2022 Major League Baseball Draft loaded with top prospects from Georgia

Jun. 20—Less than a month remains before the 2022 MLB Draft, and prospects with Georgia ties are expected to make a big mark from the start.

Several of those players — four of the top 12 prospects in MLB.com's rankings are products of Georgia high schools or colleges — figure to be off the board by the time the Atlanta Braves pick at No. 20 overall on July 17. The highly coveted standouts include MLB.com's top prospect, Druw Jones, the son of longtime Braves center fielder Andruw Jones and like his father is an outfielder. Jones played high school baseball at Wesleyan in metro Atlanta.

Jones is one of three prospects from Georgia that MLB.com ranks among its top 10, joining second baseman Termarr Johnson of Mays High School (No. 4 overall) and Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada (No. 6 overall).

Here's a closer look at MLB.com's top prospects with Georgia ties for the upcoming draft:

Druw Jones

School: Wesleyan School

Age: 18

Position: Outfield

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 180 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 1 overall

MLB.com's take: No. 1 overall

MLB.com's take: Andruw Jones made five All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves in a 17-year career in the Majors, and his son reminds scouts of his father's game. Druw is taller and leaner than his dad was as a teenager, but he has similar five-tool potential as a center fielder. He improved throughout the summer on the showcase circuit and he has impressed scouts this spring with a more selective approach and more consistent at-bats.

While Jones' right-handed swing is still somewhat of a work in progress, he understands it well, shows the ability to make adjustments and does damage against quality pitching. He already has plenty of bat speed and drives balls to the gaps, and as he fills out his 6-foot-4 frame he should develop plus power. He's a plus-plus runner when he turns on the jets and is capable of beating out ground balls to the left side.

Jones is the best defensive center fielder in the 2022 high school crop and might be the best defender in the entire Draft. His speed and instincts combine to give him tremendous range and his well-above-average arm strength stands out at a position not known for many cannons. Scouts who have seen the Vanderbilt recruit take infield say he has the tools and actions to play a fine shortstop as well.

Termarr Johnson

School: Mays High School

Age: 18

Position: Second base

Height: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 4 overall

MLB.com's take: Though he's a high schooler who projects as a second baseman, Johnson is a potential No. 1 overall choice because he might be the best pure prep hitter in decades. He has a track record of pummeling pitchers on the showcase circuit and some evaluators give his bat top-of-the-scale 80 grades. One scout gave him a double Hall of Famer comparison by calling him a combination of Wade Boggs' plate discipline and Vladimir Guerrero Sr.'s bat-to-ball skills.

Johnson's hand-eye coordination and swing decisions make him an elite contact hitter from the left side of the plate. He isn't fazed by mid-90s fastballs or quality breaking balls, using his quick, compact stroke to drive the ball to all fields. Though his listed 5-foot-10 height might be a bit generous, his ability to barrel balls along with his bat speed and strength could make him a 25-30 homer threat in the big leagues.

A shortstop in high school, Johnson will change positions as a pro because his quickness and arm are more average than plus. His hands work well in the field as well as at the plate and he profiles best at second base, where he should be at least a solid defender. He committed to Arizona State in May.

Kevin Parada

School: Georgia Tech

Age: 20

Position: Catcher

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 197 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 6 overall

MLB.com's take: No. 6 overall

MLB.com's take: One of the best high school catchers in the 2020 Draft, Parada could have gone in the second or third round if he hadn't been set on attending Georgia Tech. After a strong freshman season and summer with the U.S. collegiate national team, he's expected to be the first backstop selected in 2022. His defense drew some mixed reviews during his college debut but his bat earned praise throughout and he set a school record for homers (26 through the end of the regular season) this spring.

Parada doesn't try to do too much at the plate, keeping his right-handed swing under control and lashing line drives all over the park. He has good feel for the barrel, makes repeated hard contact against all types of pitching and he's showing increased power to all fields this year. He projects as a potential .280-.300 hitter with 20-25 homers per season who could fit into the middle of a big league batting order.

Parada runs well for a catcher but isn't the most agile or physical behind the plate, and he wore down over the course of last spring and summer with Georgia Tech and Team USA. He has looked better as a sophomore and scouts credit him for working diligently on his defense. He earns average to solid grades for his receiving and needs to improve his fringy arm strength and his throwing accuracy after erasing just 12 percent of basestealers as a freshman.

Cam Collier

School: Chipola Junior College (Mount Paran Christian)

Age: 17

Position: Third base

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 210 pounds

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 12 overall

MLB.com's take:The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, Cam began the summer as one of the more intriguing prospects for the 2023 Draft. But the Georgia high school standout decided to reclassify for the 2022 Draft, get his GED and head to Chipola Junior College for his spring season. After a summer of showing off impressive offensive skills and a strong showing at Chipola's scout day this fall, Collier has been watched as one of the more intriguing — and one of the youngest — bats in this Draft class.

Most of the excitement about Collier centers around his left-handed bat. He has a loose stroke with outstanding bat speed and uncanny bat-to-ball skills. For most of the summer, he squared just about everything up, using the whole field and not being bothered by premium velocity, and he continued to show professional at-bats this spring. There's good raw power in his swing, with more likely to come. While he's not a burner, he's a solid runner.

