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The 2022 MLB draft began Sunday night, with teams making 80 selections over the course of the first and second rounds and several rounds of competitive balance and equalization. The Baltimore Orioles (Jackson Holliday) and Arizona Diamondbacks (Druw Jones) began picking the sons of former All-Star outfielders Matt Holliday and Andruw Jones. The Texas Rangers then shook the board by taking former Vanderbilt Righty Kumar Rocker for third overall.
The draft resumes Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET, with teams making a pick in Round 10. (The draft concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20.) You can relive the first night of the draft by watching our analysis of each first-round pick as part of our live blog coverage.
For those who prefer to look ahead instead, we will continue to update our draft tracker until each selection is announced. Additionally, we’ve highlighted five interesting players below to keep an eye on Day 2, including the last remaining member of our top 30. Note that players are listed in alphabetical order.
1. Bryce Hubbart, LHP, State of Florida
Hubbart is a short-lived leftist who is praised for both his intelligence and his passion for his craft. With such an introductory phrase, you can make an educated guess about the quality of his stuff. True, he doesn’t have a single offer that scores Plus or better on the scouting scale. However, he does have several viable courts, including a low-90 fastball that plays up due to his innate surge. Hubbart also has a track record against ACC competition, and he was arguably the best-performing pitcher in the Cape Cod League last summer. Even if he fails to think and work his way onto The Show as a back-end starter or swingman, there’s likely some hidden value to be had in having him in and around the organization.
2. Dominic Keegan, 1B/C, Vanderbilt
Keegan, a senior, was drafted 19th round by the New York Yankees last summer. He opted to return to Vanderbilt rather than turn pro and was therefore scheduled to step down from the board on Monday. Keegan has split the season between catching and playing first base, but he’s not a standout defensive player at either position. Rather, his value comes from his bat, as he hit .345/.431/.605 on 29 homers throughout his Commodores career. Keegan also had an outstanding 13-game stint in the Cape Cod League last summer, showing his swing leads to a wooden bat.
3.Carson Palmquist, LHP, Miami (FL)
In pre-season we referred to Palmquist as the “East Coast version of Cooper Hjerpe”. While Hjerpe was picked 22nd by the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, sidearm wielder Palmquist has yet to give his name. He took the Hurricanes rotation well this spring, amassing a 2.89 ERA and a 3.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Scouts remain skeptical that he’s a top-level starter, but he’s got enough stuff, control and deception to make his mark as a big-league arm in any way.
4. Brock Porter, RHP, St Mary Prep HS (MI)
We ranked Porter as the 11th best candidate in the class attending the draft based on his projectable physique, arm strength, and high grade alteration. So imagine our surprise that he stays on the board after 80 picks. Oops. Our best guess as to why Porter wasn’t selected is a combination of his signability (he signed to Clemson), his age (he turned 19 in June), and the shape of his courts: his fastball has more horizontal than vertical motion, and he needs to get his cracking balls overhaul once he turns pro. Unless Porter priced himself out of the class, we suspect he should go early on Day 2.
5. Tristan Smith, LHP, Boiling Springs HS (SC)
Smith, like Porter, is another prep arm with a commitment to Clemson. He’s got a pair of high-spin pitches in his low-90s fastball and breaking ball. Unfortunately, his lack of transition and possession of multiple mechanical tics gives him the kind of relief risk teams wanting to see him prove could have that he can start at the college level before they give him a big draft pick and a healthy signing bonus. For some reason, we think Clemson would be comfortable with that scenario should it unfold.
