 walks and punched out just 14 times. DeLauter has showcased his talents in the Cape Cod League as well, surging confidence in his abilities with big league scouts. Believers see an above average-to-plus hitter with easy plus, potentially plus-plus raw power. He has a disciplined eye at the plate that should translate to pro ball well. In the field, it’s at least a plus-plus arm in a corner with rangy speed and sound fundamentals. DeLauter clocked a 6.4 second 60 at James Madison's pro day, so he's every bit that of a plus runner as well. James Madison hasn’t produced a first round pick since 2007. All signs point toward that changing in 2022.
2. Druw Jones
Outfield, Wesleyan HS
Jones has some of the most explosive athletic ability in the 2022 class and the namesake to draw in fans. The bat-to-ball skills here are impressive. Primarily an opposite field slasher to date, Jones went through a swing change recently and is now generating more power and producing more pull-side pop. He’s really engaging his lower half well and driving the ball with authority. At 6-foot-3, Jones has a prototype frame that should stick in centerfield thanks to top-of-the-scale speed and impressive on-field instincts. He produces big barrel velocity with violent hands and an aggressive, whippy swing plane. He gets fantastic extension at the plate as well. Jones may end up a plus-plus defender in centerfield with terrific speed and a plus arm to go along with it. He’s a high-level defensive prospect with a budding bat that may end up matching his elite chops in the field. Some scouts have envisioned a potential shortstop here too. The entire package is incredibly advanced.
3. Brooks Lee
Shortstop, Cal Poly
A name many expected to hear called in the 2019 MLB Draft, Lee decided to forego MLB to play for his dad at Cal Poly. Listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Lee is an extremely physical, barrel-chested shortstop with a significant strength throughout his frame. Big for the position, Lee carries his size extremely well on the dirt where his fluidity on the dirt and huge arm really standout on defense. He receives high marks for his instincts and leadership on the field, captaining the defense in-between plays. A switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, Lee showcases a big bat with a plus hit tool and thump. Extremely quick hands. It’s plus raw power that he’s getting into, spraying missiles to all fields. Scouts believe there’s significant power coming. Lee may eventually have to shift to third base, though his toolset fits the position nicely. He’s a fringy runner, but his athleticism more than makes up for any foot speed he may lack.
4. Elijah Green
Outfield, IMG Academy
One of the most exciting players in the country, Green is a do-it-all, powder-keg package of explosivity and bottled energy on the baseball diamond. Already 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he’s a physical specimen built different than his colleagues. Simply put, there’s not much Green cannot do. Some evaluators believe he could be a plus hitter with plus-plus raw power, and he’s already tapping into that juice in-game. He’s currently at least a 70-runner with a 70-arm as well. There's some swing and miss in his game, so that’ll be the one thing scouts are keeping an eye on this spring. There aren’t too many warts in his game. Green is a very special talent and teams will covet his services in the draft.
5. Daniel Susac
Catcher, Arizona
A big, tall, switch-hitting catcher, Susac immediately brings back visions of Matt Wieters at Georgia Tech. Susac has a very good arm behind the plate, and more explosiveness and lateral mobility than most catchers his size do. But this guy will make his money with the bat. A potential plus hitter with plus power, Susac projects a middle-of-the-order impact bat, a run producer and an impact player up the middle of the field. Susac's batted-ball data surpasses that of Henry Davis from 2021. The kid can bang.
6. Dylan Lesko
Right-Handed Pitcher, Buford HS
Everything comes awfully easy to Lesko on the mound. He’s considered one of the more polished arms in the class featuring an easy, fluid delivery with a four-pitch mix. Lesko’s mechanics are simple and repeatable. It’s effortless velocity without the violence or headwhack that can derail a young pitcher’s career down the road. Lesko really gets into his lower half and shows exquisite efficiency down the bump. It’s a high three-quarters delivery. The heater has been up to 99, but more comfortably sits 93-96 most nights. Changeup is his best secondary, thrown with plenty of intent featuring fading action into the back foot ofmrighties and darting away from lefties. He has a slider and a curveball, both of which flash plus with big spin rates and advanced command. He has very good command of all four pitches and is more than willing to sequence backwards. Some believe Lesko represents the best prep pitching prospect the MLB Draft has seen since Hunter Greene or MacKenzie Gore.
7. Termarr Johnson
Second Base, Mays High School
Despite his size, Johnson has some of the best bat speed in the entire class. He has a chance to be a really special hitter when all is said and done. He's a thunderous hitter with quick, explosive actions at the plate. It's comfortably plus raw power, and he's getting into it in-game already. Johnson covers the zone extremely well and uses the whole field, displaying big opposite-field juice when he lets the ball travel. He's already a muscled up, thick middle infielder, so his ultimate home on the dirt will likely be dictated by what direction his body goes as he works his way up the developmental ladder. Currently a shortstop, Johnson probably figures to end up at second base or third base long-term. This is an elite-level bat.
8. Carter Young
Shortstop, Vanderbilt
Bit of a do-it-all player in his prep days, Young has played catcher and middle infield over the course of his young career. Young started every game at shortstop for Vandy where he'd hit .328 in a shortened season in 2020. Young is revered for his actions on the dirt where he's comfortably an above average defender, though most believe his athleticism and twitch suggest a plus defender at the next level. The throwing arm also comfortably grades out above average, aided by his experience behind the plate as a prep. A switch-hitter, he’s beginning to tap into some power at the plate, especially from left side. Young was a little banged up toward the latter half of the 2021 season. Fully healthy again in 2022, he figures to be one of the more complete hitters in the SEC. Young fills up a scouting report and some liken his future pedigree to former VandyBoy and no. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson.
9. Jace Jung
Second Base, Texas Tech
Jace, the younger brother to 2018 first round pick Josh Jung, can flat out mash. A power-oriented corner infielder, Jung hit almost .500 as a senior in high school before stepping in and starting immediately for the Red Raiders. He hit 4 home runs in 16 starts for Texas Tech in 2020 and pumped out 21 more as a true sophomore in 2021. His .337 average was among the best in the Big 12. At 6-foot, 205 pounds, Jung is a thick, super strong middle infielder with serious thump at the plate. He draws a ton of walks and limits his strikeouts to healthy levels. A second baseman now, Jung could probably move to third base at the next level. He’s got an average arm and fringy lateral mobility, but he’s quick enough on his feet where scouts think he may be able to handle the hot corner. That said, we’re certainly talking about a bat-first prospect who could eventually end up a plus-plus hitter with plus juice.
10. Jacob Berry
Third Base, LSU
Simply put, one of the best hitters in the 2022 class. A year removed from anchoring the Arizona Wildcats lineup, Berry transferred to LSU to follow Jay Johnson. Berry was not only arguably the best freshman in college baseball in 2021, you could make the argument he was one of the best players in the country regardless of age. He's a potential plus hitter with plus power. His optimized swing is allowing the power to play immediately. He's a physical, imposing specimin with power to all fields and enough speed to be given some credit on the basepaths. He's likely a third baseman at the next level, though some believe he'll have to shift to first base. Scouts want to see the swing and miss tick down a few points, but it's nothing terribly alarming at this stage.
