With another upcoming wave of conference realignment, Conference USA (CUSA) is one of the conferences that has already moved teams in and some teams out and will look considerably different in 2023. Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and Marshall have departed, and Dallas Baptist has arrived. But before we look to the future, let’s revisit what happened in 2022. Last Season In 2022, Southern Miss won the regular season conference championship with a 23-7 record in conference. With a 43-16 overall record in the regular season, the Golden Eagles earned the No. 15 national seed and hosted a regional in Hattiesburg. After several thrilling games, Southern Miss outlasted LSU in two of three games between the two teams to move on to the Super Regional round where eventual College World Series champion Ole Miss eliminated the Golden Eagles in two games. Louisiana Tech (42-19) was the only other CUSA team to play beyond the conference championship. The Bulldogs topped UTSA 9-8 in the tournament final to claim the title and earn a regional bid. Louisiana Tech traveled to the Austin Regional where they faced Texas and future conference mate Dallas Baptist. 2022 was also a relatively successful year for CUSA in terms of the draft. The schools remaining in CUSA, along with DBU, saw a total of thirteen players drafted in the July Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Southern Miss had five players drafted in their last year as members of CUSA. While this does not directly mean anything for CUSA in 2023, it does show that you have to be talented to compete for the CUSA conference championship. What's Ahead in 2023 Several teams will compete for the crown in 2023 in what promises to be a wide-open race. DBU, the No. 49 team in the Preseason Top 50, brings a player development and postseason pedigree to CUSA and will immediately contend for the CUSA title. True to form, the Patriots schedule a daunting non-conference schedule, including a matchup with No. 8 Southern Miss. UTSA, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana Tech are the more tenured members of CUSA that will also compete for the title. No. 36 UTSA won 38 games in 2022 and was among the first four teams to miss the NCAA postseason, while No. 37 Charlotte won 36 games a year ago and is bringing in the second ranked JUCO recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. Florida Atlantic, winners 35 times in 2022, lead the second tier of CUSA teams which could move into the top tier. Head coach John McCormack made three changes to his coaching staff in the offseason, including two new faces to help lead the Owls. Outfielder Nolan Schnauel returns for his third season with Florida Atlantic as one of the premier players in CUSA, one of only three players to earn preseason recognition. As a sophomore last year, Schnauel batted .369 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI. The two other CUSA players who received preseason recogntion both play for Lane Burroughs at Louisiana Tech: Jonathan Fincher (SP) and Cole McConnell (OF). Fincher is about to embark upon his sixth season in Ruston. Over the previous two seasons, Fincher has been a big arm for the Bulldogs, and he has pitched big innings in big games. In 2022, Fincher ate up 79 1/3 innings on the mound in 14 starts and was 8-2 with a 3.52 ERA and a 73-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. McConnell batted .336 with a school record 76 RBI in 2022 and spent his summer in the Cape Cod League where he made the All-Star team. Five Series to Watch in 2023 Louisiana Tech will travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas in a three-game series in mid-March, the weekend before conference play begins. Within CUSA: March 31 DBU at Louisiana Tech April 21 LA Tech at DBU May 12 DBU at UTSA May 18 UTSA at Louisiana Tech (to close out the regular season) Final Thoughts CUSA has four teams in the College Baseball Nation Preseason Top 50, with all four teams clustered together in the bottom fifteen picks: UTSA (36), Charlotte (37), LA Tech (43), DBU (49). The top five teams in CUSA have scheduled top competition for their non-conference action to help them get ready for the conference battles that await them. Can UTSA make the leap after just missing the NCAA tournament last year? Can Louisiana Tech take over the top spot after being second fiddle last season? Can DBU move to a new conference and leave the opposition behind? These questions and more will be answered in what promises to be one of the most competitive season in CUSA in years. As the season arrives, Louisiana Tech appears to have the best pitching, at least on paper. Lane Burroughs returns a tested team with experienced players at every position. As with all the other teams in all the other conferences, seeing the results of returning players and mixing them with players from the transfer portal will prove which of the top five teams in CUSA is poised to play the longest. Seeing the Bulldogs at the top of the heap at the end of May would surprise no one. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Sometimes it all starts with a tweet. When we released our Preseason Top 50 recently, I wasn't particularly surprised when we included six Pac-12 school and five Big 12. First, it should go without saying, the Pac-12 has two additional baseball-playing schools, so there's a slight advantage when it comes to getting more teams in a poll. However, Brandon's tweet below made me stop and think—has the Big 12 surpassed the Pac 12 in baseball quality? I say "surpassed" because without a doubt, the Pac-12 has historically been the stronger baseball conference. Prior to 1999, 24 College World Series titles were won by schools currently in the Pac-12 (half of those titles were by USC). The Big 12 has seven CWS titles by current members in that same time period. (Note: for this whole article, I'll be referring to the accomplishments of current members of the conferences, not historical members.) Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma are really the only schools in the Big 12 with substantial historical success, while the Pac-12 has five schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Stanford, and USC) who won titles before the Super Regional Era began. But, history is history, let's talk about what these schools have done lately. When you just look at the past decade of postseason success, the Big 12 and Pac-12 are a little bit closer together. Over the past decade, the Big 12 has sent an average of 48% of its team to the NCAA Tournament compared to the Pac-12's 43%. The Big 12 also has 14 College World Series appearances compared to the Pac-12's ten. The rise of TCU and Texas Tech have added serious players in the national conversation for the Big 12. However, the Big 12 has a glaring lack of College World Series Championships in recent years. Texas's title in 2005 is the Big 12's most recent trophy, while the Pac-12 has three CWS titles in the past decade (Arizona - 2012, UCLA - 2013, Oregon State - 2018). So what's the verdict? I'm the type to weight championships quite a bit more than CWS appearances, so my vote is that the Pac-12 is still the superior conference. However, let's return to Brandon's original point—does the Big 12 have more top 50 schools than the Pac-12 right now? Well, percentage-wise, we at College Baseball Nation think so (but barely). We ranked five of the nine Big 12 teams (56%) in our top 50 compared to six of 11 Pac-12 teams (55%). What about teams knocking on the door of the top 50? I think it's fair to say the Big 12 has more teams with a reasonable shot at being ranked this season (Baylor and West Virginia) compared to the Pac-12 (maybe Washington?). So Brandon, maybe you're right in some regards. It's probably fair to say there are other ways to measure how good a conference is (e.g., draft picks, consistency, etc.) To that I'd say, that's fair, but I'd argue that postseason success is the ultimate measuring stick that athletic departments use for teams. Finally, this article will become outdated as soon as the next round of conference realignment becomes official. When Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12, they'll be taking eight of the Big 12's nine CWS Championships with them. None of the four new members have won a title. The departure of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 will put a dent in the Pac-12's total numbers, but the conference will still be able to hang its hat on 16 titles. