Rangers start an AL West Road Trip with a visit to the Astr*s: TEX @ HOU 5/19-22

[saddles]

Just Baseball has their Mock Draft 2.0 out and I like who they have us landing. Here is their top 10.

Lee
Jones
Johnson
Green
Parada
Jung
Holliday
Lesko
Cross
Berry

2022 MLB Mock Draft 2.0

Just Baseball's updated MLB mock draft after the first few months of the College baseball season.

www.justbaseball.com

3. Texas Rangers – SS Termarr Johnson, Mays (GA)​

Height: 5-8 | Weight: 194 lbs. | B-T: L-R | Age: 18

Scouting Report: Possibly the best pure hitter in years, Johnson’s hit tool carries his game, and rightfully so. The ball jumps off of his bat, supported by unreal bat speed and a smooth swing from the left side. While he plays shortstop now, Termarr profiles as a second baseman long-term. Johnson already possesses power at the dish, with more to come as he progresses.


Pick Explanation: The Rangers are in an interesting spot. It looked like they would go with a tear-down rebuild but surprisingly signed both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to long-term deals. With the current state of their farm system, Texas needs to go with the best player available in Johnson. In the future, the Rangers could move Semien to DH to open a spot for Johnson.

 

[scotsman1948]

I think the conversation was discussing hypotheticals about an OF set up so that neither Garcia, Taveras, or Thompson would be starters, and of those, which would be the best option for a 4th OF.

okay i see Garcia being part of the starting of next year so i would say of the other 2 probably Taveras. all 3 will probably be on the 26 in 2023

 

[saddles]

Wut?

I would for sure want Adolis but hopefully to start. If you meant White Leody or Bubba. Thinking I might lean towards Bubba for defense and base stealing. Probably more upside too Bubba does not know how to take a walk and swings too much. White has had his shot

Neither of them have earned the right to start though. Maybe Evan Carter will progress rapidly
Unfortunately we need a great starting CF who is great defensively to cover LF if we bring up a guy who mainly bats well

lol. No, I meant it as I stated it. Of course, all of them could start at some point, but I think eventually, in a year or two, we will have 3 better outfielders here, better overall, that is. Between free agency, Duran, Harris, Smith and possibly Foscue I think they will all be surpassed.

So I guess you would pick Adolis. I think I would too.

 

[DT LUNA]

Just Baseball has their Mock Draft 2.0 out and I like who they have us landing. Here is their top 10.

Lee
Jones
Johnson
Green
Parada
Jung
Holliday
Lesko
Cross
Berry

2022 MLB Mock Draft 2.0

Just Baseball's updated MLB mock draft after the first few months of the College baseball season.

www.justbaseball.com

3. Texas Rangers – SS Termarr Johnson, Mays (GA)​

Height: 5-8 | Weight: 194 lbs. | B-T: L-R | Age: 18

Scouting Report: Possibly the best pure hitter in years, Johnson’s hit tool carries his game, and rightfully so. The ball jumps off of his bat, supported by unreal bat speed and a smooth swing from the left side. While he plays shortstop now, Termarr profiles as a second baseman long-term. Johnson already possesses power at the dish, with more to come as he progresses.


Pick Explanation: The Rangers are in an interesting spot. It looked like they would go with a tear-down rebuild but surprisingly signed both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to long-term deals. With the current state of their farm system, Texas needs to go with the best player available in Johnson. In the future, the Rangers could move Semien to DH to open a spot for Johnson.

Moving Semien to DH is really making a huge assumption. lol

 

[DT LUNA]

lol. No, I meant it as I stated it. Of course, all of them could start at some point, but I think eventually, in a year or two, we will have 3 better outfielders here, better overall, that is. Between free agency, Duran, Harris, Smith and possibly Foscue I think they will all be surpassed.

So I guess you would pick Adolis. I think I would too.

I agree that any of ^those guys would make us better for sure. Also would choose Adolis. White has made a good run but he is through unless by some miracle turn around happens.

 

[Kelleyman]

My hope is Smith proves himself both offensively and defensively and isn’t eventual starter in CF. Perfect lead off guy.
Tepid does not have this optimism

 

[DT LUNA]

My hope is Smith proves himself both offensively and defensively and isn’t eventual starter in CF. Perfect lead off guy.
Tepid does not have this optimism

Do you mean is or isn't eventual starter

 

[saddles]

Moving Semien to DH is really making a huge assumption. lol

It would probably be 2025 or 2026 before Termarr Johnson is ready to come up. Semien would be 24 or 35 years old so DH would certainly be a possibility. That is, if he is still good enough to start by then.

