Orioles Land Can't-Miss Prospect in ESPN's MLB Mock Draft

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The 2022 MLB season has been far from smooth for the Baltimore Orioles, who sit dead last in the AL East. Having said they, their younger players have shown a lot of promise and they'll have a chance to add to that collection with the 2022 MLB Draft next month.

Fortunately, the Orioles hold the first overall pick this year and ESPN has them taking a can't-miss prospect in the latest mock draft. Analyst Kiley McDaniel is projecting that Baltimore will take Wesleyan High School centerfielder Druw Jones at No. 1.

Orioles Mock Draft

McDaniel says that Jones (along with May High School's Termarr Johnson) is one of the top two players in the draft. Anything short of drafting one of them would likely be a disappointment for Orioles fans.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound 18-year-old is viewed by many as one of the best defenders out of high school, if not in the entire 2022 draft class. He has impressive speed and a solid arm, impressing pretty much every scout that watches him.

The Vanderbilt recruit is more than solid at the plate as well, possessing a skill to find open gaps off quick hits. Jones' frame will also allow him to add more power to his arsenal as time goes by, making him even more dangerous when combined with his speedy base running.

Furthermore, Jones also has MLB pedigree in his blood. His father, Andruw, was a five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and 2005 Major-League home run leader. If The younger Jones' career somewhat resembles what his father accomplished, Orioles fans will be happy.

Jones could easily be a player that the Orioles can build around for years to come. A core that includes the likes of him, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson would paint a truly bright future in Baltimore.

The 2022 MLB Draft begins on Sunday, July 17 in Los Angeles, CA.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.