MLB Pipeline released their 2022 mock draft last week, tabbing the New York Mets to pick a promising prep arm and a prolific college bat with their two first-round selections.
The Mets have two first-round picks in the 2022 MLB Draft at 11 and 14. Pick 11 comes as a compensation pick for failing to sign Kumar Rocker, the towering right-handed starter out of Vanderbilt who the Mets selected 10th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft.
11. Brock Porter, RHP
MLB Pipeline has the Mets taking Brock Porter, a right-handed pitcher out of Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s Prep, with the 11th overall pick. Porter is the second-ranked pitcher in the class and the 13th-ranked player overall according to the MLB.com draft board. In fact, this mock draft has Porter as the first pitcher off the board, which says just as much about the talent of the position player pool than it does about the lack of talent amongst the pitchers.
Porter, who is listed at 6’4” and 205 pounds, has a fastball that can touch 100 and an elite changeup, and he is able to mix it up occasionally with a hard slider and a curveball. Porter led his prep team to state titles during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he followed that up by winning Gatorade’s 2021 player of the year for the state of Michigan in his junior season. Porter is committed to play at Clemson University, but a selection this high in the draft should be enticing enough to convince him to turn pro.
14. Chase DeLauter, OF
MLB Pipeline then has the Mets taking Chase DeLauter, a left-handed hitting outfielder out of James Madison University, with the 14th overall pick. DeLauter is the fifth-ranked outfielder, seventh-ranked college bat, and 12th-ranked player overall according to the MLB.com draft board.
DeLauter, who is listed at 6’4” and 235 pounds, had an impressive freshman season at James Madison, hitting .382 with a 1.013 OPS across 16 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was even better in 2021, hitting .386 with a 1.231 OPS across 26 games. In case that wasn’t impressive enough, he somehow raised both of those numbers again, with a slash line of .437/.576/.828 straight out of a video game in 2022. Unfortunately, DeLauter broke his foot on a slide into second base back in April, ending his season after just 24 games.
DeLauter has far less collegiate games played than one might expect from a player wrapping up his junior season, but all he has done in his time on the field is rake. Yes, these numbers have come in a mid-major conference, and scouts have questions about his ability to catch up to faster pitching. Still, DeLauter profiles as a corner outfielder with tons of pop and an impressive eye for drawing walks.
The 2022 MLB Draft will take place during All-Star weekend, starting on Sunday, July 17 and going until Tuesday, July 19. Additionally, MLB is bringing back the draft combine which debuted last season, taking place June 14-20 at Petco Park in San Diego.
