Just as the lede says on Prospect Live’s most recent mock for the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft, it’s January.
But, there’s still something to be said for having two New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series alums in the first round, and neither of the two names should come as a surprise.
Brock Jones is currently projected to be taken fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, which would make him the highest drafted alum in FSS history, surpassing Zac Veen, who went ninth to the Colorado Rockies in 2020, and has since emerged as the top prospect in their organization.
The Future Stars Series has already established a rich tradition of helping to produce first-round talent; Grayson Rodriguez, Bo Naylor, Daniel Espino, Mick Abel, Justin Lange, Drew Romo and Veen have all gone on the first day after playing at jewel events, while 2021 combine attendee Max Muncy guaranteed that the FSS would have at least one first-rounder in each of the last four drafts.
Prospects Live calls Jones — who we first saw as a member of NorCal at the 2018 National Tournaments — where he was accurately labeled at the time as the top prospect of the event — and then later that same year at International Week, where he ended up smacking a ground-rule double off of Adam Macko, who ended up being drafted in the seventh round by the Seattle Mariners the following year — as potentially the “biggest X-factor” in this draft class, with a big junior season ahead at Stanford set to dictate exactly where his name eventually does get called.
Surely another player in that “X-factor” category would be Cam Collier (pictured), who bet on himself by reclassifying into the 2022 grad class to become eligible for this year’s draft, electing to forego his final two years in high school to attend junior college at Chipola.
Collier has a rich history at Future Stars Series events, homering at both the 2020 National Combine and 2021 National Combine. He also was invited to International Week at just 15 years old for the 2020 event, and made a much more significant impact at what’s now called the Main Event a year later at Citi Field.
Prospects Live has Collier going 31st overall to the San Francisco Giants, saying he “has a smooth and low effort swing, knows his zone, and takes mature at bats. He projects well at the plate and should hit for enough power to fit at third base with the reactions and plus arm that are needed defensively as well.”
Collier was recently profiled in a big story on the FSS website, and told us that his focus remains on the JUCO season ahead, with whatever may unfold with the Draft or potentially returning for another season of college baseball far enough in front of him to where he’s only thinking about the task at hand with Chipola.
“I’m just thinking about if my team, we can make it to Grand Junction (Colorado) first, try to win a Junior College World Series,” he said. “Wherever that takes me, whether it’s another year at Chipola, or at a four-year (college) or possibly the draft, really it’s all up in the air. But, getting drafted is my dream and it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. Of course I’ll be thinking about that. But right now, my main focus is Grand Junction.”