 

[DT LUNA]

It would probably be 2025 or 2026 before Termarr Johnson is ready to come up. Semien would be 24 or 35 years old so DH would certainly be a possibility. That is if he is still good enough to start by then.

Or hit. Seems to be a problem now so by then is a big question.

 

[saddles]

Extensive Look at 2022 MLB Draft Prospects

Today, I continue with another group of short writeups about one of the guys suspected to go early in the draft. Today's post is about Druw Jones, a centerfielder from Wesleyan High School in Georgia. I will quote several shorter writeups and give a link at the conclusion to a more in-depth piece about him.

Top Baseball Draft Prospects

The Official Site of Major League Baseball

www.mlb.com

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 70 | Overall: 60

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.

2022 MLB Draft - Mock Draft 2.0 — Prospects Live

Mock Draft 2.0 is here. Who will your team select? Where wiill Termarr Johnson, Elijah Green, Druw Jones and Dylan Lesko end up? What about college stars like Brooks Lee, Kevin Parada and Jace Jung? MLB scouting personnel helped develop v 2.0. Enjoy.

www.prospectslive.com

Jones has some of the most explosive athletic ability in the 2022 class and the namesake to draw in fans. The bat-to-ball skills here are impressive. Jones has substantial raw power too, comfortably plus, maybe more. At 6-foot-3, it’s a prototype frame that will undoubtedly stick in CF thanks to top-of-the-scale speed and on-field instincts. He may end up an elite defender like his dad thanks to terrific speed and a plus arm to go along with it. Some scouts have envisioned a potential shortstop here too, though most feel he’s destined for centerfield. He produces big barrel velocities with violent hands and an aggressive, whippy swing plane. He gets fantastic extension at the plate as well. The entire package is incredibly advanced. The last frontier for evaluators is seeing Jones sync up his upper and lower half with more consistency in-game, something he’s shown remarkable improvement on since last summer. He’s reasonably comfortably the best prospect in this class right now.

Top MLB Draft prospect Druw Jones is having fun despite the pressure

“He does all the little things right and well,” Brian Krehmeyer said. "If you're looking for quality person, he's worthy of No. 1."

theathletic.com

The top-rated prospect in this summer’s MLB Draft is no stranger to the spotlight. He is the son of a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He is a hitting prodigy of his own merit. He is an All-American and an alumnus of USA Baseball. By now, Druw Jones knows how to comport himself in the public eye.

Yet when Jones was confronted earlier this season with an overzealous student section chanting “Overrated,” the high school coach who has guided him through four varsity seasons couldn’t help being impressed by his star player’s response. It wasn’t just that Jones barreled an elevated 92 mph heater, sent the pitch in a high arc over the head of a right-hander committed to Georgia State and watched the baseball drop over the center-field fence. It was how cool Jones remained throughout the sequence.

The “Overrated” chants are new this year. They’re a product of Jones’ status as the No. 1 amateur player in this year’s draft class, a designation he was given by virtually every publication that released prospect rankings in the preseason. The mocking doesn’t seem to rattle him. It has fueled him instead.

“The pressure just doesn’t get to him,” said Brian Krehmeyer, Jones’ coach at Wesleyan School in suburban Atlanta. “And I think that’s also what’s attractive to a lot of these major-league teams. He shines the brightest in the biggest moment.”

Whether Jones goes in the first round isn’t a question. The question is how high. The Orioles have the No. 1 pick for the second time in four years, and their last 1-1 pick, Adley Rutschman, was the consensus top prospect of his class. Rutschman, however, was a polished college catcher with safe-bet tools. Jones is a high school outfielder who has showcased well on the travel circuit and demolished lesser competition every spring. But does he have a high enough floor to become the first high school player drafted in the top spot since shortstop Royce Lewis went to the Twins in 2017?

Forget the bloodlines. Jones is clearly a well-trained hitter, with a keen understanding of the strike zone and the ability to shoot balls to all fields. He produces good loft and still hasn’t filled out his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame, a strong indication that more power is to come as he matures. He is a fast runner and a skilled defender in center field, with a cannon arm he lends to the mound as a starter.

