2022 MLB Actual Draft Day(s) Thread

[Tryptamine]

Logenhagen says Cam and the Reds have a 5M+ deal.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Dude pitched against sec competition so we already know he can handle AA

[Bertz]

As a reminder given both guys are still on the board, the Cubs have been tied to Prielipp a bunch of times (as an underslot at 7), and then a few days ago VERY explicitly to Whisenhunt at 47.

[Gilby]

OK, after watching some highlights on the guy, I'm not too upset. In general, I think the athletic, two way player thing is overplayed (Casey Kelly is still probably on someone's top 100 list) but he's got great stuff and I like that the walk totals were low.

 

I am shocked they didn't just pick Lee and am a little fearful about that one

[CaliforniaRaisin]

As a reminder given both guys are still on the board, the Cubs have been tied to Prielipp a bunch of times (as an underslot at 7), and then a few days ago VERY explicitly to Whisenhunt at 47.

 

Also been linked to Ford, Bolte and Toman.

[mias_tisg]

Diamondbacks are having the best draft so far

[Irrelevant Dude]

Jackson Ferris?

[Bertz]

I believe Ferris is another guy that gives the pitch design folks a huge boner. The org clearly has a type now.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jackson Ferris… Drafted a prep lefty from IMG Academy (Gray) for the second straight year.

 

Rankings:

 

ESPN - 41

FG - 43

BA - 34

MLB Pipeline - 19

Prospects Live - 27

[Tryptamine]

The team picking after the Cubs has Lee nd Prielipp. Not pleased.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Irrelevant Dude]

Jackson Ferris may have been born 18 years after the movie release, but I still want him to have the awareness to wear number 86 if/when he ever makes it to Chicago.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jackson Ferris… Drafted a prep lefty from IMG Academy (Gray) for the second straight year.

 

Rankings:

 

ESPN - 41

FG - 43

BA - 34

MLB Pipeline - 19

Prospects Live - 27

 

I was posting Horton’s all over the place so here is a summary of his rankings:

 

ESPN - 22

FG - 12

BA - 23

MLB Pipeline - 24

Prospects Live - 12

 

Between the two picks, the Cubs outdid their pick number with Pipeline and PL’s rankings, came very close to matching BA and FG and was about 10 spots lower on ESPN’s.

[mias_tisg]

Cubs drafted like a borderline playoff team or playoff team last year would. No point to tanking like they've done the last 2 years to not grab any impact players. I think they got 2 decent players that won't even slot in their top 10 prospects (granted, they have a strong system but still)

[OleMissCub]

Guess that worked out for me. He was an Ole Miss commit that I was desperately hoping would fall far enough to make it to campus but hey, happy to have him be a Cub. He’s a stud.

[Bertz]

Cubs drafted like a borderline playoff team or playoff team last year would. No point to tanking like they've done the last 2 years to not grab any impact players. I think they got 2 decent players that won't even slot in their top 10 prospects (granted, they have a strong system but still)

 

Fangraphs gives Horton the same grade as Cristian Hernandez and gives Ferris the same grade as Wicks, Herz, and Kilian.

 

It's not what I would have done with Lee on the board but they did fine value-wise. And then you add the context of the org feeling like they're one of the smart ones in terms of understanding pitching and you see where they're coming from.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Cubs drafted like a borderline playoff team or playoff team last year would. No point to tanking like they've done the last 2 years to not grab any impact players. I think they got 2 decent players that won't even slot in their top 10 prospects (granted, they have a strong system but still)

 

Since FG’s Board is so great, we know that Cade Horton at a 45+ FV will rank either 6th or 7th in the Cubs system (with Cristian Hernández also a 45+).

 

Ferris at a 45 FV will rank as high as 8 (accounting for the addition of Horton) to 16.

[mias_tisg]

Add the Astros and Twins with Arizona for best drafts.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Cubs drafted like a borderline playoff team or playoff team last year would. No point to tanking like they've done the last 2 years to not grab any impact players. I think they got 2 decent players that won't even slot in their top 10 prospects (granted, they have a strong system but still)

I understand the sentiment. I don't generally like the idea of going underslot on a Top 10ish pick, especially for the Cubs who already have a very deep system, but one that is still lacking in top tier prospects.

