2022 First-Year Player Draft selections.
Round 1 (#16 overall) OF CHASE DeLAUTER AGE/DOB: 21, Oct. 8, 2001 SCHOOL: James Madison Univ. BATS/THROWS: L/L HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-4/235 Slashed .402/.520/.715 with 15 homers and 70 RBI over 66 career games in three collegiate seasons at James Madison University (VA),. The 6-5, 235-pound native of Martinsburg, West Virginia started 24 games during his 2022 redshirt sophomore campaign, batting .437 (38-for-87, 8 2B, 8HR, 35 RBI) while producing a program-record .576 on-base percentage after entering the season as a member of five different preseason All-America teams (season ended in April after 24 games due to a broken foot). He is a two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, including first team honors in 2021.
DeLauter, who compiled a career 1.37 walk-to-strikeout ratio (62 BB, 45 K) at James Madison, received the Robert A. McNeese Outstanding Pro Prospect Award following his 2021 performance in the Cape Cod League as a member of the Orleans Firebirds, batting .298 with a .986 OPS in 34 games while pacing the league in runs (27) and tying for the lead in homers (9). He becomes the first player from James Madison University to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.
MLB.com on DeLauter Comments: After hitting extremely well in abbreviated seasons in 2020 and 2021, then tying for the Cape Cod League lead in home runs last summer, DeLauter has the chance to become the first true first-rounder in the history of the school. He was well on his way to cementing that position with a .437/.576/.828 line in 24 games when he broke his foot in April sliding into second base. DeLauter could be a middle-of-the-order type of hitter. He’s put up gaudy numbers at JMU, beating up the pitching in the mid-major Colonial Athletic Conference. He has at least plus raw power and even though there’s a little drift to his lower half that causes him to be more of a front-foot hitter at times, he’s so big and strong he can still out-leverage pitching. DeLauter runs well, especially for his size, which helps him now in center field, though most see a move to a corner in the future. He’s shown a strong arm that has fired 90-92 mph fastballs as a pitcher in college, but has played more as average in the outfield, with a power profile that would fit well in right field.
Competitive Balance Round A (#37 overall) RHP JUSTIN CAMPBELL AGE/DOB: 21, Feb. 14, 2001 SCHOOL: Oklahoma State University BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-7/219 Compiled a 17-6 record with a 3.37 ERA (77ER/205.2IP) across 35 collegiate games (33 starts) over three seasons on the mound for the Cowboys, originally signing on as a two-way player. The 6-7, 219-pound right-hander earned Collegiate Baseball All-America Second Team honors for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, becoming the 12th player in program history to accomplish the feat in multiple years.
During his 2022 sophomore campaign, Campbell went 9-2 with a 3.82 ERA (43ER/101.IP) with 141 strikeouts across 17 games (16 starts), including a pair of complete games (7th-most SO in NCAA). The righty became the fourth Oklahoma State player to amass 100-or-more strikeouts twice in a collegiate career (102SO in 2021 which including a no-hitter vs. Kansas), finishing his college tenure with 265 punchouts, good for 7th-most in program history; his standout 2022 season netted him NCBWA First-Team All-American Honors…A native of Simi Valley, CA, Campbell attended Simi Valley High School and was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft before electing to attend Oklahoma State. Played for the college national Team USA in the summer of 2021.
MLB.com on Campbell Comments: An 18th-round pick by the Astros out of a California high school in 2019, Campbell opted instead to attend Oklahoma State and pull double duty as a pitcher and DH. He immediately won a spot in the weekend rotation in 2020 and was a finalist for the John Olerud Award as NCAA Division I's best two-way talent in 2021, when he threw a 99-pitch no-hitter against Kansas. More of an on-base guy than a slugger at the plate, he focused solely on pitching this season and could fit toward the end of the first round after finishing seventh in D-I with 141 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings. Hitters just don't seem to see the ball well against Campbell, who has a 6-foot-7 frame and deceptive mechanics with an unusual approach angle. His fastball sits around 92 mph and touches 97, and it features high spin rates and running action that generate a lot of harmless contact. He has a pair of solid secondary pitches that he'll use against both left-handers and right-handers: an upper-70s changeup with even more horizonal movement than his heater and a mid-70s curveball that creates a lot of empty swings and groundouts. Campbell also fiddles with a low-80s slider but primarily operates with three pitches. Extremely athletic for his size, he provides plenty of strikes and can win on days that he lacks his best stuff. He's a high-floor starter with a good probability of filling a No. 4 slot in a rotation.
