Pittsburgh Pirates: Way Too Early 2022 Five Round Mock Draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2021 season with a record of 61-101. This landed them the #4 spot in the 2022 draft. Here is my 5 round early mock draft for the 2022 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It may only be October, but, hey, it’s never too early to look ahead to the 2022 MLB Draft for the Pittsburgh Pirates… right?

1st Pick: Outfielder Druw Jones, Wesleyan HS

For their 1st pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the 4th overall selection, the Pittsburgh Pirates select outfielder Druw Jones. Jones stands at 6’3” and weighs 175 pounds. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves star, Andruw Jones. The bloodline is there for this kid.

If you look at all the players in the league now that has had success after their father, you should be excited if the Pirates do indeed select Jones as their 1st pick. The players that come to mind of course is Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Jones comes from Wesleyan High School in Norcross, Georgia. He throws and bats right-handed. I don’t think the Pittsburgh Pirates should draft for need in the 1st round, so Jones should be their guy if he falls to them at #4. He has the build and athleticism to be a 5-tool player. He is the kind of kid you want to develop in your system and I believe he could move up quickly if drafted by the Pirates.

This year Jones put up insane numbers in High School. He batted .445 with 16 home runs, 7 doubles, and 2 triples. He had 14 stolen bases and finished with a 1.494 OPS. He also can pitch. In 18.1 innings, Jones had a 1.53 era with a 3-1 overall record.

2nd Pick: Left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist, Miami

For their second pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select left-handed pitcher, Carson Palmquist. Palmquist stands at 6’3” and weighs 175 pounds and is from Fort Meyer, Florida. He is often compared to Chris Sale, which should get Pirate fans excited.

In 2020, Palmquist appeared in 8 games and pitched 11.2 innings. He finished the year with a 2.31 era allowing only 6 hits and 3 earned runs. This season was canceled because of the shutdown of college athletics due to the COVID-19 and the pandemic.

In his first full season in college, the 2021 season for Carson Palmquist helped boost his draft stock. He appeared in 25 games in a relief role where he had a 2.22 era in 44.2 innings pitched. He had 14 saves on the year and only allowed 8 walks.

Palmquist sits in the mid to low 90s with his fastball but has a devastating sweeping slider. I’ll be interested to see if next year the Miami pitching staff moves him to a starting role with the team. In 2021 Palmquist made the NCBWA All-America First Team as a pitcher and also the 2021 Perfect Game All-America First Team as well. Hopefully, the Pittsburgh Pirates see what I see in his this kid and draft him early.

3rd Pick: Right-handed pitcher Jared Karros, UCLA

For their 3rd pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select right-handed pitcher, Jared Karros from UCLA. Karros stands at 6’7” and weighs 200 pounds. He comes from Manhattan Beach, California, where he was heavily recruited. Karros is the son of former Dodger, Eric Karros.

In 2020, Karros appeared in 4 games as a true freshman where he finished the year with a 2-0 record and an era 3.86. He pitched 14.0 innings and gave up 6 earned runs and only walked 2 batters before the season was canceled.

This year, Karros appeared in 7 games and was tabbed as the opening day starter for UCLA in 2021. There is a lot to like about his game. Karros pitched a total of 27 innings allowing 10 earned runs and striking out 32 batters on the season. He allowed only 5 walks and finished the year with 3.33 era and a 2-1 overall record.

The Pittsburgh Pirates can never go wrong in drafting more talented pitchers. The farm system is very deep in pitching but adding the likes of Carson Palmquist and now Jared Karros will make it even more strong. Karros has one more year with UCLA and should see a lot more starts for the 2022 season. Look for him to add velocity to his fastball over the offseason and improve his stock.

4th Pick: First basemen Ethan Long, Arizona State

For their 4th pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select first basemen, Ethan Long from Arizona State. Long stands at 6’2’ and weighs 220 pounds. He is your typical power hitting first basemen. Long bats and throws right-handed.

In his first year with Arizona State, Long played in 51 games. In 162 at bats, 55 of them were for hits in which 27 of them were extra base hits. He finished the year with 16 homeruns and 54 runs batted in. His slash line with Arizona State was .340/.417/.704 and had an OPS of 1.120 in his first year with the Sun Devils.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are lacking at the first base position in the farm system, so I believe Ethan Long can help fill that void. With only Mason Martin and Alexander Mojica as true first basemen, this would be a necessary “draft for need” situation.

He will have one more year in college to improve his bat skills and I think he could move up quickly in the Pirates system once drafted. If the Pirates want to compete in the near future, drafting college bats are the way to go and Ethan Long fits in that category.