With an arm that has hit the low-90s from the mound, Collier has the chance to fit nicely at third base, where his offensive upside could fit well. If the hot corner doesn't work, a move to an outfield corner or first base could be in his future, but it's the Louisville recruit's bat that will carry him and puts him in conversations about the first round.

Dylan Lesko

School: Buford High School

Age: 18

Position: Pitcher

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 195 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: Lesko became the first junior ever to claim Gatorade national baseball player of the year honors in 2021, when he went 11-0 with a 0.35 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 60 innings. A dominant start to his senior season along with his combination of stuff, polish, athleticism and projection had the Vanderbilt recruit poised to become the first pitcher — college or high school — selected in July. But he injured his elbow in early April and had Tommy John surgery, clouding his status.

Lesko already works at 92-95 mph and tops out at 97 with his fastball, which features good carry up in the strike zone and armside run and sink when he keeps it down, and he should add more velocity as he gets stronger. He has the best changeup in the Draft, a dastardly low-80s offering that scoots sideways and also has some depth. His curveball is his least reliable pitch, but his upper-70s bender has high spin rates and the potential to become a plus weapon.

Lesko generates premium stuff with ease and locates it well thanks to his ability to repeat a sound delivery with little effort. He gets good extension, making him even tougher on hitters, and draws praise for his intelligence and maturity. He has ace potential and may need little more than a return to health and innings against pro competition to finish refining his stuff and reach his lofty ceiling.

Kumar Rocker

School: No school (2018 North Oconee High School grad)

Age: 22

Position: Pitcher

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 245 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 39 overall

MLB.com's take:After entering 2021 as that Draft's top-rated prospect, Rocker is this Draft's biggest enigma despite two spectacular full seasons at Vanderbilt. As a freshman in 2019, he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the NCAA Super Regionals and earned two victories and Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series. In 2021, he helped the Commodores return to the CWS finals and topped NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179 in 122 innings, tying teammate Jack Leiter). The Mets selected him 10th overall in July 2021 and agreed to a $6 million bonus, but they walked away from the deal after a post-Draft physical created unspecified concerns about his shoulder and elbow.

Rocker's velocity fluctuated during the 2021 season, with his fastball averaging 93 mph, sitting in the low 90s at times and touching 99 at others. His heater features some run and sink but also flattens out on occasion. All 19 of his strikeouts against Duke came on his slider, a mid-80s wipeout pitch with power and depth when at its best, and he also employs a low-80s curveball with more vertical break.

Rocker also has a sinking mid-80s changeup that shows signs of becoming an average offering, though it gets too firm at times and he doesn't use it much. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, he's a physical right-hander who throws strikes but possesses just average command. It won't be clear where he'll fit into the 2022 Draft until teams get more details about his health. Rather than return to Vanderbilt, he opted to go to the independent Frontier League, where he'll pitch in a few controlled outings leading up to the Draft.

Landon Sims

School: Mississippi State (South Forsyth High School)

Age: 21

Position: Pitcher

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 227 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 41 overall

MLB.com's take: Sims entered his 2019 senior season as a Georgia high schooler with a chance to go in the top three rounds, but inconsistency with his secondary pitches and control combined with his commitment to Mississippi State left him undrafted. He was unhittable in his first two college seasons as a reliever, posting a 1.44 ERA with 13 saves, a .151 opponent average and 100 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings as the Bulldogs won their first-ever College World Series championship in 2021. This spring, he attempted the same bullpen-to-rotation transition that landed fellow CWS hero Will Bednar in the first round last July, but he blew out his elbow in his third start (while fanning 10 of the 11 Tulane hitters he faced) and required Tommy John surgery in March.

Sims' high-spin fastball sits at 94-96 mph and touches 98 with a difficult approach angle and tremendous carry up in the strike zone, resulting in outstanding swing-and-miss (38 percent) and chase (29 percent) rates on his heater last season. His tight mid-80s slider is just as hard to handle and works against both left-handers and right-handers. He didn't utilize a third offering as a reliever and didn't pitch in the fall, but he says he believes in his changeup and is looking forward to using it.

With his strong 6-foot-2 build and strike-throwing ability, Sims is equipped to handle starting. While he does feature some spin and recoil at times in his delivery, he has shown the aptitude to control his mechanics in longer outings. He comes with a ceiling of a mid-rotation starter and the likelihood that he's a high-leverage reliever and perhaps a closer. Area scouts love his makeup and he reminds some of them of Wallace State (Ala.) CC star Craig Kimbrel, albeit with better control and a better chance to succeed in a rotation.

Others in MLB.com rankings:

Jonathan Cannon

School: Georgia

Age: 21

Position: Pitcher

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 213 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 52 overall

Sam Horn

School: Collins Hill High School

Age: 18

Position: Pitcher

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 200 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 72 overall

Colby Thomas

School: Mercer (Valdosta High School)

Age: 21

Position: Outfield

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 190 pounds

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

MLB.com ranking: No. 94 overall