Fangraphs final mock draft has Rangers going prep bat

The final 2022 MLB mock draft from Fangraphs is now up, and they have the Rangers going the prep hitter route.

Fangraphs has the Orioles cutting a below-slot deal to take prep infielder Termarr Johnson at #1, with Arizona then snatching up Atlanta high school center fielder Druw Jones — the consensus top prospect in the draft — at #2. That leaves the Rangers at #3 with Stillwater, Oklahoma, shortstop Jackson Holliday available, and Fangraphs has Texas grabbing Holliday at #3, noting that if Jones and Holliday are off the board, Elijah Green and Kevin Parada are the two guys most likely to be taken.

That’s consistent with the rumors that have been swirling, and at this point, I’d say it would be a surprise if the Rangers 1) passed on Jones or Holliday if one of them is there at #3, and 2) didn’t take either Green or Parada if Jones and Holliday are off the board.

In this mock, Green drops to Kansas City at #9, which is consistent with what we discussed earlier today about the possibiliy of trying to get Green on an under-slot deal, as the teams from #4 through #8 all seem to be targeting college players if one of Jones, Holliday or Johnson don’t fall to them. Parada is not likely to drop farther than #5, so even though Green is a high schooler and Parada is a college player (albeit a draft-eligible sophomore), Green may be more likely to go well below slot than Parada.