Round 2 (#54 overall) LHP PARKER MESSICK AGE/DOB: 22, Oct. 26, 2000 SCHOOL: University of Florida BATS/THROWS: L/L HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-0/225 The Plant City, FL native pitched in three seasons at Florida State, turning in a 16-8 record with a 3.10 ERA over 48 collegiate games/32 starts (200.1IP, 168H, 78R-69ER, 22HR, 43BB, 289SO). The 6-0, 225-pound southpaw recorded a 3.38 ERA (37ER/98.2IP) during his 2022 redshirt sophomore season, fanning 144 batters, fifth-most in NCAA Division I, en route to being named First Team All-ACC for the second consecutive season.
In 2021, Messick became just the second player in conference history to earn both ACC Pitcher & Freshman of the Year accolades after going 8-2 with a 3.10 ERA (31ER/90.0IP) and racking up 126 strikeouts across 26 games/16 starts. In addition to finishing as a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, his performance earned him a spot on four All-American teams. Following the season, he competed with the USA Collegiate National Team during the summer months. As a freshman in 2020, Messick burst onto the scene, allowing just one earned run in 11.2 innings of work (0.77 ERA) while nabbing Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors.
MLB.com on Messick Comments: Messick pitched sparingly, but effectively, out of Florida State’s bullpen in 2020, appearing in just six games in the pandemic-shortened season. After pitching well in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, he not only earned a spot in the Seminoles’ rotation in 2021, but served as the Friday night starter, finishing with a 3.10 ERA, 12.6 strikeout per nine innings and 5.48 K/BB ratios. He capped it off by throwing well for Team USA last summer and has been effective again at the top of FSU’s rotation this spring. The six[1]foot-tall Messick fits the advanced college lefty prototype well. He has a legitimate four-pitch mix he knows how to use well, starting with a fastball that touches 95 mph, but averages around 91 mph more often than not. He has a softer curve he can fold in, but his newer slider, which is firmer and shorter, is a better breaking ball that he throws more frequently. His changeup is his best secondary offering, a low[1]80s off-speed pitch that misses bats both in and out of the strike zone and gets weak contact on the ground. Messick throws a ton of strikes with a very strong feel to pitch. He doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the world, but he does have a pretty high floor as a left[1]handed starter, giving him the chance to become the second southpaw to come out of Plant City High School to reach the big leagues, following former All-Star Kenny Rogers.
OF JOE LAMPE
AGE/DOB: 21, Dec. 5, 2000 SCHOOL: Arizona State University
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-1/185
Lampe, 21, slashed .321/.389/.537 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI across two seasons for the Sun Devils. The 6-1, 185-pound redshirt sophomore earned Perfect Game Third-Team All-American honors for the 2022 season after batting .340 (87-for-256) with 37 extra-base hits and 41 RBI. Lampe’s 17 stolen bases this season ranked 4th in the Pac-12. The outfielder spent the summer of 2021 with Bourne of the Cape Cod League, playing in 32 games for the Braves and pacing the club in walks and on-base percentage. The left-handed-hitting Lampe transferred to Arizona State from Santa Rosa College (Santa Rosa, CA) after a 2020 season in which he led the Bear Cubs to an 18-2 start (ranked No. 1 among CA Junior Colleges) by posting a .424 batting average with 15 extra-base hits and a .687 slugging percentage. Lampe hails from Petaluma, CA and attended Casa Grande High School where he recorded more walks than strikeouts in each of his prep seasons.
