The first round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft gets
underway Sunday in Los Angeles and runs through Tuesday. In the days
leading up to the draft, MaxPreps will look at high school players who
could be selected in the first few rounds at each position.
Elijah Green, IMG Academy
Photo: Mike Janes
One thing that has become clear as the draft draws near — Druw Jones is the top prospect in the draft. Multiple mock drafts compiled over the last month, including those by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and The Athletic's Keith Law, are nearly unanimous in picking Jones as the first player off the board. The son of longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, Druw has many of the same traits, including the necessary speed and arm strength to play center field at the Major League level. Jones also showed strong power hitting skills this spring with 13 home runs while batting .570. It will be a major shock if Jones is not selected No. 1 overall.
2. Elijah Green, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
For nearly two years, Green was tabbed as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2022, but the emergence of Jones has dropped Green down a peg in the ratings. There's no shame in that, however, as the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler tight end Eric Green still figures to be one of the first names called in Sunday's draft. Like Jones, Green has tremendous arm strength and speed and at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he's just a little bit bigger than the average MLB player. Only knock on Green might be his propensity to strike out, however his power potential more than makes up for that deficiency.
3. Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Like Jones and Green, Crawford has ties to professional sports. His father Carl was a 15-year veteran and four-time all-star. Scouts see great potential in Crawford, who is extremely athletic but is also working on developing his hitting skills. The speed is apparent as noted by his 17 doubles and eight triples this year. Crawford is too physically gifted to fall out of the first round and will likely go near the end of the first round.
4. Henry Bolte, Palo Alto (Calif.)
Bolte had a strong summer in 2021 and he continued to play well through the spring while earning All-American honors and belting 13 home runs. Blessed with speed and height (6-foot-3), Bolte figures to be capable of playing any of the three outfield positions. Scouts note that Bolte can be a streaky hitter, as noted by his four games with multiple home runs. Look for Bolte to go somewhere in the middle of the second round.
5. Roman Anthony, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
A true corner outfield prospect, Anthony has the arm to play right field and he showed big improvement in his power hitting ability this spring to put him in the middle of the batting order. Most likely a second-round pick.