 

I don't think it's fair to say they didn't pick up any impact players though. We simply don't know. They got 2 of the better pitching prospects in this draft, and it's entirely possible that one of them ends up being a very good Major League starter.

[OleMissCub]

They’re gonna pay over slot to sign Ferris. I’m pretty sure he’s got a high number.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Time for Ferris blurbs. BA had him at 34:

 

34

Jackson Ferris

IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.

LHP

Notes:

HT: 6-3 | Wt: 199 | B-T: L-L

Commit/Drafted: Mississippi

Age At Draft: 18.5

BA Grade: 55/Extreme

Tools: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.

 

Originally a product of Mount Airy High in North Carolina, Ferris transferred to IMG Academy, where he wowed scouts during his junior season by posting a 0.55 ERA over 50.2 innings and striking out 86 batters compared to just 13 walks. He made significant velocity increases throughout his high school career, and over the 2021 showcase circuit was regularly around 93 mph and touching 96-97 mph at peak from the left side. On top of that fastball, Ferris has flashed multiple above-average secondaries: a mid-70s curveball with impressive depth and spin (2,400-2,600 rpm) and a mid-80s changeup that’s thrown with fastball arm speed. That loud stuff did come with some inconsistencies that scouts hadn’t previously seen from him as an underclassman, and throughout the 2022 spring he was largely the same pitcher—good pure stuff, but scattered and inconsistent command from outing to outing. Many scouts believe Ferris’ complicated, contorting delivery is simultaneously a boon for his deception and a burden for overall consistency. There’s tilt and drift during Ferris’ leg lift, with plenty of length and hooking action in the back of his arm slot, and then finally a crossfiring lower half in his landing. He’s not always on time with his release at foot strike and many in the industry believe he’ll need to clean up some of those moving parts to make the most out of his obvious arm talent. Ferris is committed to Mississippi but has plenty of interest among the top two rounds.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

ESPN:

 

41. Jackson Ferris (18.4), LHP, IMG Academy HS (FL), Ole Miss commit

 

Velo: 92-94 t96, Fastball: 50/55, Curveball: 50/55, Changeup: 45/50, Command: 40/55

 

Ferris was right there with Dylan Lesko and Brandon Barriera pacing a historic group of prep arms entering the summer, but some other arms showed plus stuff more often over the past year. Ferris still shows above-average ability at almost every aspect of pitching and could be a delivery tweak away from being a top-10-to-15 player in this draft class.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

FG had him 43:

 

Ferris' combination of velocity (up to 96 mph), fastball carry, breaking ball snap, and frame give him tremendous upside. His feel for location is so raw that he has a little more relief risk than some of the high school pitchers ranked below him in the 2022 draft class, though sometimes guys with lanky frames like this gain control of their bodies later. Ferris has a powerful lower half, bending deep into his blocking leg. He also strides open, clearing his front side to help enable an extremely vertical arm slot. The combination of the two helps Ferris' fastball have flatter angle than is usual for a pitcher this tall, with such a high arm slot. If he can live more consistently at the top of the strike zone as he matures, Ferris' mid-90s fastball could dominate up there. The vertical slot helps him create depth on his breaking ball, and Ferris can turn over a changeup from that slot, albeit with a little variation. There are three potential impact pitches here, a ton of physical projection, and a delivery that some scouts see as the key to the whole operation, but that others think points toward the bullpen. He is a high school pitching prospect of extreme variance.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Prospects Live had him 27:

 

Ferris has a long, yet relatively clean arm action and has plenty of projection on his frame to add strength and velocity. Primarily 93-95, Ferris has been up to 97 with a fastball that showcases huge riding life. His curveball has solid depth with big, tight spin in the mid-70's and there is a change-up in the low-80's that needs refinement. The fastball is the calling card here and it absolutely blows hitters away. Being a left-handed pitcher that can reach back for high-90s cheese, and given his 6-foot-5-inch frame, scouts are drooling over what the final package could look like here a few years down the road. Ferris was very good, not great in 2022, thus the slip to the back-half of the first round, but it's hard to argue with the upside here.