MLB Draft 2022: Georgia prospects picked throughout Day 1
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 17: A view of the draft board and stage after the selection of Druw Jones as the second pick overall during the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft at L.A. Live on Sunday, July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel (Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, Calf. - Major League Baseball clubs drafted several college and high school players with ties to Georgia on Sunday as the state continued to validate its reputation as a hotbed for professional baseball prospects.
Wesleyan outfielder Druw Jones, son of retired Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones, was the No. 2 overall pick to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Druw Jones was considered the top prospect in the draft this year by MLB.com analysts.
Two picks later, Mays High School two-way standout Termarr Johnson. Listed as a shortstop, MLB.com analysts ranked Johnson as the No. 4 overall prospect. He was drafted in exactly that slot, No. 4 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada was the third player with ties to the Peach State selected on Day 1 of the draft, No. 11 overall by the New York Mets. Parada is a California native with 35 career homers in two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, 26 in the most recent season. He was a finalist for the 2022 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation.
Buford High School ace Dylan Lesko was selected with the No. 14 pick by the San Diego Padres. The right-handed pitcher was regarded as the No. 14 overall prospect in the MLB Draft by MLB.com. Lesko had season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his elbow in April.
The Cincinnati Reds picked Cam Collier, an Austell native and graduate of Mount Paran Christian, at No. 18. MLB rated the outfielder as the No. 8 prospect in this year's draft. Collier played collegiately at Chipola College, a Florida-based school that's churned out major league talent, including Patrick Corbin, Russell Martin and Jose Bautista.
Georgia Tech can boast two draft picks on Day 1. The Tampa Bay Rays selected infielder Chandler Simpson, a St. Pius X alum, No. 70 overall. Simpson played two years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before playing his final amateur season at Georgia Tech. His only collegiate home run was in his final season with the Yellow Jackets, but he stole 59 bases, caught just seven times in three combined seasons (including the pandemic shortened 2020 season).