“What’s still special is seeing him patrol the outfield,” Krehmeyer said. “When you see a ball off the bat, and it’s heading to the gap, and your first thought is, ‘Oh, gosh, that’s trouble.’ And then all of a sudden he swoops in and either catches it effortlessly, or he does have to extend himself and dive. You’re like, ‘Oh, that’s his father’s son.’”

Jones’ tools probably provide the highest upside of any high school player projected as first-rounder this year. Add back into the mix that he has learned to play the sport from a father, former Braves superstar Andruw Jones, who is still in contention to crack the Hall of Fame. It becomes even harder to deny Jones’ potential.

At this stage, scouts attending Jones’ games aren’t looking for reasons to draft him. They’re looking for reasons not to.

Not even that kind of pressure has appeared to affect Jones. He has batted nearly .600, with 43 hits, including eight home runs, in his first 24 games. He has coupled a comical .597/.685/1.028 slash line with 17 stolen bases in 18 tries. And in the midst of showing off his dynamism, he finds time to unleash his personality. He banged a double off the tall left-field wall of a rival school’s stadium earlier this week and celebrated at second base with a tribute to Drew Gilbert of the University of Tennessee’s baseball team. Never mind that Jones is committed to Vanderbilt.

“He does all the little things right and well,” Krehmeyer said. “It’s far from me to say that he’s a can’t-miss prospect. But he’s a can’t-miss kid. If you’re looking for quality person, he’s worthy of No. 1.”

MLB draft prospects 2022: Ranking top 50 players in the class, with Termarr Johnson at No. 1

These are the names to know as college and high school baseball seasons get started

www.cbssports.com

The name isn't a coincidence. Jones is the son of Andruw, the longtime Braves center fielder who won 10 Gold Glove Awards and homered 434 times during his big-league career. Predictably, Jones the Younger should become an eraser himself thanks to his above-average speed and his innate feel for the position. At the plate, he has a fast bat and a projectable frame that betoken future muscle and power gains. Scouts do have concerns about the length of his swing, but they believe at his peak he could be an above-average hitter with plus grades on his defense and his baserunning. Jones has an outstanding commitment to Vanderbilt that he seems more likely to leverage in negotiations (à la Jordan Lawlar, the No. 6 pick last summer) than he is to honor it.


2022 MLB Mock Draft 2.0

Scouting Report: The son of Andruw Jones, Druw features an exciting combination of speed, athleticism, and bat-to-ball skills. Like his father, Jones is a premium defender in the outfield, profiling as a center fielder long-term. After some swing adjustments, Jones looks to be driving the ball further than before, making him a premium talent in this draft.

Andruw Jones’ son is the consensus No. 1 player in the draft class, rising to the top as much because of the high floor he offers for a high school player as his ceiling. He’s a plus defender in center now, with similar feel for the position to his father, gliding to catch fly balls thanks to strong reads off the bat. He is a plus runner with at least 60 raw power, with strength to drive the ball out to center, but his swing can get long and he can try too hard to get to that power on pitches he should just put into play. He does have a solid feel for the strike zone for his age, however, and doesn’t expand the zone on himself when he falls behind. He has All-Star upside and it’s easy to see how he could settle in as a soft regular even if we’re all too high on the hit tool.


MLB Draft Profile: Druw Jones - Prime Time Sports Talk

 

[Kelleyman]

Do you mean is or isn't eventual starter

Meant is. Thank you

 

[scotsman1948]

Meant is. Thank you

i would like to give Thompson and maybe Taveras time (at least 1 more time in the case of Taveras) at the MLB level before we write them off, so next season seeing as we aren't expected to go anywhere in 2023 start them in the outfield with Garcia with either White or Walker as the 4th OF'er. start with Jung, Seager, Semien & Lowe as the infield with Miller and Smith as the UIF. Heim and Huff as the catchers and Garver as the DH

 

[saddles]

From Scott Lucas:

Opponents are hitting .091/.206/.091 against Chase Lee, who's allowed five singles and seven walks as May draws near a close.

 

[scotsman1948]

From Scott Lucas:

Opponents are hitting .091/.206/.091 against Chase Lee, who's allowed five singles and seven walks as May draws near a close.

kid could be a damn good closer

 

[Kelleyman]

Extensive Look at 2022 MLB Draft Prospects

Today, I continue with another group of short writeups about one of the guys suspected to go early in the draft. Today's post is about Druw Jones, a centerfielder from Wesleyan High School in Georgia. I will quote several shorter writeups and give a link at the conclusion to a more in-depth piece about him.

