Auburn baseball in 2022 MLB draft: Will teams gamble on Sonny DiChiara, Tigers' signees?
AUBURN — The 2022 MLB Draft is not only a living, lasting testament to Auburn baseball's College World Series run. In fact, that idea takes a backseat to this draft's other significance.
Butch Thompson's program will watch closely as professional teams consider selecting the would-be incoming freshmen that form Auburn's top-10 signing class.
The future implications are substantial. The draft starts Sunday. The Tigers are fresh off their second CWS run in the last four years. How will they be shaped by these 20 rounds?
BLAKE BURKHALTER: How Butch Thompson's perfect pitching puzzle led Auburn baseball to College World Series
Here are three storylines for Auburn fans to watch.
Will Sonny DiChiara be drafted early?
The Auburn fan favorite is now an intriguing draft topic. DiChiara transferred from Samford, spent one year at Auburn and dominated with a .383 batting average, 22 home runs – most of them a convincing sight to behold – and 68 walks.
The NCAA marketed him as college baseball's top superstar at the CWS. He was an endearing candidate because of his plate discipline, his pop and a personality that's as big as his 263-pound frame. But does the first baseman's success translate to the big leagues?
DiChiara size, age and below-average mobility at a less valuable position make him a somewhat one-dimensional prospect. The question is whether he's impressive enough as a pure hitter for an MLB team to gamble on him early in the draft.
The Athletic draft expert Keith Law listed DiChiara as the No. 40 draft prospect in May, but DiChiara doesn't appear in the early rounds on any mock drafts.
If he falls to middle or late rounds, perhaps "Sonny D" will become a steal.
Auburn's highest-rated signees
According to Perfect Game, Auburn has the No. 8 signing class in the country with four top-100 recruits. Thompson has turned the program into a premier recruiting competitor, but how much talent could the Tigers lose in this draft?
The four players to watch are catcher Ike Irish, right-handed pitcher Hayden Murphy, outfielder Chris Stanfield and left-handed pitcher Zach Crotchfelt. They're all listed in MLB.com's top-250 draft-eligible prospects.
Auburn might lose some key signees – a blessing and curse of good recruiting.
Other 2022 Tigers who might be drafted
What should fans expect from the rest of the Auburn roster that reached the College World Series?
Closer Blake Burkhalter has a chance to be the highest-drafted Tiger. That would be fitting, considering his role in the 2022 season. He led the SEC in saves (16) and delivered a defining moment of Auburn's postseason run.
In a winner-take-all super regional game at No. 3 overall seed Oregon State, Burkhalter entered with a 4-3 lead and the tying run in scoring position. His eight-out save sent Auburn to Omaha. Now his cutter might be big league-bound.
Starting pitchers Mason Barnett and Trace Bright have a chance to be drafted, plus lefty reliever Carson Skipper. Among position players, keep an eye out for third baseman Blake Rambusch, shortstop Brody Moore and center fielder Kason Howell. But this wasn't an Auburn team loaded with obvious MLB talent, so the draft class might be small.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn baseball: Will Sonny DiChiara go early in MLB Draft 2022?
