There has been some consistency atop the MLB draft in recent years: Teams are more comfortable with college baseball players at the top of their draft board.
The 2022 draft bucked that trend. Led by Jackson Holliday out of Stillwater High School (Okla.) selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the first overall pick, four of the first five players were high school athletes. It took until the sixth pick overall for someone who played at university last season to be selected.
It was a trend certainly intensified by the lack of visibility high school players had during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it didn’t start with the 2020 draft. Over the last four seasons, a combined four total high schoolers had been picked in the top five. That number was matched on Sunday night.