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Year in and year out, we see examples of teams who schedule so well in their non-conference that their RPI becomes unshakeable. Perhaps the best example of this from last season is Dallas Baptist. DBU finished the year with an impressive RPI of 30 despite only finishing 11-9-1 in the Missouri Valley and having 24 losses overall. Their RPI was 38 spots higher than their ELO, according to Warren Nolan. What does this mean? Non-conference scheduling matters. 29 of DBU's 31 non-conference games were against teams with winning records (and 24 of those games were against teams who won more than 35 games!). DBU isn't the only team to figure out the importance of non-conference games. Here are a few of the non-conference series and tournaments I'm most looking forward to this season. College Baseball Showdown (February 17-19) #11 Arkansas, Missouri, #19 Oklahoma State, #27 TCU, #18 Texas, #13 Vanderbilt Gone are the days when teams ease into the season. The College Baseball Showdown features five likely regional teams and a few teams with Omaha aspirations. This is must-watch baseball to start the year. #41 Gonzaga at #24 Texas Tech (February 17-20) Gabriel Hughes, who was drafted 10th in the 2022 MLB Draft, has moved on, but Gonzaga will still be one of the toughest teams out west. The Zags head to Lubbock for four games against a Texas Tech team that lost quite a bit to the draft as well. As the cliche goes, there are no rebuilding years for the Red Raiders, only retooling. Texas Tech will put that to test with an early challenge from Gonzaga. #20 Arizona State at #26 Mississippi State (February 24-26) The second week of the season brings an explosion of top-tier series. Arizona State travels to Starkville to take on 2021 national champions, Mississippi State. After a shocking fall from grace led to an abysmal 2022 season for the Bulldogs, the boys in maroon are looking for redemption. Speaking of redemption, Arizona State saw a relatively positive 2022 season crushed by a 5-10 finish to conference play in the last five weeks. The Sun Devils have added one of the best transfer classes in the country, but will they be ready for The Dude? #12 Maryland at #5 Ole Miss (February 24-26) Maryland hosted a regional in 2022 in one of the most successful season in program history. Ole Miss made an improbable run through the postseason on the road to a national championship. Both teams are eager for more success in 2023, but you only have to look just up the road to Starkville to know how fickle college baseball success can be. #9 UCLA at #13 Vanderbilt (February 24-26) Two of the most successful programs of the last decade go at it in Nashville. What's not to like about this week 2 matchup? #38 Florida State at #27 TCU (February 24-26) Link Jarrett in year one at Florida State will take on Kirk Saarloos in year two at TCU. This matchup of relatively new hires/promotions will be an interesting test for the both squads. Many expect Jarrett to continue the success he had at Notre Dame on day one in Tallahassee. Winning this series would jumpstart the season for Florida State. TCU fell in the College Station Regional final where Saarloos lost to his former boss, Jim Schlossnagle. Can TCU reassert itself as one of the best teams in Texas? #15 North Carolina at/vs #17 ECU (February 24-26) This multi-site series between two of the Carolinas' best teams promises to be one of the best non-conference series of the year. There is no love lost between the the Diamond Heels and the Pirates, and as the American has slumped in quality over the past couple of years, ECU will be eager for a marquee series win. #41 Gonzaga at #2 Tennessee (March 3-5) Gonzaga was not afraid to schedule road series this year. They go up against one of the best (if not the best) rotations in the country in Tennessee. After dominating the SEC regular season, Notre Dame burst Tennessee's national championship hopes with an upset win in game three of the Knoxville Super Regional. The Vols will be playing with a huge chip on their shoulder in 2023. #14 Miami at #7 Florida (March 3-5) Miami versus Florida. Enough said. This series promises to be one of the best series of the year as two hated foes play yet another rendition of their rivalry. The Canes are only 5-10 against the Gators in the past five years. In recent years, this series has felt more important for Miami than Florida in asserting its merit as a potential regional host. #37 Charlotte at #16 Virginia Tech (March 3-5) Charlotte won 36 games a year ago but missed out on the tournament in large part because 18 of those games were against teams outside of the top 200 in RPI. This trip to Blacksburg will be crucial for the 49ers. Virginia Tech advanced to its first ever Super Regional a year ago and was one game away from Omaha before they were eliminated by Oklahoma. The ACC is deep as ever, so this series will be pivotal for maintaining that all-important RPI. #49 DBU at #8 Southern Miss (March 3-5) DBU continues their ambitious non-conference scheduling from a year ago with an early-March trip to Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has seen in-state rivals, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, win a national championship apiece over the past two season. Folks in Hattiesburg are asking, "why not us next?" #22 Texas State at #48 Grand Canyon (March 3-5) A season ago, Texas State earned the recognition of College Baseball Nation's most improved team. Will the Bobcats build on that in 2023? Their trip to fellow mid-major darling, Grand Canyon, will be a measuring stick series for both teams. Shriners Children's College Classic (March 3-5) #10 Louisville, #47 Michigan, Rice, #27 TCU, #6 Texas A&M, #24 Texas Tech Four Texas schools who don't very much like each other, a perennial Omaha resident, and a Michigan squad that made the College World Series final a few years ago? Yeah, I'll take that for a good tournament lineup. This tournament happens right before conference play really kicks off, so expect to see teams settling on their rotations and lineups by this point. #3 Stanford at #39 Oklahoma (March 31 - April 2) Coming off trips to the College World Series, Stanford and Oklahoma are both looking to recreate the magic of a season ago. We've been notoriously low on Oklahoma after the Sooners sent an enormous amount of talent to the next level over the summer. By this point in the season, we'll either be eating crow or Oklahoma will be looking for a marquee series win to secure a regional berth. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Around the country college baseball players are waking up early for workouts and practices which means the 2023 college baseball season is around the corner. We've made it through most of the offseason, so it's time to start creating the pecking order for the upcoming season. LSU leads the way with a huge influx of talent via the transfer portal. Tennessee, and their formidable pitching staff, follow the Tigers, while No. 3 Stanford looks to be the best in the west. Wake Forest with reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year, Rhett Lowder check in at No. 4 followed by defending national champs, Ole Miss. The SEC tops all conferences with 13 ranked teams, followed by the ACC (10), Pac-12 (6), and Big 12 (5). See below for the full top 50! Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With the 2022 draft and summer ball in the rearview mirror, College Baseball Nation looks ahead to next year. Unlike this year’s draft, 2023 should provide a rich bounty of big-time arms to go along with a plethora of thunderous bats (provided, of course, everyone stays healthy!). We’ve produced the following list from last month’s Stars vs Stripes scouting trip in Cary, NC as well as extensive conversations with scouts. Later this month, we’ll compile a similar list of the top ’23 high school talent. Simply put, we can’t wait for next February to get here! 1. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss: Silky smooth shortstop who can hit for average and power from the left side of the plate. 2. Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee: Premium arm strength, command, and dominant secondaries make him the best college right-hander in over a decade. 3. Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida: Almost a surefire top-5 pick if the whispers that he can handle CF are true. Short, crisp swing could produce 30 home runs annually. 4. Jacob Wilson, SS/3B, Grand Canyon: Jack’s son struck out only SEVEN times all spring and showcased burgeoning power in Cary. 5. Dylan Crews, OF, LSU: The ability to do tremendous damage with an ultra-quick bat mitigates swing-and-miss tendencies against breaking stuff. 6. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida: His high-spin 95-97 MPH heater, vicious slider and workable cambio allowed him to strike out 140 in just 90 IP in ’22. 7. Travis Honeyman, OF, Boston College: Live-bodied outfielder who tore up the Cape Cod League projects as a cross between Ryan Braun and George Springer. 8. Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU: Good power from such a lithe frame; excellent swing decisions. 9. Enrique Bradfield, OF, Vanderbilt: Despite a lackluster performance on the Cape, 80 speed and improvements at the plate have evoked Kenny Lofton comps. 10. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest: Mike Clevinger look-alike used an effective 3-pitch mis to impress scouts with Team USA this summer. 11. Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina 12. Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas 13. Colton Ledbetter, OF, Mississippi State 14. Cade Kuehler, RHP, Campbell 15. Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU 16. Jared Dickey, OF, Tennessee 17. Matt Shaw, 2B, Maryland 18. Kyle Teel, C, Virginia 19. Tommy Troy, 2B, Stanford 20. Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami 21. Ross Dunn, LHP, Arizona State 22. Teddy McGraw, RHP, Wake Forest 23. Maui Ahuna, SS, Tennessee 24. Jack Hurley, OF, Virginia Tech 25. Jaxon Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas 26. Nathan Dettmer, RHP, Texas A&M 27. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest 28. Joseph Gonzalez, RHP, Auburn 29. Wyatt Crowell, LHP, FSU 30. Nolan Schanuel, 1B/OF, Florida Atlantic 31. Ryan Lasko, OF, Rutgers 32. Alex Mooney, SS, Duke 33. Jason Savacool, RHP, Maryland 34. Jackson Baumeister, RHP, FSU 35. Jake Gelof, 3B, Virginia 36. Carson Montgomery, RHP, FSU 37. Patrick Reilly, RHP, Vanderbilt 38. Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Arizona State 39. Hunter Owen, LHP, Vanderbilt 40. Cole Carrigg, SS/OF, San Diego State Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With the draft less than 36 hours away, College Baseball Nation has completed its final formal mock draft before Sunday’s festivities. As readers will see, there’s still a tremendous amount of uncertainty heading into the draft with a good chance much of the ambiguity will not be cleared up until early Sunday evening. Please stay tuned to my Twitter feed for the latest real-time updates. Otherwise, enjoy! 1) Baltimore Orioles; Termarr Johnson, 2B, Atlanta, GA (HS)—When there’s a clear candidate for 1-01, GM Mike Elias isn’t afraid to pay full freight. Otherwise, he’s apt to strike a deal and use the extra cash later in the draft. Of the “Big Four” prep bats, Johnson is the best bet to strike a well below slot deal. 2) Arizona Diamondbacks; Druw Jones, OF, Suwanee GA (HS)—With Baltimore popping Johnson, the Diamondbacks are waiting with open arms for Jones. He’s the highest ranked player on their board. 3) Texas Rangers; Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater, OK (HS)—Texas would take Jones if he falls, but they’ve been smitten with Holliday since his meteoric rise began in March. 4) Pittsburgh Pirates; Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC—Pittsburgh also likes Brooks Lee a lot, but they’ve been on Collier all spring. 5) Washington Nationals; Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech—GM Mike Rizzo and the Nats have had their eye on Elijah Green, Gavin Cross, and Jacob Berry, but Parada’s historical ’22 campaign tips the scales in his favor. 6) Miami Marlins; Elijah Green, OF, Windermere, FL (HS)—Green’s price tag is reportedly in the $7 million range, but the Marlins showed last year with Khalil Watson that they’re not afraid to go big game hunting. 7) Chicago Cubs; Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly—Many were certain Lee was bound for the top 3, but questionable medicals will trigger a slight drop. 8) Minnesota Twins; Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech—The pick here will boil down to a debate between Cross and Jacob Berry. 9) Kansas City Royals; Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, LSU—Up until earlier this week, all indications were that KC would “go rogue” and take a player further down the list then float a high-priced prep to their comp pick at 35. But after giving up the latter in this week’s Drew Waters trade, the Royals will likely take a college bat at or near slot here. Cross, if he’s still available, is another possibility. 10) Colorado Rockies; Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech—We’re hearing it’s a toss-up between Cross and Jung for the Rockies. 11) New York Mets; Daniel Susac, C, Arizona—This pick, compensation for the Mets’ inability to sign their 1st round pick from last year, Kumar Rocker, is unprotected. Therefore, all signs point to a college player, and the Mets have been in on Susac all spring. 12) Detroit Tigers; Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama—Detroit is in a weird spot—the Tigers like Cross, Jung, and Berry but those are no longer options in this scenario. With no other bats that scratch their itch available, GM Al Avila & Co opt for the rehabbing Prielipp. Zach Neto remains a possibility. 13) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Kumar Rocker, RHP, (non-affiliated)—The Angels always need pitching and have been flirting with Rocker for several weeks. Susac, if he drops, and Robby Snelling are also high on their board. 14) New York Mets; Brock Porter, RHP, Milford, MI (HS)—With their protected pick, the Mets select Porter, who has a pro body, a high-octane arm, and a much-improved slider. There’s been some talk of Justin Crawford here as well. 15) San Diego Padres; Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford, Georgia (HS)—GM A.J. Preller is not deterred by pitchers who’ve gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery (see Quantrill, Cal), and this would present San Diego with the opportunity to land a potential ace deep into the 1st round. 