MLB All-Star Game 2022: Sights, sounds from MLB Draft

The three-day 2022 MLB Draft is officially underway.

For the first time in MLB history, sons of former major-leaguers were taken with the top two picks, as the Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday (No. 1) and the Arizona Diamondbacks took Druw Jones (No. 2).

Nearly 600 players will be selected in total, with the first 80 picks taking place Sunday, followed by Rounds 3-10 on Monday and concluding with Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the lone team without a first-round selection; they hold the first pick of the second round at No. 40 overall.

This year’s draft comes after baseball’s youngest stars showed out in Saturday’s MLB All-Star Futures Game.

Here are the highlights from the 2022 MLB Draft:

1. Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday, SS, HS SR, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds

The Orioles selected Oklahoma-based Stillwater High School shortstop Jackson Holliday, son of seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Matt Holliday, with the first overall pick in this year’s draft.

The 18-year-old broke the national high school record for hits in a season with 89 in 41 games while batting .685/.749/1.392. He stole 30 bases, hit 17 home runs and logged 79 RBIs.

Holliday joins Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as the only sons of former major-leaguers selected No. 1 overall.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Druw Jones, OF, HS SR, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds

The Diamondbacks drafted Georgia high school outfielder Druw Jones, son of 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones, with the No. 2 overall pick.

The Wesleyan High School senior, who was No. 1 on MLB’s Top 250 Draft Prospects list heading into Sunday, was slated to play college baseball at Vanderbilt prior to be chosen in this year’s draft.

3. Texas Rangers: Kumar Rocker, P, 4YR JR, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds

With the third overall pick, the Rangers selected right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker, No. 38 on the MLB Top 250 Draft Prospects list. The 22-year-old lands in Texas after going unsigned by the New York Mets as the No. 10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.

He had shoulder surgery on his pitching arm in September 2021 before making five starts this summer for Tri-City (New York) of the independent Frontier League in lieu of returning to Vanderbilt. Rocker will join his former college teammate Jack Leiter in the Rangers organization.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Termarr Johnson, 2B, HS SR, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds

It’s Termarr Time in Pittsburgh! The Pirates picked up the Georgia prep infielder and former Arizona State recruit with the fourth overall pick.

“I think the Pittsburgh Pirates got the best player in the draft,” Johnson said afterward.

5. Washington Nationals: Elijah Green, OF, HS SR, 6-foot-3, 225 pounds

The Nationals selected IMG Academy’s Elijah Green, an 18-year-old elite-level runner and the son of former NFL Pro Bowler Eric Green, with the fifth overall pick.

6. Miami Marlins: Jacob Berry, 3B, 4YR SO, 6-foot-0, 212 pounds

The Marlins selected LSU third baseman and outfielder Jacob Berry at No. 6 overall. Berry played his freshman season at Arizona, where he earned 2021 National Freshman of the Year recognition while batting .352/.439/.676 with 54 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs and 70 RBIs.

The 21-year-old switch-hitter spent most of his LSU season as a designated hitter and played just nine of his 63 games at third base, which was his primary position with the Tigers.

7. Chicago Cubs: Cade Horton, P, 4YR SO, 6-foot-1, 211 pounds

The Cubs selected Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Cade Horton, who checked in at No. 24 on the MLB Top 250 Draft Prospects list, with the seventh overall pick. Horton showed out for the Sooners at this year’s College World Series.

8. Minnesota Twins: Brooks Lee, SS, 4YR JR, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds

The Twins picked up Cal Poly shortstop Brooks Lee with the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft. After missing nearly the entire shortened 2020 season following knee and hamstring surgery, Lee came back in 2021 to earn co-Big West Player of the Year honors by hitting .342/384/.626.

9. Kansas City Royals: Gavin Cross, OF, 4YR JR, 6-foot-3, 210 pounds

The Royals selected Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross with the No. 9 pick. Cross led a stacked 2021 U.S. Collegiate National Team roster in batting average (.467) and tied for the team lead with four homers, 12 RBIs and three stolen bases.

He was instrumental in leading the Hokies to their first NCAA Super Regional appearance. This season, Cross hit .328/.411/.660 with 17 homers and 50 RBIs. What’s more, he was perfect (12-for-12) on stolen base attempts.

Royals president Dayton Moore’s son, Robert, is also a member of this draft class.

10. Colorado Rockies: Gabriel Hughes, P, 4YR JR, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds

The Rockies selected Gonzaga right-hander Gabriel Hughes to round out the top 10 picks. He is the highest-drafted player in Gonzaga history and the first pitcher drafted in the first round by Colorado since 2018 (Ryan Rolison).

The 20-year-old Anchorage, Alaska, native just completed his third season with the Bulldogs, posting an 8-3 record with a 3.21 ERA while collecting 138 strikeouts in 98 innings.

A family affair

The Philadelphia Phillies picked up Bishop Gorman High School outfielder Justin Crawford at No. 17. He is the son of four-time MLB All-Star, Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award winner Carl Crawford.

At No. 18, the Cincinnati Reds selected Cam Collier, whose father, Lou Collier, played seven years in the major leagues. He checks in as the youngest player selected in the first round at just shy of 17 years, 8 months old.

Numbers game

Of the 32 first-round picks, 14 players (43.75%) came straight from high school or prep school, and 18 (56.25%) were drafted out of college. Of those 18 college draft picks, five came from SEC schools, followed by the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Sun Belt with two selections each.