Top 2022 High School MLB Draft Prospects

Notes:

Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 175 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: -
Age At Draft: 18.1

Johnson is the best pure hitter in the 2022 prep class and is one of the more advanced overall hitters we’ve seen from the high school class in recent years. He pairs electric bat speed and real power from the left side with outstanding zone and pitch recognition, an ability to adjust within at-bats and use the entire field. He’s a unique profile as a No. 1 player in the class as a 5-foot-10, 175-pound likely second baseman, but he has the tools that matter and has excelled this summer, routinely looking like the best player on the field. Johnson is currently uncommitted.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Miami
Age At Draft: 18.6

Green has professional bloodlines—his father Eric played in the NFL for 10 years—and is one of the more physical prep hitters scouts have seen with a muscular, 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame. He has impressive power, speed and defensive tools in center field and a track record of hitting as an underclassman. While Green has a sound approach at the plate, there is some swing and miss in his game—but his upside is significant. Green is committed to Miami.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.9

Lesko has long been regarded as the top pitcher in the class and his performance during travel ball and with Buford High is eye-popping. He won Gatorade’s National Player of the Year honors as an underclassman—an extremely rare accomplishment—and has three potential plus pitches with a mid-90s fastball, high-spin breaking ball and a bugs bunny changeup that might be his best present pitch. Lesko is committed to Vanderbilt.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.6

The son of one of the best defensive center fielders the game has seen, Andruw Jones, Druw is a standout prospect in his own right who has plus-plus potential as a defender in center field. He’s not as physically developed as Green or Johnson, but with a lean 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame scouts expect his already impressive tools to jump once he adds more strength. He shows feel for the barrel and shoots balls into the gaps and has turned in plus run times out of the box and has an overall ease to the game that should be unsurprising considering his father. Jones is a Vanderbilt commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Clemson
Age At Draft: 19.1

Porter impressed scouts this summer with his combination of size, velocity, command and overall feel for impactful secondary offerings. He’s solidly among the elite arms of the class and has run his fastball up to 97 mph, shown two different breaking balls and throws an upper-70s changeup with significant velocity separation from his fastball and extreme tumble that opposing hitters haven’t figured out what to do with. Porter is a Clemson commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Mississippi
Age At Draft: 18.5

Originally a product of Mount Airy High in North Carolina, Ferris will follow an established pipeline to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this spring where he’ll be seen constantly and face better competition. A 6-foot-4, 190-pound lefthander, Ferris has been up to 97 from the left side and racks up whiffs with his fastball and he also has feel for a curveball and a changeup. There’s a bit of funk in his operation, but he throws with ease and might have some of the better overall command in the class. Ferris is committed to Mississippi.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.4

Barriera has a smaller and compact, 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame, but he throws with electric arm speed and has shown a solid three-pitch mix this summer with feel for strikes. He’s been up to 96 from the left side and throws a low-80s slider with tilt as well as a mid-80s changeup that he throws with quick, fastball arm speed. Barriera is highly competitive and committed to Vanderbilt.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Arkansas
Age At Draft: 18.9

Jones has one of the more explosive swings in the class, with bat speed, natural strength and impressive rotation and torque that translate to plus raw power and impact potential. Jones is physical and looks like a corner infielder who will need to work to stick at third base but could have the hitting ability and power to be a middle-of-the-order masher. His 105 mph exit velocity at PG National was tied for the best mark of the event and he’s shown a solid eye and a willingness to take walks in games, though he does have some swing and miss. Jones is committed to Arkansas.

Notes:

Ht: 6-9 | Wt: 220 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.9

Schultz is one of the taller players in the 2022 class, listed at 6-foot-9 and he throws from a low, three-quarter or sidearm slot that adds plenty of deception when paired with that height. On top of his size, Schultz has a high-spin profile with his low-90s heater and slurvy, mid-70s breaking ball—both of which he shows impressive feel to land for strikes. He’s also thrown a 78-80 mph changeup but currently has less feel for the pitch than his fastball/breaking ball combo. Schultz is committed to Vanderbilt.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-L
Commit/Drafted: Clemson
Age At Draft: 19.1

A 6-foot-2, 200-pound lefthander, Smith has an electric two-pitch mix between a fastball that gets into the mid 90s and a sharp, biting two-plane breaking ball in the 79-81 mph range. Smith has gotten plenty of whiffs with his fastball this summer and his breaking ball freezes lefthanded hitters and righthanded hitters alike, but some scouts wonder about how consistently he’ll be able to throw strikes. When he’s in the zone he is overpowering, but he does have a history of erratic control. Smith is committed to Clemson.