16) Cleveland Guardians; Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison—Cleveland, always on the hunt for value, sees a massive (6/04-230) five-tool talent who’s young for the draft class. This is also a rumored landing spot for a number of college and prep arms such as Thomas Harrington, Justin Campbell, Owen Murphy, and Brandon Barriera. 17) Philadelphia Phillies; Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma—Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski loves power righties and Horton’s tour de force late in the season earned him plenty of suitors. Barriera and Snelling are also on the menu for Philadelphia. 18) Cincinnati Reds; Owen Murphy, RHP, Riverside, Il (HS)— Murphy is on the smaller side (6-01/190) and some scouts see a lot of Jack Leiter in him. Barriera is another oft-mentioned possibility. 19) Oakland A’s; Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal Berkeley—Simply put, Oakland’s interest in Beavers is the worst-kept secret in the draft. 20) Atlanta Braves; Thomas Harrington, RHP, Campbell—The Braves spent their 2020 and 2021 1st round picks on college arms from the southeast and drink from the same fountain in 2022. As is par for the course for a number of teams picking in this neighborhood, Campbell and Gabe Hughes are also strongly considered. Keep in mind, the extra money Atlanta garnered from the Waters deal will enable them to be creative with subsequent picks. 21) Seattle Mariners; Zach Neto, SS, Campbell—This is a steep drop for a guy in play in the single digits. As many teams’ 2nd or 3rd favorite player on the board, Neto has trouble finding a place to land. The Mariners have been frequently spotted at Camels games all spring. Payton Graham is another viable option here. 22) St. Louis Cardinals; Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State—Full disclosure: we have no concrete intel linking St. Louis to Hjerpe, but this is enough of a fall for a guy deemed by many to be the best college pitcher in the country in 2022. 23) Toronto Blue Jays; Justin Campbell, RHP, Oklahoma State—The Blue Jays are serious about a number of college pitchers here, among them Campbell, Hughes, Blade Tidwell, and the recovering Landon Sims. 24) Boston Red Sox; Tucker Toman, 3B, Columbia, SC (HS)—The Red Sox are considering players representing all four draft demographics, but Toman’s late surge catapults him past the competition. 25) New York Yankees; Justin Crawford, OF, Las Vegas, NV (HS)—The Yankees are following a gaggle of college hitters like Brock Jones, Jordan Beck, and Dalton Rushing, but Crawford’s upside is too enticing to pass up. 26) Chicago White Sox; Cole Young, SS, Wexford, PA (HS)—The Southsiders are said to be enamored with Toman, but are forced to “settle” for Young. 27) Milwaukee Brewers; Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee—The Brew Crew is another organization keying in on college bats, with DeLauter, Drew Gilbert, Peyton Graham, and Sterlin Thompson all getting long looks. 28) Houston Astros; Peyton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas—Houston never minds a good value play, and in Pallette they have a guy who may be the best sum-of-the-parts pitcher five years after he’s recovered from Tommy John surgery. Otherwise, the Astros are all over the map with their preferences. 29) Tampa Bay Rays; Brandon Barriera, LHP, Hollywood, FL (HS)—No one mines value quite like the Rays, and in Barriera, Tampa Bay has struck draft night gold—even if they’ll have to go over slot here. 30) San Francisco Giants;Robby Snelling, LHP, Reno, NV (HS)--The Giants have enjoyed overwhelming success with prep lefties the last two decades and they hope this run continues. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

It's a bonus episode of the College Baseball Nation Podcast! Harris Frommer joins to talk MLB Draft. Are UCLs optional for draft prospects? Is NIL making college more attractive? Which college teams should be most worried about the draft? We answer these questions and more in this episode. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Apple Podcasts Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Spotify. Have a question for Kyle and John? Send a DM to us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or an email to podcast@collegebaseball.info and we might answer it on the podcast. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

John and Kyle break down the final 2022 college baseball rankings and talk way-too-early 2023 rankings. The guys debate whether Link Jarrett or Erik Backich will have more success at their new schools and dive into LSU's domination of the transfer portal. Also, who has the biggest home field advantage in college baseball--let's let fans decide and break the internet in the process. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Apple Podcasts Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Spotify. Have a question for Kyle and John? Send a DM to us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or an email to podcast@collegebaseball.info and we might answer it on the podcast. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Although the 2022 draft is still over a week away, the 2023 draft train has already left the station. In late June, the top 50 college players (most, but not all, representing the ’23 class) migrated down to USA Baseball Headquarters in Cary, NC to participate in the “Stars vs Stripes” 5-game series that lasted thru July 4th. This showcase was an audition for the 25-man squad that is traveling to Haarlem, Netherlands for the annual Honkball Tournament kicking off July 9th. Concurrent with the Stars vs Stripes series, the 96 best rising high school seniors congregated in Cary for the PDP (Prospect Development Pipeline) League, a week-long event that features the country’s best 18-and-under players and serves as the primary identification event for the 18U National Team. Many players in the PDP League also will compete in the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game held at Dodger Stadium during MLB All-Star Week. College Baseball Nation was on the scene in Cary to report on the first portion of both the Stars vs Stripes series and PDP League. What follows is a brief recap of some of the players who stood out in both competitions. As the summer progresses, we’ll have much more on the ’23 draft class, including a list of the top 30 collegiate players that will debut shortly after this month’s draft. Stars vs Stripes Dylan Crews, OF, LSU: The early favorite to be the first college player drafted next year, Crews did not disappoint. He displayed excellent pitch recognition and a short, crisp swing that generated plenty of power—as evidenced by his 413-foot home run off a hanging slider over the Blue Monster in Durham Bulls Park Friday night. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss: Expect Gonzalez to challenge Crews all of next spring for the mantle of top college position player. The well-proportioned 6-02/200 Gonzalez is silky smooth on both sides of the ball and hammered a booming double immediately preceding Crews’ dinger. Enrique Bradfield, OF, Vanderbilt: Comparing Bradfield to long-time MLBer Kenny Lofton is not a stretch. Bradfield has always boasted Lofton’s blazing speed, but he’s also started to fill out and added some thump to his game. On defense, Bradfield gets excellent reads and effortlessly glides to everything. Jacob Wilson, SS/3B, Transfer Portal (Grand Canyon University): No player has raised his stock more than Wilson in the early days of summer. The lanky infielder displayed an uncanny knack for finding the barrel and showed off his burgeoning power with two homers. It should also be noted that in 275 PAs in the WAC this spring, Jack’s son struck out just SEVEN times (no, this is not a typo). On defense, Wilson has excellent range, soft hands and a cannon arm. Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU: Taylor is another hitter with strong plate discipline, and this trait was on display during the entirety of the Stars & Stripes series. He also showed the ability to impact the baseball, hitting one round tripper and finding the barrel on several other occasions. Taylor is sure handed with a strong, accurate arm at the hot corner. Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida: Though Langford’s stat line was rather pedestrian, his batted ball data from the first two games of the series was not. His compact, yet powerful, swing enabled him to drive the ball no fewer than five times Thursday and Friday evening. He also exhibited a keen eye. A former catcher, Langford has transitioned well to the corner OF. He tracks the ball deftly and all of his throws are on line with good carry. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest: An imposing figure at 6-04/220, Wilken had trouble making contact this spring (24% K-rate). That was not the case the first two nights of the series as the Florida native went 4/9 with a double that almost left the ballpark and just one strike out. On defense, Wilken possesses a strong, yet not-always-accurate arm and will need to work on his agility. Wilken ultimately was not selected to travel to Holland and rejoined Harwich in the Cape Cod League, where he will get much-needed reps. It will be interesting to see which developmental path Wilken follows—will he develop into a Bobby Dalbec all-or-nothing type who eventually moves off of 3B, or will he continue to improve and possibly one day resemble Austin Riley? Teddy McGraw, RHP, Wake Forest: Not overly physical at 6-02/210, McGraw was up to 95 MPH with his fastball and flashed a plus slider with excellent pitch metrics. He still needs to improve his overall command, however. Ross Dunn, LHP, Arizona State: Let’s just say that Dunn did not look like the pitcher with a 4.88 ERA or 1.42 WHIP this spring. He sequenced expertly, mixing at will a 93-94 MPH heater with a fading mid-80’s changeup and 83-84 MPH slider. At 6-03/220, Dunn is perfectly proportioned with tapered shoulders and powerful legs. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest: A dead ringer for Mike Clevinger with his long, curly locks, Lowder put on a clinic Friday night. His fastball was up to 95 with plenty of hop and his slider was hellish, particularly for right-handed hitters. PDP League Max Clark, OF, Vanderbilt commit: So far, Clark is the marquee name amongst rising HS seniors. He resembles Jarred Kelenic at the same age with better speed and a stronger arm. He didn’t have a banner PDP performance statistically, but all his tools were evident. Walker Jenkins, OF, North Carolina commit: Clark’s foil in the HS class, Jenkins also didn’t have a great series (though he turned it on a bit towards the end of the week). He’s a legitimate 5-tool talent who looks like he could add another 10-15 pounds onto his 6-03 frame. Kevin McGonigle, 2B, Auburn commit: McGonigle raked for the entire week in Cary, showing why he has one of the best pure hit tools in the entire class. Campbell Smithwick, C, Ole Miss commit: Smithwick stung the ball on Friday, showcasing a super-quick bat against premium stuff. He’s one of the youngest players in the class and won’t turn 18 until a week before the draft. Thomas White, LHP, Vanderbilt commit: This is what a young Steve Avery looked like more than 30 years ago. The 6-05/210 White filled the zone, striking out seven opposing hitters in 3 IP with a 95 MPH fastball and knee-buckling curveball. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Ole Miss's national championship has come and gone, so let's start looking ahead to 2023! In an age where the transport portal plays a larger-than-ever role in college baseball, compiling a ranking of teams this early is a difficult task. On top of that, we're still over a week away from the MLB Draft. However, we can start to piece together a few things about teams, so it's time for a way-too-early top 25. LSU leads the way with their plethora of transfers, while the SEC tops all conferences with 9 ranked teams, followed by the ACC (5), Pac-12 (4), and Big 12 (3). See below for the full top 25! Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Ole Miss Claimed its first national title and finished on top of the college baseball world. The SEC leads all conferences with 8 ranked teams, followed by the ACC (5), Pac-12 (4), and Big 12 (3). See the full top 25 below. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

“Mike Elias is King and the Rest of us are just his loyal Subjects” With the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft less than four weeks away, it’s time for some action. “Action” as in a mock draft that will blow your socks off. And this is the perfect year for such mad, unadulterated chaos. Unlike 2019, when Adley Rutschman was considered by all to be the alpha male, or 2020, when Spencer Torkelson was the Big Dawg, 2022 does not feature that one guy who’s a slam dunk for 1-01. Now, throw in the fact that Orioles GM Mike Elias will be the guy with his hand on the nuke button when the festivities kick off on July 17th and you’ve got a recipe for carnage. Time and time again, Elias has gone off the grid on draft night, and we expect MMXXII to be no different. Buckle up everyone! First Round 1) Baltimore Orioles; Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly—Mike Elias is feeling good. Really good. Baltimore not only finished the 1st half of the season on pace for the team’s best record since 2017, but the organization is teeming with high-ceiling prospects up and down the minor league chain. Add to that the good news that Baltimore has the first overall selection, holds five of the first 81 picks, and boasts the draft’s largest bonus pool at almost $17 million. This ain’t Elias’ first rodeo. Back in 2012, when he was Assistant GM of the Astros, Houston nearly brought the house down with its last-minute decision to draft Carlos Correa instead of Byron Buxton (saving $2.4 million of pool money in the process). And in 2020, when Elias was already steering the Orioles’ ship, he surprisingly picked Heston Kjerstad over “bigger” names like Austin Martin and Asa Lacy, netting his team millions in savings. With Elias and his posse, it’s not always about talent but about dollars and talent. 2022 is no different. Elias and his baseball ops people narrowed the selection down to high school bats Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, and Termarr Johnson and two college hitters in Jacob Berry and Lee. While Jones is seen by many as the top available talent, it’s not by that wide of a margin. Holliday has been charging hard all spring and is a shortstop with a lethal left-handed bat. Johnson may have the best overall hit tool from a prep since Joe Mauer 20 years ago. And Berry had more XBHs than Ks playing in the ultra-competitive SEC. Then there’s Lee. Baltimore’s evaluators have been high on the switch-hitting shortstop since he hit a mind-boggling .405 with wood in the prestigious Cape Cod League. While there are questions regarding how long Lee will be able to stay at the six because of his 6-02/205 frame, these are all offset by his offensive prowess. Moreover, as a collegian, he has less leverage than Jones and the other high schoolers Baltimore is considering. Thus, Lee, who really isn’t at play at picks 2 and 3, will settle for a $7.25 million bonus, over $1.5 million less than the slot amount of $8,842, 200. Elias understands that with the addition of Lee into the fold, he’ll have a massive glut of left side infielders in Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, and Coby Mayo, but that’s a problem for another day. On this night, he’s got a plan to execute and the party has only begun. He grabs for the peanut M&Ms. 2) Arizona Diamondbacks; Druw Jones, OF, Suwanee GA (HS)—D-Backs GM Mike Hazen sees the game Elias is playing and can only shrug. Because in his mind Baltimore has played right into Arizona’s hands. The Diamondbacks are one of those teams that views Jones as the draft’s biggest talent and they’re thrilled to land him. With mega-talents like SS Jordan Lawlar and OF Corbin Carroll already on board, Hazen and friends think they’re on the verge of something huge in the desert. 