Patience is a virtue for the overwhelming majority of Major League Baseball draftees. For players coming out of college and especially those coming out of high school, the journey through the minors to the majors often takes years.
But since it isn't unheard of for certain players to move quickly, let's take a look at eight picks from the 2022 MLB draft who could be playing in The Show sooner than later.
Recent history shows that the fast track to the big leagues favors pitchers over hitters, but we figured it would be more interesting if we split our list evenly between batters and hurlers. The list is uniformly made up of players who have already been through college. Each of them has at least one tool that's close to being MLB-ready or is arguably ready right now.
Starting with the pitchers, we'll count them down in descending order of where they were picked.
Speaking of fast-moving things, this is Ben Joyce's fastball:
Ben Joyce's 105.5 MPH Fastball. <a href="https://t.co/4a2R8iMw1A">pic.twitter.com/4a2R8iMw1A</a>
Yeah, that's a real thing. And the 6'5", 225-pound right-hander did that with regularity for the Volunteers throughout the 2022 season, wherein he averaged 101 mph on his fastball. Minnesota Twins righty Jhoan Duran is the only one doing that in the majors right now.
This is not to say that Joyce doesn't come with red flags. Because of numerous health problems—Tommy John surgery included—the 32.1 innings that he pitched for Tennessee this season are the only ones on his Division I record. And as evidenced by the five home runs he gave up, he wasn't altogether unhittable.
It nonetheless helps Joyce's odds of advancing quickly that there isn't any disagreement about his future role. He's a reliever all the way, so the Los Angeles Angels don't need to worry about stretching him out or expanding his repertoire.
If anything, it should surprise nobody if Joyce is the first player from the 2022 draft to reach the majors. Like fellow flame-thrower Garrett Crochet did for the Chicago White Sox in 2020, Joyce might even make his debut before the season is over.
Picked: Round 2C, No. 76 overall
Though Joyce was certainly the most well-known relief pitcher drafted this year, Blake Burkhalter beat him to the punch of being the first.
He throws in the mid-to-high 90s in his own right, and his bread-and-butter offering is a cutter that touches the low 90s with nasty late movement.
Blake Burkhalter, 97mph Fastball, 93mph Cutter and 92mph Cutter (regular cam angle) <a href="https://t.co/BF8jjZhWWo">pic.twitter.com/BF8jjZhWWo</a>
Burkhalter likewise offers deception and control. He hides the ball well and, after walking over six batters per nine innings in each of his first two seasons with the Tigers, he's coming off a 2022 campaign in which he had only seven walks against 71 strikeouts over 46.1 innings.
Unfortunately for the 6'0", 204-pounder, the last thing Atlanta needs right now is help in the bullpen. Its relievers lead the majors in fWAR, and even more cavalry is coming in the form of All-Star Kirby Yates, who's nearing the end of his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Even if the injury bug doesn't open a door for Burkhalter to debut this season, he could be in the running for an early 2023 debut if Luke Jackson, Darren O'Day and Jesse Chavez depart via free agency this winter.
The St. Louis Cardinals landed an advanced left-hander when they nabbed Connor Hjerpe toward the end of the first round on Sunday. He has good size at 6'3" and 200 pounds, and he already offers good control of three solid pitches.
The best of these is his curveball, though it isn't so much one pitch as several. Hjerpe is able to alter its velocity and movement as he pleases.
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cardinals</a>, wise choice.<a href="https://twitter.com/cooperhjerpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CooperHjerpe</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/6SW9ej37bh">pic.twitter.com/6SW9ej37bh</a>
The "yeah, but" with Hjerpe is that his delivery is funkier than you'd prefer to see on a starter. But some starters work just fine with funky deliveries. Think Alex Wood or, better yet, Chris Sale, whose arm action is decidedly Hjerpe-like. Or, rather, Hjerpe's is Sale-like. Whatever.
At least for now, this will do for a reason to believe that Hjerpe won't have to transition into a relief role. And if he hits the ground running as a starter like he should, he could potentially make like Reid Detmers with the Angels and debut a year after being drafted.
By the way, his last name is pronounced "Jerpy."
Picked: 1st Round, No. 3 overall
In what was otherwise a forgettable first round for pitchers, the Texas Rangers produced the surprise of the draft when they chose Kumar Rocker with the third overall pick.
On the one hand, this is the same guy who had a dominant career at Vanderbilt. He put up a 2.89 ERA over 236.2 innings as a Commodore, with a peak performance that saw him strike out 19 batters in a no-hitter in 2019.
Kumar Rocker's 19Ks from his Super Regional No Hitter. <a href="https://t.co/zVGhfOdBME">pic.twitter.com/zVGhfOdBME</a>
On the other hand, medical concerns convinced the New York Mets not to sign Rocker after they drafted him 10th overall last season. He later had shoulder surgery, and was last seen pitching in the independent Frontier League.
Rangers general manager Chris Young said the team is nonetheless "extremely comfortable" with Rocker's health. He certainly appeared in good shape during his Frontier League tune-ups, where he got his fastball up to 99 mph with his trademark slider in the mid-to-high 80s.
As JJ Cooper of Baseball America noted, it all adds up to a picture of MLB-readiness:
An audible gasp as the Rangers select Kumar Rocker. The most MLB ready pitcher in the draft. Guessing he will move quick, and unlike almost every other college-age SP, he has plenty of innings left this year. He's just started pitching.