Top Baseball Draft Prospects

The Official Site of Major League Baseball

www.mlb.com

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 70 | Overall: 60

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.

2022 MLB Draft - Mock Draft 2.0 — Prospects Live

Mock Draft 2.0 is here. Who will your team select? Where wiill Termarr Johnson, Elijah Green, Druw Jones and Dylan Lesko end up? What about college stars like Brooks Lee, Kevin Parada and Jace Jung? MLB scouting personnel helped develop v 2.0. Enjoy.

www.prospectslive.com

Jones has some of the most explosive athletic ability in the 2022 class and the namesake to draw in fans. The bat-to-ball skills here are impressive. Jones has substantial raw power too, comfortably plus, maybe more. At 6-foot-3, it’s a prototype frame that will undoubtedly stick in CF thanks to top-of-the-scale speed and on-field instincts. He may end up an elite defender like his dad thanks to terrific speed and a plus arm to go along with it. Some scouts have envisioned a potential shortstop here too, though most feel he’s destined for centerfield. He produces big barrel velocities with violent hands and an aggressive, whippy swing plane. He gets fantastic extension at the plate as well. The entire package is incredibly advanced. The last frontier for evaluators is seeing Jones sync up his upper and lower half with more consistency in-game, something he’s shown remarkable improvement on since last summer. He’s reasonably comfortably the best prospect in this class right now.

Top MLB Draft prospect Druw Jones is having fun despite the pressure

“He does all the little things right and well,” Brian Krehmeyer said. "If you're looking for quality person, he's worthy of No. 1."

theathletic.com

The top-rated prospect in this summer’s MLB Draft is no stranger to the spotlight. He is the son of a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He is a hitting prodigy of his own merit. He is an All-American and an alumnus of USA Baseball. By now, Druw Jones knows how to comport himself in the public eye.

Yet when Jones was confronted earlier this season with an overzealous student section chanting “Overrated,” the high school coach who has guided him through four varsity seasons couldn’t help being impressed by his star player’s response. It wasn’t just that Jones barreled an elevated 92 mph heater, sent the pitch in a high arc over the head of a right-hander committed to Georgia State and watched the baseball drop over the center-field fence. It was how cool Jones remained throughout the sequence.

The “Overrated” chants are new this year. They’re a product of Jones’ status as the No. 1 amateur player in this year’s draft class, a designation he was given by virtually every publication that released prospect rankings in the preseason. The mocking doesn’t seem to rattle him. It has fueled him instead.

“The pressure just doesn’t get to him,” said Brian Krehmeyer, Jones’ coach at Wesleyan School in suburban Atlanta. “And I think that’s also what’s attractive to a lot of these major-league teams. He shines the brightest in the biggest moment.”

Whether Jones goes in the first round isn’t a question. The question is how high. The Orioles have the No. 1 pick for the second time in four years, and their last 1-1 pick, Adley Rutschman, was the consensus top prospect of his class. Rutschman, however, was a polished college catcher with safe-bet tools. Jones is a high school outfielder who has showcased well on the travel circuit and demolished lesser competition every spring. But does he have a high enough floor to become the first high school player drafted in the top spot since shortstop Royce Lewis went to the Twins in 2017?

Forget the bloodlines. Jones is clearly a well-trained hitter, with a keen understanding of the strike zone and the ability to shoot balls to all fields. He produces good loft and still hasn’t filled out his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame, a strong indication that more power is to come as he matures. He is a fast runner and a skilled defender in center field, with a cannon arm he lends to the mound as a starter.

“What’s still special is seeing him patrol the outfield,” Krehmeyer said. “When you see a ball off the bat, and it’s heading to the gap, and your first thought is, ‘Oh, gosh, that’s trouble.’ And then all of a sudden he swoops in and either catches it effortlessly, or he does have to extend himself and dive. You’re like, ‘Oh, that’s his father’s son.’”

Jones’ tools probably provide the highest upside of any high school player projected as first-rounder this year. Add back into the mix that he has learned to play the sport from a father, former Braves superstar Andruw Jones, who is still in contention to crack the Hall of Fame. It becomes even harder to deny Jones’ potential.

At this stage, scouts attending Jones’ games aren’t looking for reasons to draft him. They’re looking for reasons not to.