3) Texas Rangers; Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater, OK (HS)—The Rangers are yet another team ecstatic at Elias’ draft day machinations because Holliday has been the object of their affection all along. The son of 7-time All Star Matt Holliday, Jackson doesn’t have his father’s physicality but does own a beautiful lefty swing that should produce ample power and a high average in due time. And most think he’ll be able to stick at shortstop. Had the Rangers not run into this good fortune, they would have most likely taken tooled-up HS OF Elijah Green. 4) Pittsburgh Pirates; Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC—Count Pirates GM Ben Cherington as one of those not amused by Elias’ antics as the Orioles GM 20 minutes earlier threw a massive monkey wrench into Pittsburgh’s plans. See, the Pirates viewed Lee as the perfect fit—a polished college bat who would move with lightning speed through the system. But all is not lost for the Bucs as Cherington and his crew have a Plan B. Though still just 17, Collier already mashed with wood this spring then traveled to the Cape and the MLB Draft Combine, where his smooth left-handed swing elicited oohs and ahs by the dozen. Plus, he has MLB bloodlines, as his father Lou was a big league infielder for parts of eight seasons, including two with the Pirates. While Collier won’t make it to the Steel City as quickly as Lee, there’s confidence within the Pirates war room that the former may have the higher upside. Plus, he’ll happily take an under slot deal since the earliest he was slated to go was 7th to the Cubs. Sitting not even 20 miles from PNC Park, in Wexford, PA, Cole Young’s face is pale white as he sets his iPhone down following a call with his advisor. Young’s life has just gotten far more complicated. Originally thought to be a late-teens pick and recipient of a bonus in the $3-$3.5 million range, Young has now found himself right in Mike Elias’ crosshairs, according to his advisor. The Orioles have encouraged Young to suddenly—in the 11th hour—express his willingness to fulfill his Duke commitment if he doesn’t receive a signing bonus of at least $4 million. This would conceivably scare teams into not picking the young shortstop. But will Young play ball? 5) Washington Nationals; Elijah Green, OF, Windermere, FL (HS)—Nats GM Mike Rizzo likes tools. Always has. And in Green he’s got plenty of them. The son of former NFL Tight End Eric Green, Elijah is a 6-03/225 specimen who has posted out-of-this-world exit velocities (EVs) as well as breathtaking sprint times. Although Washington has occasionally flirted with college bats Kevin Parada and Gavin Cross, Green’s total package is just too intriguing to pass up. 6) Miami Marlins; Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech—Marlins VP of Player Development & Scouting Gary Denbo has been enthralled with Parada since the first time he laid eyes on the Georgia Tech backstop. Parada’s defense has never been more than adequate (and even some in the business would call that assessment generous), but his offensive ceiling is immense. The draft-eligible sophomore nearly hit has many homers (26) as he had strikeouts (32) in ’22 and his lightning-quick wrists and compact swing ensure that elite velocity will never be a problem. Sure, Denbo considered the prep Johnson and Cross, but those were only contingency plans in case Parada was already off the board. 7) Chicago Cubs; Termarr Johnson, 2B, Atlanta, GA (HS)—The Cubs were vacillating for a month between Collier and Johnson, but the choice was made easy for them when Pittsburgh opted for Collier. Like Collier, Johnson has a deluxe hit tool. Undersized at 5-09/170, he has deceptive power. Al Avila is drenched. In sweat. After about an hour, Avila realizes this is where things will get dicey for his Detroit Tigers. In desperate need of a big-time college bat to add to Detroit’s punchless system, Avila and his rat pack of Tiger execs have identified three hitters—LSU’s Jacob Berry, Virginia Tech’s Gavin Cross, and Texas Tech’s Jace Jung—as guys they believe may be available when Detroit picks at 12. So far, all are still on the board, but that was expected. Now things will get interesting. Avila reaches for a Scotch. The next hour will be a long one. 8) Minnesota Twins; Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech—In one of the more obvious picks within the top 10, Minnesota takes Cross. The Twins have always had a penchant for drafting hard-hitting outfielders early—Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker, and Trevor Larnach quickly come to mind—and Cross with his hypersonic exit velocities are the epitome of this genre. The Twins’ brain trust will sleep soundly tonight. Having decimated the peanut M&Ms, Elias makes a move for the Twix. Good thing he logged an hour on the treadmill this morning, he thinks to himself. Suddenly his cell phone rings—it’s Cole Young’s advisor. Yes, the Young camp is willing to participate in Elias’ draft night charade. The advisor and Elias agree on a final price--$4.25 million, which is nearly $2 million above slot at the Orioles’ next pick, 33. Young is worth it. He projects to have at least a 55 hit tool with burgeoning power and well above average speed. He’s also a dazzling defender at shortstop with oodles of range and a cannon arm. There is no doubt that he’ll be able to remain at the position deep into his pro career. After he gets off the phone and polishes off the candy bar, Elias discusses with his consigliere, Sig Mejdal, how they’ll be able to afford such a large outlay. The O’s will already have the $1.5 million in savings from the Lee pick and will have to accrue about $500,000 in additional savings from going underslot at subsequent picks. Both men agree it’s very doable. Now the rest of the teams will have to cooperate. 9) Kansas City Royals; Brock Porter, RHP, Milford, MI (HS)—Royals President Dayton Moore is a simple man. He’s had a crew cut for as long as he can remember, eats the same thing for lunch every Friday, and has worn the same pair of shoes for over three years. But on draft night everything changes for Moore. He becomes a rebel. Last year, his Royals shocked baseball by taking Frank Mozzicato dozens of picks before the industry had him. And now this year the entire industry is on the edge of its seat, waiting for Moore to pull another rabbit out of his hat. Many expect KC to nab Justin Crawford, a speedy prep outfielder from Las Vegas who’s probably a better fit in the 20’s. But the Royals pivot and instead take Porter, the best high school arm since the elbow injury to Dylan Lesko. Prep righthanders have always been the riskiest demographic in the draft, but Moore isn’t having any of it. “This guy will be starting Game 7 the next time we’re playing in October!” he proudly exclaims. 10) Colorado Rockies; Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, LSU—It’s been no secret that the Rockies covet some thunder from the college ranks. Like many teams at this stage of Round 1, Colorado really likes Cross, but he’s gone. They also have a thing for Jung and helium-filled Campbell SS Zach Neto. But Berry is their guy. The Arizona native’s defensive deficiencies will always be an issue, but his refined offensive game is just too enticing to pass up. “Mierda!” Avila responds to the Rockies’ selection of Berry. Only Jung remains of the troika Detroit has targeted. 