This may not mean Rocker's major league debut is nigh, but both he and fellow former Vanderbilt ace Jack Leiter could be pitching out of Texas' rotation by this time in 2023.
If nothing else, the Houston Astros got a heck of a competitor when they scored Drew Gilbert toward the end of the first round.
"The only thing I care about is winning. I couldn't give a crap about individual awards or stats," he said after the pick was made, via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
This will track with anyone who watched Gilbert play for the Volunteers, though his productivity was just as noticeable as his impassioned demeanor. This past season, he put up a .362/.455/.673 slash line with 11 home runs in 58 games.
Program changer, leader, grinder. You're getting a good one, Astros.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBO</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LevelUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LevelUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/dwk4vgc7Dd">pic.twitter.com/dwk4vgc7Dd</a>
Though the 5'9", 185-pounder doesn't project to hit for much power, the fact that he had more walks (33) than strikeouts (32) this season reflects well on his hit tool. He's also an above-average runner and defender with a good arm.
Ultimately, the profile here is that of an everyday center fielder who also bats leadoff. Gilbert could thus be the guy to fill the kinda-sorta void the Astros have in center field, potentially as soon as next year if he's able to rise as quickly as Alex Bregman did in 2015 and 2016.
Gavin Cross made Virginia Tech history on Sunday, becoming the highest-drafted baseball player the university has ever produced.
Cross established himself with the Hokies in 2021 as a player to watch for the 2022 draft. He got in 51 games and put up a 1.035 OPS with 11 home runs. The catch was that he also struck out 48 times against only 17 walks.
Thankfully, he made significant progress in those departments in 2022. He still had more strikeouts (41) than walks (30), but by a much smaller margin.
Gavin Cross is heading to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Royals</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ACCBASE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ACCBASE</a><a href="https://twitter.com/GavinCross24?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinCross24</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesBaseball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HokiesBaseball</a> <a href="https://t.co/HKum5C2au5">pic.twitter.com/HKum5C2au5</a>
As you'd expect for a guy who's solidly built at 6'3" and 210 pounds, Cross projects to be an above-average power hitter. He's also a decent runner and outfielder, though he also has some experience as a first baseman.
As much as Cross' profile, it's the team that he landed with that portends a quick rise to the majors. After drafting them in 2019, the Kansas City Royals made major leaguers of Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino even despite the lost minor league season of 2020. It's conceivable that Cross will be ready for The Show by early 2024 or even late 2023.
Picked: 1st Round, No. 8 overall
According to Jim Callis of MLB.com, the best hit tool of the 2022 draft class belongs to Termarr Johnson, who went fourth overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brooks Lee was in the running, though, and he has an obvious leg up on Johnson for now. Whereas the former is coming out of high school, Lee's bat has shone at the college level and in the Cape Cod League.
They use wood bats in the latter, which was no bother to the switch-hitting Lee. He hit .405 with six home runs in 21 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox last summer.
<a href="https://twitter.com/brookslee22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrooksLee22</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/calpolystangs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CalPolyStangs</a>) lit up the <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCCBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficialCCBL</a> in 2021. The potential top-5 pick slashed .405/.432/.667 and had 6 HR in 21 games for the <a href="https://twitter.com/YD_RedSox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YD_RedSox</a>. Lee's quick hands and raw power from both sides of the plate solidify him as one of the best hitters in the 2022 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBDraft</a>. <a href="https://t.co/peVshs5mC7">pic.twitter.com/peVshs5mC7</a>
In addition to a plus hit tool, the 6'2", 205-pounder figures to be a capable power hitter as a professional. Whether he can stick at shortstop is more of a question mark, but a move to third base would still keep him relatively high on the defensive spectrum.
As his father, Larry, is Cal Poly's head coach, the Minnesota Twins understandably see Lee as having an "elite baseball IQ." If all of these things supercharge his development, his ascent to the majors could be even faster than that of Trevor Larnach, who needed less than three years in the minors even despite the disruptions of 2020.
On the likelihood of Jacob Berry having a quick development timeline, you can take it straight from the Miami Marlins.
“He's pretty close,” Marlins senior director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said of Berry, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. He also added: "You get really excited that those characteristics are going to quickly carry over into professional baseball and carry him quickly through our system.”
Specifically, "those characteristics" include hit and power tools that both ranked among the best of the class heading into the draft. These tools were on full display for the Tigers in 2022, as Berry went off for a 1.094 OPS and 15 home runs in 53 games.
Jacob Berry 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 be the best hitter available in the 2022 <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBDraft?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBDraft</a>!<br><br>📺 Tomorrow at 6pm ET on MLB Network <a href="https://t.co/NYYv0PnEUd">pic.twitter.com/NYYv0PnEUd</a>
Ah, but where is the 6'0", 212-pound switch-hitter's defensive home? It's a good question. The Marlins announced him as a third baseman, but his modest arm strength and limited athleticism might eventually necessitate a move across the diamond to first base.
The Marlins nonetheless have incentive to fast-track Berry to the big leagues, where their offense lags far behind their pitching staff in its collection of cornerstone-type players. Ideally, Berry could pull a Spencer Torkelson and need only one full season in the minors.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.
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