MLB.com on Lampe
Comments: After a solid, but unspectacular first season hitting at the bottom of the Sun Devils lineup in 2021, Lampe has opened eyes as their leadoff hitter and center fielder this spring. Lampe has the chance to be a table-setting type of player at the next level. The left-handed hitter has impressive bat-to-ball skills, rarely strikes out and knows how to get on base. There is some extra-base pop and more over-the-fence power has come this season, mostly to his pull side. He’s always been able to punish fastballs and a big reason for his improved numbers this year has been his ability to do more damage against breaking stuff than he did in 2021. A plus runner who can steal a base, Lampe has every chance to play center field long-term, named a finalist for the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove in 2021. He and fellow Draft prospect Sean McLain have hit atop the ASU lineup this year and many scouts feel Lampe will hear his name called first come Draft time.
Round 4 (#121 overall)
2B NATE FURMAN
AGE/DOB: 20, July 23, 2001 SCHOOL: University of North Carolina – Charlotte
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-8/180
The Brookhaven, PA native spent two seasons at UNC-Charlotte, compiling a .351/.482/.468 slash line with 28 extra-base hits and 47 RBI over 94 career games (85 starts) for the 49ers. In 2022, Furman was tied for the Conference USA lead in hits (86) and ranked highly on the conference’s leaderboards in a plethora of other offensive categories, including runs (2nd, 67), stolen bases (2nd, 21), walks (T2nd, 49) and batting average (3rd). Across 28 games this summer for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League, the 20-year-old has slashed .306/.387/.367 and ranks 2nd on the club in hits (30), walks (12) and on-base percentage.
Round 5 (#151 overall)
OF GUY LIPSCOMB
AGE/DOB: 21, March 11, 2001 SCHOOL: Belmont University
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2/195
Set program records in stolen bases (42) and batting average (.406) en route to Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2022, becoming the first player in Belmont history to claim the award…recorded a 1.032 OPS with 13 doubles, three triples, four homers and 42 RBI, drawing 29 walks while fanning 18 times…as a freshman in 2021, stole a team-leading 14 bases while batting .259 over 35 games (33 starts).
Round 6 (#181 overall)
RHP DYLAN DeLUCIA
AGE/DOB: 21, August 1, 2000 SCHOOL: University of Mississippi
BATS/THROWS: R/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-1/205
The New Smyrna Beach, FL native went 8-2 with a 3.68 ERA (39ER/95.1IP) across 21 games (12 starts) for the Rebels in 2022, including a pair of complete games, one shutout and one save. In the NCAA Tournament, the righty posted a perfect 3-0 record with a 1.59 ERA, amassing 38 punchouts while walking just 3, en route to a College World Series championship for Ole Miss. After not allowing a single free pass across 16.2 innings (2 starts) in Omaha, DeLucia was awarded the most Outstanding Player award at the 2022 College World Series and earned Baseball America Third Team All-America Honors for his sterling postseason performance. Prior to Ole Miss, the 21-year-old spent two seasons at Northwest Florida State College, earning First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-State accolades.
MLB.com on DeLucia
Comments: DeLucia spent the first fall of his college career at the College of Charleston before transferring to Northwest Florida State JC. After two seasons there, he moved on to Mississippi and became a legend in Oxford by winning Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series as the Rebels won their first national championship. He permitted just one run in 16 2/3 innings in Omaha, including a four-hit shutout against Arkansas that advanced Mississippi to the finals. DeLucia is a 6-foot-1 right-hander without wow stuff, but his 89-95 mph fastball plays better than its velocity thanks to his induced vertical break and command. He can flash a solid slider and possesses an average changeup. He might be more of a two-pitch reliever at the next level, and he could add some power while working shorter stints.
Round 7 (#211 overall)
RHP JAVIER SANTOS
AGE/DOB: 19, June 2, 2003 SCHOOL: Georgia Premier Academy
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-0/190
Posted a 2-4 record with a 9.28 ERA (19ER/14.1IP) with 26 strikeouts over 11 games/10 starts during his senior year…attended Georgia Premier Academy (GA), the same high school as Guardians 2019 first round selection (24th overall) Daniel Espino.