11) New York Mets; Justin Crawford, OF, Las Vegas, NV (HS)—The Mets have been a black box the entire spring with many unsure at how they’ll spend zillionaire owner Steve Cohen’s money. And to make things even more uncertain, this pick is their consolation prize for failing to sign Kumar Rocker, their 1st round pick from last year. Some say they’ll go after Lesko, the best prep arm until he had Tommy John surgery. Others are convinced they’ll draft Arizona C Daniel Susac. Instead, they pull the trigger on Crawford, a speed-first center fielder at what will be a well under slot deal. It’s obvious the Mets have something big up their sleeve. Right after this pick is submitted, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline tweets that Cole Young has decided to honor his commitment at Duke. Sitting in the Orioles’ war room, Mike Elias smiles at Sig Mejdal, his front teeth still stained by the remnants of his Twix bar. 12) Detroit Tigers; Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech—As the Mets’ pick is announced, a huge roar bursts out in the Tigers’ war room in their Lake, FL spring training facility. With Detroit’s favorite pitcher in Porter already off the board, a Mets’ selection of Jung would have caused the Tigers to go even further down on their list and select either Neto or prep righty Owen Murphy. But with Jung in the fold, Detroit has added that much-needed bat. Detroit is lucky—Jung would have likely gone in the top 10 had a late-season hip injury not adversely impacted his performance down the stretch. 13) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Daniel Susac, C, Arizona—Last year, the Angels took pitchers with all of their 20 picks, and many anticipate the Halos will continue where they left off. But Susac, despite some questions around his defense and pitch selection, is just too good of a talent to ignore. There will be plenty of arms left in subsequent rounds, GM Perry Minasian says to no one in particular as the pick is read. 14) New York Mets; Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford, Georgia (HS)—Throughout the spring, scouts flocked to tiny Buford, GA in droves to watch the phenomenon that is Dylan Lesko pitch. With a fastball approaching the century mark, a plus-plus changeup and emerging deuce, Lesko was said by some to be the best high school pitching prospect since Josh Beckett more than 20 years ago. But when he succumbed to the scalpel like so many of his pitching brethren this spring he became a black box as far as his draft status was concerned. Would he still be the same after surgery? What were his bonus demands? Instead of turning pro would he honor his college commitment and head to the pitching factory that is Vanderbilt? These were all questions asked by executives and evaluators alike since late April, and no one had an answer. Enter Steve Cohen, the Mets owner. Though Lesko’s bonus demands do not drop despite his surgery, Cohen doesn’t flinch. Armed with the $1 million in savings from the Crawford deal and the $700,000 in 5%-of-total-pool overage money (that comes with a 100% tax so many teams are loath to pay), New York has no qualms about meeting Lesko’s hefty asking price. 15) San Diego Padres; Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama—For Padres GM AJ Preller these are not unchartered waters. Six years earlier, he happily selected Cal Quantrill eighth overall based purely on Quantrill’s bullpen sessions after the Canadian missed all of his junior year at Stanford following Tommy John surgery. And after seeing Prielipp break the Rapsodo Machine with his 3000+ RPM slider and light up the radar gun with his 95 MPH heater, Preller decides to take the plunge again. It’s important to note that following his abbreviated freshman campaign, scouts had compared Prielipp to a young Mark Langston. 16) Cleveland Guardians; Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison—Due to their success in developing arms, many believe Cleveland will opt for a hurler here. But, instead, the Guardians pick DeLauter. DeLauter is somewhat of a divisive pick. He was anointed a potential top-10 selection at the beginning of the spring, but a poor opening weekend against FSU, questionable swing mechanics, and a broken foot have taken their toll on his draft status. Cleveland, on the other hand, sees a massive (6/04-230) five-tool talent who’s extremely young for the draft class. Prior to draft night, 1-16 is a rumored landing spot for Campbell RHP Thomas Harrington and none other than Cole Young. 17) Philadelphia Phillies; Robby Snelling, LHP, Reno, NV (HS)—Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski never met a hard thrower he didn’t like and that certainly doesn’t change now. Snelling flew up draft boards as he demonstrated a mid-90’s fastball and much improved command of two secondaries. The Phillies were also interested in DeLauter before Cleveland picked their pockets. 18) Cincinnati Reds; Owen Murphy, RHP, Riverside, Il (HS)—Cincinnati had been considered a possible landing spot for two college pitchers, Oklahoma State’s Justin Campbell and Gonzaga’s Gabriel Hughes, but the Reds like Murphy’s upside more. Murphy is on the smaller side (6-01/190) and some scouts see a lot of Jack Leiter in him. Also of importance is the Reds’ recent success in developing young arms. 19) Oakland A’s; Zach Neto, SS, Campbell—The A’s were all ready to pop Cal Berkeley slugger Dylan Beavers, but when Neto, who had been in play as high as 7 to the Cubs, was still available, Oakland changed course. After all, no one knows value better than club president Billy Beane. Sitting with his family, Cole Young starts to have reservations. Late teens and early 20’s was where he’d been predicted to land, but with his draft night proclamation, Young realizes this won’t be happening. What if the Orioles don’t honor their word, Young wonders. 20) Atlanta Braves; Thomas Harrington, RHP, Campbell—The Braves spent their 2020 and 2021 1st round picks on college arms from the southeast and drink from the same fountain in 2022. As is par for the course for a number of teams picking in this neighborhood, Campbell and Hughes were also strongly considered. 21) Seattle Mariners; Peyton Graham, SS/3B, Oklahoma—Seattle’s brain trust would have swooped up Neto if he fell here but instead “settles” for Graham, who literally made himself millions with his heroics at the College World Series. More than one scout has thrown out a Trea Turner comp. 22) St. Louis Cardinals; Kumar Rocker, RHP, (non-affiliated)—Nearly a quarter century ago, the Redbirds drafted and signed J.D. Drew after Drew had failed to reach an agreement with the team that had originally drafted him (the Phillies), and St. Louis employs the same strategy again this year (albeit under much different circumstances). The Cardinals’ slot amount of just over $3 million is merely a fraction of what the Mets could have paid Rocker last year, but as a 22-year-old without college eligibility, the only leverage Rocker has is to test his luck is Japan. Elias surveys the teams in the draft queue; however, he doesn’t really need to do this. He memorized the top-33 draft order weeks ago. Still, it never hurts to look. There’s currently a run on college players, which Elias believes will continue for at least the next several picks. But the small market wizards in Tampa Bay lurk at 29. If there’s any team that will call his bluff and ruin his master plan it’s the Rays. At this point, all Elias can do is wait. He wishes he had a pack of Camels nearby but makes do with a pack of Twizzlers. 23) Toronto Blue Jays; Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State —True to Elias’ assessment, the run on college players continues. Hjerpe has unorthodox mechanics but excellent pitch metrics—so excellent that some thought he’d be gone 10 picks before this. Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro pays homage to the baseball gods as he makes this pick. What a value play. 24) Boston Red Sox; Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee—In Gilbert, Beavers, Stanford’s Brock Jones, and Tennessee’s Jordan Beck, Boston GM Chaim Bloom realizes there’s surplus value to be had at this pick. He ultimately chooses Gilbert because of his speed, hit tool, and ability to stick in center field. 25) New York Yankees; Brock Jones, OF, Stanford—The Yankees, much like their chief rivals to the north, also have their eyes on the gaggle of college outfielders and like Jones in particular. His athleticism, speed, juicy lefty swing, and ability to grind out at bats reminds them of long-time lead-off man Brett Gardner. Beavers and 6-07 man child Spencer Jones from Vanderbilt are also considered. 26) Chicago White Sox; Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga—Hughes has been in the conversation for the past ten picks and finally finds a home in the South Side of Chicago. The ChiSox have been in on everyone—they really like diminutive high school SS Jett Williams, as well Beavers and prep IF Tucker Toman but ultimately deem Hughes too valuable to pass up this late in the draft. 27) Milwaukee Brewers; Blade Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee—Brandon Woodruff. Corbin Burnes. Aaron Ashby. The Brewers have made a living in recent years by drafting and developing hard-throwing college arms. Enter Tidwell, who has some of the best stuff in the country and a projectable frame despite missing the start of the ’22 season because of a shoulder ailment. Beavers, Toman, and Beck are also on the docket for the Brew Crew, but Milwaukee simply cannot resist the allure of Tidwell’s high-90’s cheese and atomic slider. Cole Young is uncomfortable, to say the least. According to his representation, the Rays have been poking around, asking if he’d be willing to take their $2.75 million, which is a full $1.5 million less than what Elias and the Orioles have offered. Of course Young’s advisor told them of his client’s intention to head down to Duke, but are the Rays really buying it? Will Young, who’s dreamt of being a big league shortstop his entire life, literally walk away from millions? The only person more nervous in America than Young right now is Elias. If Tampa calls his bluff then he’ll have to turn to Plan B, which is still in the conceptualization phase. University of Texas-bound OF Henry Bolte? Lanky flamethrowing southpaw Noah Schultz? 17-year-old baby-faced assassin Walter Ford? They’re all good but wouldn’t quite be the heist Young is. Elias waits. 28) Houston Astros; Jud Fabian, OF, Florida—Fabian is one of the most divisive college hitters in years. He entered the ’21 campaign as a near lock for the top 5, but his inability to make consistent contact dropped him out of the 1st round. Still 20, he decided to return to Gainesville for his senior season, and though he significantly cut down on his strikeouts, he hit just .239 (albeit with 24 dingers and a .414 OBP). The ’Stros like Fabian’s power, patience, and defense and view him as their center fielder of the future. Tampa Bay is on the clock. Though Young and Elias are separated by over two hundred miles, they both take a deep breath as Commissioner Rob Manfred steps to the podium. 29) Tampa Bay Rays; Tucker Toman, 3B, Columbia, SC (HS)—Tampa Bay GM Erik Neander is no dummy. He realizes Young has a well-over slot deal waiting for him somewhere—likely Baltimore—and the threat to go to school is just a smokescreen. But a small market club that relies on its farm feeder system as much as Tampa can’t take any chances. Losing out on a 1st round pick in the unlikely event Young does matriculate would be devastating. Neander & Co certainly do like Young. A lot. But they’re also smitten with Toman, who can spray line drives from both sides of the plate and offers a howitzer for an arm at the corner. He also has no qualms about signing at slot. At the end of the day, it’s not a hard decision for the Rays. Once Manfred announces the pick, pandemonium ensues in the Orioles’ war room. Yet again, Elias gets his guy! 30) San Francisco Giants; Brandon Barriera, LHP, Hollywood, FL (HS)—The Giants player development machine has had success developing prep arms in recent history, most notably Kyle Harrison, and Barriera’s package fits the organization’s development philosophy. Free Agent Compensation Picks 31) Colorado Rockies; Jackson Ferris, LHP, Mount Airy, NC (HS)—This will cost the Rockies as Ferris is a 1st round caliber arm who will undoubtedly want far more than the $2,429,000 designated for this pick. That’s not an issue for the Rockies who have the 5th highest bonus pool at almost $13.7 million, as well as the 38th overall pick. With the latter, Colorado will go well under slot to offset the overage on Ferris. 32) Cincinnati Reds; Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma—This time the Reds pivot and take a collegiate. But Horton’s no ordinary cat. He was more highly touted as a shortstop when he arrived on campus then almost immediately underwent Tommy John. It took him most of this season to regain his control and command but did so at just the right time—he’s dominated in the postseason, featuring a high-octane fastball and vicious slider. Cincinnati might have stolen one here. Competitive Balance Round A 33) Baltimore Orioles; Cole Young, SS, Wexford, PA (HS)—The big moment arrives for Elias and his crew. After he calls in the pick, Elias reflects on what he’s pulled off. By landing Young, he has landed two of the top 20 talents in the draft class, including a guy who’s a lock to stick at shortstop. Young won’t come cheap, however. Not only will his pre-negotiated $4.25 million signing bonus take up his entire slotted amount of $2.3 million and the $1.5 million of savings from the Lee pick at 1-01, but will also force Baltimore to find an additional $450,000 of savings later in the draft. Elias, ever the creative one, has some ideas, including soon-to-be-22-year-old Oregon State OF Jacob Melton. 34) Arizona Diamondbacks; Gavin Turley, OF, Chandler, AZ (HS)—The D-Backs go all tools here, selecting the mercurial Turley. Turley oozes projectability and has immense power but his hit tool is a question mark. 35) Kansas City Royals; Andrew Dutkanych, RHP, Indianapolis, IN (HS)—For a while this spring, Dutkanych’s name was bandied about as a possible top-15 guy, but bouts of wildness pushed him out of the 1st round. Still, the Royals love pitchers with big bodies and bigger arms and the Vanderbilt commit certainly fits that description. 36) Pittsburgh Pirates; Noah Schultz, LHP, Aurora, IL—Remember when the Pirates saved some coin by taking Collier at 1-04? Well, here’s where they cash in. Schultz is a 6-09 behemoth who’s surprisingly polished for a prep hurler of his stature. He was also looking at a possible 1st-round selection before catching mononucleosis in March. 37) Cleveland Guardians; Walter Ford, RHP, McCalla, AL (HS)—Still 17, with a powerful, well-rounded arsenal, Ford fits Cleveland’s drafting strategy to a T. 38) Colorado Rockies; Max Wagner, 3B, Clemson—Looking to save a couple bucks to pay for Ferris, Colorado pops Wagner. Despite his otherworldly season, Wagner doesn’t really have a defensive home and was therefore seen as more of a 3rd rounder. He’ll gladly take several hundred grand below slot for the opportunity to launch balls at Coors. 39) San Diego Padres; Justin Campbell, RHP, Oklahoma State—The wait is finally over for Campbell, whose size and pitch characteristics make him a dead ringer for 83-game winner Doug Fister. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!