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 180 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Duke
Age At Draft: 19.0

Young is one of the better pure hitters in the prep class and brings a smooth, lefthanded swing to the table, while providing steady defense up the middle. He is committed to Duke.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Louisville
Age At Draft: 17.6

Originally a member of the 2023 class, Collier reclassified and will now be eligible in 2022, where he’ll be one of the youngest players in the group after only turning 17 in November. Collier is the son of former big leaguer Lou Collier and has an advanced lefthanded swing with an all-fields approach, power and plenty of arm strength at third. He is a Louisville commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 160 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Louisville
Age At Draft: 18.9

Miller has a fastball in the low 90s but showed impressive feel for a breaking ball in the 78-84 mph range at Perfect Game National. The pitch has spin rates in the 2300-2600 rpm range and flashed impressive downward bite that locked up hitters, and later in the summer he showed a mid-80s changeup with solid fading life as well. Miller is committed to Louisville.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Stanford
Age At Draft: 19.0

It might be a bit of a down year for high school catchers, but Moore established himself as one of the more impressive backstops in the group this summer, with an Area Code Games performance that showcased impressive barrel ability and impact. Stanford commits are typically tough to sign out of school, but Moore has to be considered one of the better offensive catchers in the prep class with a powerful lefthanded swing.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 185 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: UCLA
Age At Draft: 19.1

One of the top arms in the Northwest, Ritchie is listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and has a solid three-pitch mix with a fastball that’s been up to 95 mph, a slider in the low 80s and a changeup in a similar velocity range. Ritchie has a fast arm and is committed to UCLA.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 19.0

Dutkanych dominated in his two-inning outing at Perfect Game National, striking out all six hitters he faced, while running his fastball up to 95 mph and flashing two impressive breaking balls. One is a mid-80s slider with tilt and late break and the other is a mid-70s curveball with more top-to-bottom shape that he threw with depth and landed for strikes. He is committed to Vanderbilt.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Miami
Age At Draft: 17.7

Mule is one of the youngest players in the 2022 class and doesn’t turn 17 until October. He’s a legitimate two-way player, though he needs more refinement on both sides of the ball. He has some of the best pure arm strength in the class, touched 98 mph multiple times this summer and hit 99 mph in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He's also flashed two solid secondaries in a slider and changeup. Offensively there’s a lot of swing and miss and questionable pitch recognition, but he does have raw power in the tank and impressive defensive actions on the left side of the infield. Mule is a Miami commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.6

Stewart seems to be making a case as one of the premium bats of the 2022 high school group, with impressive track record of performance and big-time raw power out of a bigger, 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. He might wind up being a first base only type as a defender, so he’ll have to mash, but there’s some confidence in the industry that he will do just that. Stewart is committed to Vanderbilt.

Notes:

Ht: 6-8 | Wt: 240 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Oklahoma State
Age At Draft: 18.2

Shores is a massive, 6-foot-8, 240-pound righthander out of Texas who turned heads this summer thanks to his size and stuff. He touched 97 mph at Perfect Game’s National showcase and the pitch has impressive life and riding action on top of its velocity, and he paired it with a breaking ball with depth and sharp bite, as well as a mid-80s changeup that he threw with solid deception.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 185 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Auburn
Age At Draft: 18.9

Murphy has a 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame that should add strength in the future and has shown a solid three-pitch mix this summer. His fastball has been up to 93-94 mph with tailing life and he’s shown good feel for a low-80s changeup and also spun a solid slider with some late biting action. He is committed to Auburn.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 180 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Oklahoma State
Age At Draft: 18.6

The son of former big leaguer Matt Holliday, Jackson is a toolsy, lefthanded-hitting shortstop who has added strength this summer and consequently looked like a hitter trying to hit for more power. Scouts with history think he has a real hit tool, but at times this summer he’s swung and missed a decent bit while taking big hacks and trying to do damage. He should have above-average power, especially as he continues to fill out a 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Holliday is an Oklahoma State commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-5 | Wt: 230 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State
Age At Draft: 19.0

Jones is one of the most physical hitters in the 2022 class and is already listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. He has huge power potential and big arm strength that could be an asset if he’s able to stick behind the plate, but there aren’t many catchers of his size at the big league level at the moment—though that may change whenever robo umps become the norm and receiving isn’t the primary skill targeted by big league clubs. Jones is committed to Louisiana State.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Georgia Tech
Age At Draft: 19.5

Stanford is a big and physical righthander and outfielder who attends the same Buford High School as Dylan Lesko. On the mound, Stanford has significant effort and is scattered but touched 97 mph at East Coast Pro and overpowered hitters with the pitch. His slider plays up because of his present velocity. Scouts think he’s a legitimate two-way prospect and he has real power but will need to stay on top of a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame in order to play a position regularly. He reminds some of Austin Riley at the same time and is committed to Georgia Tech.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: -
Age At Draft: 19.1

Kling is a lean, 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder who has speed, arm strength and impressive feel for the barrel. Scouts think he can handle center field and were impressed with his ability to drive the ball at Area Codes. There’s some hand movement and bat waggle in his load that might be of some concern mechanically, but he’s shown impressive timing and feel to make his setup work in-game, with twitchy hands and power to the pull side. Kling is currently uncommitted.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Oregon State
Age At Draft: 18.7

Turley is among the toolsiest players in the 2022 class. He’s turned in double-plus run times in the 60-yard dash, produced the third-best exit velocity (103 mph) in workouts at Perfect Game’s National showcase and put on a show in batting practice at Area Code Games, with a no-doubt homer to left in-game for good measure. He showed impressive bat speed and extension, with easy plus power now. His home run at Area Codes was against an 89 mph and came off his bat at 104 mph, with an estimated 429-foot distance. Turley’s upside is loud given his tool set but the conviction scouts have in his hit tool is the big question currently. He is committed to Oregon State.