Round 8 (#241 overall)
LHP JACKSON HUMPHRIES
AGE/DOB: 17, July 20, 2004 SCHOOL: Fuquay-Varina High School (Fuquay-Varina, NC)
BATS/THROWS: R/L HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-1/200
A Campbell University-commit, the 17-year-old prep pitcher took home his conference’s Pitcher of the Year award after leading his Fuquay-Varina High School Bengals to a state title. The southpaw attended the same high school as RHP Brett Daniels, who is currently pitching for AA Akron.
MLB.com on Humphries
Comments: Humphries pitched Fuquay-Varina HS to the North Carolina 4-A state title in 2021, winning the clincher for the Bengals' second championship in three years. He raised his profile with a strong performance at the Super 60 showcase in February and looked like he could be the next in line of recent North Carolina standout prep southpaws that includes MacKenzie Gore, Blake Walston, D.J. Herz, Liam Norris and Josh Hartle. His stuff and strikes haven't been as good during his senior season, though he still could factor into the top three or four rounds. At the Super 60, Humphries worked at 93-95 mph with arm-side run on his fastball and generated high spin rates on a low-80s slider and an upper-70s curveball. This spring, he has sat at 90-93 mph with his heater on his best days and had trouble landing his breaking pitches for strikes. He also has a low-80s changeup with fade that has the potential to become a solid offering. Humphries' control and command have wavered as well this spring. He's not particularly projectable or athletic, and it remains to be seen whether he can maintain quality stuff over a long season to remain a starter. He has committed to Campbell, which has produced a pair of early-round arms in Seth Johnson and Thomas Harrington in the last four years.
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Round 9 (#271 overall)
RHP AUSTIN PETERSON
AGE/DOB: 22, Sept. 19, 1999 SCHOOL: University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT)
BATS/THROWS: R/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-6/234
In two seasons at UConn, Peterson went 18-4 with a 3.30 ERA (70ER/190.2IP) with 229 strikeouts to just 46 walks. As a team captain in 2022, the right-hander earned First Team NCBWA All-American, Second Team Collegiate Baseball All-American and Third Team ABCA All-American Honors in addition to being named the New England Pitcher of the year, following a senior campaign in which he led the Big East in conference wins (7). Overall in 2022, the Chesterton, IN native went 11-3 with a 3.83 ERA (47ER/110.1IP), while fanning a program-record 147 hitters. Prior to his tenue at UConn (2021-22), Peterson spent the shortened 2020 season at Wabash Valley College (Mount Carmel, IL), where he went 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA for the Warriors. Before that, he spent his 2019 campaign at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), pitching in 25 games and compiling a 2.20 ERA across 16.1 innings in Big 10 conference play for the Boilermakers.
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Round 10 (#301 overall)
RHP JACOB ZIBIN
AGE/DOB: 17, January 30, 2005 SCHOOL: TNXL Academy (Ocoee, FL)
BATS/THROWS: L/R HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-4/218
The Canadian-born prep hurler is a product of the Langley Blaze club team in British Columbia, the same program that has developed Major Leaguers such as Brett Lawrie and Tyler O’Neill…Zibin, a University of South Carolina commit, took home 2022 National Academies Association conference MVP honors.
MLB.com on Zibin
Comments: The Langley Blaze club team in British Columbia, Canada, has produced some serious talent, including big leaguers like Brett Lawrie and Tyler O’Neill. This year could provide another top Draft talent in Zibin, a projectable right-hander who reclassified from 2023 to be eligible for this year’s Draft and then spent a lot of time at TNXL Academy in Florida to raise his profile. Zibin has an intriguing combination of size (at 6-foot-3) and stuff. His fastball has been up to 95-96 mph at times this spring, sitting mostly around 93 mph. His best secondary pitch is actually his changeup, thrown with good sink and good arm speed -- a pitch he’s willing to throw in any count. His breaking ball, a 77-80 mph slurvy slider, can be effective, but it’s much less consistent. Zibin tends to be around the plate, though like with most young pitchers, he’ll need to refine his overall command. Because he reclassified, he’ll be young for his class, just 17 years old, something that will appeal to many teams who run things like age through their models. As a Canadian prepster, he can return to the high school ranks there for what amounts to 13th grade and be eligible again next year, and he’s committed to South Carolina in 2023.