2022 MLB Draft: Top 100 High School Prospects

With the National High School Invitational (NHSI) beginning April 6, it is the perfect time to roll out high school ranks, especially since eight players who will see the field in Cary, North Carolina are in this top 100, with numerous more had the field been expanded. 

Much like the college ranks, the top of the board is all bats, with the first tier only bats, and the arms factoring in a little further down. Unlike the college ranks which have seen incredibly limited innings among the top arms due to injuries or suspensions, the arms in the prep ranks are creeping up the board some. 

Prospects1500 Tiers:
Tier 1: Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for a number of years
Tier 2: Players with an above-average expectation of making the majors and being a solid
contributor
Tier 3: Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 4: Players who have the potential of making the majors, or have a high likelihood of making the majors but providing minimal impact (e.g. middle reliever, low-ceiling UT guys)
Tier 5: Players of interest, worth keeping an eye on, who have an outside chance of making their team’s 40-man roster

Tier 1

1 – Druw Jones – OF – Wesleyan (GA)
2 – Termarr Johnson – 2B – Mays (GA)
3 – Elijah Green – OF – IMG Academy (FL)

By all accounts, these are the top three players not just from the prep ranks, but in the 2022 draft. Jones is the sone of Andruw Jones, the all-world defender, and the defensive skills have been passed down. Jones may be the best defender in the draft at any position, to go along with plenty of power. He has the best chance to be a genuine five-tool star. Johnson will likely move off short to second base at the pro level, which is why he is ranked two and not one. A smooth left handed swing, he might have the best approach and bat-to-ball tool in the draft. Green is also a son of a former pro, NFL TE Eric Green, and has plus power. He can absolutely fly despite being a larger outfielder and has a cannon of an arm. The bat tool is the lone concern, as there is plenty of swing-and-miss in the bat. 

Tier 2

4 – Dylan Lesko – RHP – Buford (GA)
5 – Brandon Barriera – LHP – American Heritage (FL)
6 – Brock Porter – RHP – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI)
7 – Jackson Ferris – LHP – IMG Academy (FL)
8 – Ian “JR” Ritchie – RHP – Bainbridge (WA)
9 – CoTristan Smith – LHP – Boiling Springs (SC)
11 – Noah Schultz – LHP – Oswego East (IL)
12 – Malcolm Moore – C – McClatchy (CA)
13 – Jackson Holliday – SS – Stillwater (OK)
14 – Justin Crawford – OF – Bishop Gorman (NV)
15 – Sal Stewart – 3B – Westminster Christian (FL)
16 – Tucker Toman – 3B – Hammond (SC)
17 – Mikey Romero – SS – Orange Lutheran (CA)
18 – Gavin Kilen – SS – Milton (WI)
19 – Ryan Clifford – OF – Pro5 Academy (NC)
20 – Andrew Dutkanych IV – RHP – Brebeuf (IN)
21 – Jared Jones – C – Walton (GA)
22 – Brady Neal – C – IMG Academy (FL)
23 – Jayson Jones  – SS – Braswell (TX)

Lesko and Barriera are very close to cracking Tier 1 and Lesko has a real opportunity to jump up with a good showing at the NHSI. Barriera is a polished lefty who has a higher floor than most prep arms. The back end of this tier is loaded with guys who have massive floor-ceiling gaps. Toman is a quality HS pitcher but is a position player only at the next level but has no real position as his fielding and range are quite limited, but the arm is too good to stick at 1B. Romero and Dutkanych could easily be argued in the top ten but could also be argued to be in Tier 3. There are almost two tiers within the tier, as 4-11 are firmly in Tier 2, 12-23 are too good to fall to tier three, but are clearly behind the top 11.

Tier 3

24 – Paxton Kling – OF – Central (PA)
25 – Nazier Mule – RHP/SS – Passaic Tech (NJ)
26 – Chase Shores – RHP – Midland Lee (TX)
27 – Jett Williams – SS – Rockwall-Heath (TX)
28 – Walter Ford – RHP – Pace (FL)
29 – Jacob Miller – RHP – Liberty Union (OH)
30 – Gavin Guidry – SS – Barbe (LA)
31 – Roman Anthony – OF – Stoneman Douglass (FL)
32 – Hayden Murphy – RHP – Tiftarea (GA)
33 – Caden Dana – RHP – Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
34 – Gavin Turley – OF – Hamilton (AZ)
35 – Jaden Noot – RHP – Sierra Canyon (CA)
36 – Cutter Coffey – RHP/SS – Liberty (CA)
37 – Jackson Cox – RHP – Toutle Lake (CA)
38 – Nolan Schubart – OF – St. Mary’s Prep (MI)
39 – Michael Kennedy – LHP – Troy (NY)
40 – Reginald “RJ” Austin – SS – Pace Academy (GA)
41 – Austin Henry – RHP – Dell Rapids (SD)
42 – Adonys Guzmon – C – Brunswick (CT)
43 – Riley Stanford – OF – Buford (GA)
44 – Owen Murphy – RHP/3B – Riverside-Brookfield (IL)
45 – Mason Neville – OF – Palo Verde (NV)
46 – Eli Jerzembeck – RHP – Providence (NC)
47 – Luke Heyman – C – Lake Brantley (FL)
48 – Austin Charles – SS/OF/RHP – Stockdale (CA)
49 – Christopher Paciolla – SS – Temecula Valley (CA)
50 – JeanPierre Ortiz – SS – Carlos Beltran Academy (PR)
51 – Tyler Gough – RHP – Heritage (CA)
52 – Nick Dugan – RHP – St. Bernard’s (CA)
53 – Dakota Jordan – OF – Jackson Academy (MI)
54 – Jalin Flores – SS – Brandeis (TX)
55 – Jace LaViolette – OF – Tompkins (TX)
56 – Jacom Reimer – 3B – Yucaipa (CA)