Not even that kind of pressure has appeared to affect Jones. He has batted nearly .600, with 43 hits, including eight home runs, in his first 24 games. He has coupled a comical .597/.685/1.028 slash line with 17 stolen bases in 18 tries. And in the midst of showing off his dynamism, he finds time to unleash his personality. He banged a double off the tall left-field wall of a rival school’s stadium earlier this week and celebrated at second base with a tribute to Drew Gilbert of the University of Tennessee’s baseball team. Never mind that Jones is committed to Vanderbilt.

“He does all the little things right and well,” Krehmeyer said. “It’s far from me to say that he’s a can’t-miss prospect. But he’s a can’t-miss kid. If you’re looking for quality person, he’s worthy of No. 1.”

MLB draft prospects 2022: Ranking top 50 players in the class, with Termarr Johnson at No. 1

These are the names to know as college and high school baseball seasons get started

www.cbssports.com

The name isn't a coincidence. Jones is the son of Andruw, the longtime Braves center fielder who won 10 Gold Glove Awards and homered 434 times during his big-league career. Predictably, Jones the Younger should become an eraser himself thanks to his above-average speed and his innate feel for the position. At the plate, he has a fast bat and a projectable frame that betoken future muscle and power gains. Scouts do have concerns about the length of his swing, but they believe at his peak he could be an above-average hitter with plus grades on his defense and his baserunning. Jones has an outstanding commitment to Vanderbilt that he seems more likely to leverage in negotiations (à la Jordan Lawlar, the No. 6 pick last summer) than he is to honor it.


2022 MLB Mock Draft 2.0

Scouting Report: The son of Andruw Jones, Druw features an exciting combination of speed, athleticism, and bat-to-ball skills. Like his father, Jones is a premium defender in the outfield, profiling as a center fielder long-term. After some swing adjustments, Jones looks to be driving the ball further than before, making him a premium talent in this draft.

Andruw Jones’ son is the consensus No. 1 player in the draft class, rising to the top as much because of the high floor he offers for a high school player as his ceiling. He’s a plus defender in center now, with similar feel for the position to his father, gliding to catch fly balls thanks to strong reads off the bat. He is a plus runner with at least 60 raw power, with strength to drive the ball out to center, but his swing can get long and he can try too hard to get to that power on pitches he should just put into play. He does have a solid feel for the strike zone for his age, however, and doesn’t expand the zone on himself when he falls behind. He has All-Star upside and it’s easy to see how he could settle in as a soft regular even if we’re all too high on the hit tool.


MLB Draft Profile: Druw Jones - Prime Time Sports Talk

Pretty impressive minus the long swing.
Like the pedigree Size is good. Instincts
I am a sucker for guys who project to CF.
Who else has a better bat with perhaps a more compact swing and this likely less swing and miss. Wonder if he has seen much breaking stuff but surely he has in the circuit

 

[Kelleyman]

i would like to give Thompson and maybe Taveras time (at least 1 more time in the case of Taveras) at the MLB level before we write them off, so next season seeing as we aren't expected to go anywhere in 2023 start them in the outfield with Garcia with either White or Walker as the 4th OF'er. start with Jung, Seager, Semien & Lowe as the infield with Miller and Smith as the UIF. Heim and Huff as the catchers and Garver as the DH

Well if we move Calhoun and if Solak that creates a spot. Looks like Kole is not going anywhere

 

[saddles]

Well if we move Calhoun and if Solak that creates a spot. Looks like Kole is not going anywhere

Why not trade Kole?

 

[Kelleyman]

Why not trade Kole?

Because FO does not want to while he is productive. Perception if they did would be that they dont care about this year and this will decrease fan attendance

 

[saddles]

Because FO does not want to while he is productive. Perception if they did would be that they dont care about this year and this will decrease fan attendance

You mean like when they traded Gibson and a few others the last couple of years?

 

[Kelleyman]

Nomar Mazara collected three singles and a walk for El Paso. He signed with San Diego in mid-March after spending eight months without a job. Mazara's hitting .340/.442/.576, which has to be downgraded in the context of where he plays, but on the other hand, he's also hitting well in the PCL's small number of pitcher-friendlier parks. Perhaps he'll get another shot, as the Padres aren't getting much from their outfield and DH spots right now. Had potential been achieved, Mazara would be in his walk year as a Ranger, gearing toward a free agent contract at the age of 27, or perhaps he'd already signed to an extension. Mazara is younger than Willie Calhoun and Nick Solak