We knew it would happen once the amateur seasons got rolling, but it’s still jarring to see such dramatic changes in a mock draft. Fun, though!
Baseball America dropped its 2022 MLB Mock Draft version 2.0, and it’s extremely different at the top. So different, for example, that high school righty Dylan Lesko, the top arm in the draft who had previously been mocked to the Cubs at pick number seven repeatedly, is waaaay off the board by the time the Cubs pick.
Lesko goes at number three to the Rangers, behind only high school outfielder Druw Jones (becoming more and more the consensus number one) and college shortstop Brooks Lee (who is also rocketing up for most folks). The Cubs, with guys like Jace Jung and Jacob Berry still on the board, go with a catcher in this mock:
7. Cubs — Daniel Susac, C, Arizona
Scout’s Take: If you want a top-flight catcher, you have to go get him. You can’t ignore his offensive ability and improved defensive skill. While Susac might not be a plus defender behind the plate, the offense he brings to the table should be more than enough to merit this selection.
V 1.0 to V 2.0 change: +15
As you can see there in the last bit, Susac has jumped 15(!) spots from the first mock to the second, by far the biggest climber in this range. Interestingly, Susac goes one pick behind Kevin Parada, who also climbed way up, and is generally considered the best college catcher in the draft.
With the shuffling at the top of this draft, including the way Lee, Lesko, Susac, and Parada have jumped (to say nothing of Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck, who is mocked at pick 10 after previously not even being in the first round), it is now looking at least semi-possible that two of the three top prep bats could still be on the board for the Cubs at pick seven (not Druw Jones, but Termarr Johnson and Elijah Green). That seemed pretty impossible at the start of mocking season, and while it still looks pretty unlikely (Johnson goes at pick four and Green at pick five in this one), it is perhaps now possible.
In any case, so far, through a month of the amateur season, the good news is that the top of the draft is definitely not falling apart. It looks like there are far more than seven prospects who would be considered in the top five in a normal draft, so that makes for a good year for the Cubs to be picking at seven.
The MLB Draft is scheduled for All-Star weekend, beginning July 17.