Multiple two-way guys in this group, although few think Owen Murphy is all that likely to stick in the field at the next level, Notre Dame appears happy to do so, which may lead to some signing concerns. Another player with signing concerns is Dakota Jackson, as he is committed to playing both baseball and football at Mississippi State. Two arms from unlikely locations also make this list with Michael Kennedy from upstate-New York, and Austin Henry, a rare South Dakota prospect. Henry comes from a high slot and his fastball sits lower-90s, but has a curveball that has one of the highest spin rates of any prep prospect since spin rates became a thing and he is the type of guy a few organizations will absolutely fall in love with. 

Tier 4

57 – Ike Irish – C – St. Mary’s Prep (MI)
58 – Emaarion Boyd – OF – South Panola (MS)
59 – Pierce George – RHP – Lake Travis (TX)
60 – Xavier Isaac – 1B – East Forsyth (NC)
61 – Julius Sanchez – RHP – LaSalle Peru (IL)
62 – Korbyn Dickerson – OF – Trinity (KY)
63 – Javier Santos Tejada – RHP – Georgia Premier Academy (GA)
64 – Tommy Specht – OF – Wahlert Catholic (IA)
65 – Cole Phillips – RHP – Boerne (TX)
66 – Henry Bolte – OF – Palo Alto (CA)
67 – Jurrangelo Cjintje – BHP – Chanpagnat (FL)
68 – Anthony Silva – SS – Clark (TX)
69 – AJ Shepard – C – Patriot (VA)
70 – David Horn – RHP – Jserra (CA)
71 – Dominic Hellman – SS – Jackson (WA)
72 – Jason Torres – OF – Lehigh Senior (FL)
73 – Levi Huesman – LHP – Hanover (VA)
74 – Jake Clemente – RHP – Marjory Stoneman Douglas (FL)
75 – Michael Gupton – OF – Rolesville (NC)
76 – Ethan Petry – 3B – Cypress Creek (FL)
77 – Eli Serrano – OF – Pro5 Academy (NC)
78 – Maximus Martin – SS – Moorestown (NJ)
79 – – INF/OF – Palm Beach Central (FL)
80 – Caden Marcum – RHP – Paola (KS)
81 – Conner Weigman – SS – Bridgeland (TX)
82 – Colby Shelton – SS – Bloomingdale (FL)
83 – Grayson Saunier – RHP – Collierville (TN)
84 – Kassius Thomas – RHP – Sierra Canyon (CA)
85 – Griffin Stieg – OF – McLean (VA)
86 – Easton Swofford – SS – South Side Bee Branch (AR)
87 – Tucker Biven – SS – New Albany (IN)
88 – Payton Brennan – OF – Rocklin (CA)
89 – Elgin Bennett – OF – Woodward Academy (GA)
90 – Andrew Healy – LHP – William Penn Charter (PA)
91 – Jackson Humphries – LHP – Fuquay-Varina (NC)
92 – Chris Stanfield – OF – Lawton Chiles (FL)
93 – Zachary Showalter – RHP – Wesley Chapel (FL)
94 – Jack O’Connor – RHP – Bishop O’Connell (VA)
95 – Ross Highfill – C – Madison Central (MS)
96 – Oliver Santos – LHP – Mater Dei (CA)
97 – Joe Allen – RHP – Winnacunnett (NH)
98 – Ashton Izzi – RHP – Oswego East (IL)
99 –  Kyle McCoy – LHP – Hunterdon Central (NJ)
100 – Brooks Brannon – C – Randleman (NC)

There will be a good number of players in this grouping that find themselves on college campuses in the Fall, but there are also some that will rise in the next three-plus months before the MLB Draft. Some names to keep an eye on as potential risers are Tommy Specht as he is a long and lean player at the moment with a line drive swing, but more weight could lead to some impressive power projections. There might not be anyone in the draft faster than Elgin Bennett, and then there is Cameron Smith, who you could play any of six positions between the three OF spots, 2B, 3B, or SS. There is also a player from the Pat Venditte category, Jurrangelo Cijntje who is the rare BHP. He has been clocked up to 96 MPH as an RHP and is flirting with 90 MPH as an LHP. 

Shaun Kernahan is the MLB Draft correspondent for Prospects1500. When not at a game, chances are the TV and/or tablet has a game on and he has a notepad out taking notes. When not scouting draft prospects, he is the Director of Baseball Operations for the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League, a collegiate wood bat league in Colorado. Shaun can be found on Twitter at @ShaunKernahan.




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