A review of the selections made by the Seattle Mariners in the 2022 MLB draft, which was held at Xbox Plaza in Los Angeles.
From a Mariners perspective, this year’s All-Star events in Los Angeles became more relevant with the inclusion of Julio Rodriguez and Ty France. Rodriguez dazzled in the Home Run Derby, while both made their first appearance in an All-Star Game.
During the same period, Los Angeles was also host to the 2022 MLB draft, which was held at Xbox Plaza. Here is a recap of who the Mariners selected during the three-day event:
Cole Young, SS, 21st overall (first round) Bats – LH, Throws – RH
The selection of Cole Young was notable for being the second consecutive year the Mariners drafted a high school player in the first round. The youngster played his high school ball at North Allegheny High School, in Wexford, PA.
Despite still being in high school, Young was ranked 20th by MLB.com among this year’s top 250 draft prospects. Last November, he signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Duke University.
The shortstop racked up some impressive numbers during his 73 career games at North Allegheny. This included a .428 batting average, 73 runs scored, 11 home runs, 64 RBI, a .554 on-base percentage, .766 slugging percentage and 1.320 OPS.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto described Young as having one of the prettiest swings in this year’s draft. More importantly, Dipoto appreciates how well he plays the game overall.
The Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting, Scott Hunter, also gave his take on the 18-year-old. He said:
“He is a pure hitter who is developing over-the-fence power, to go along with the gap-to-gap power he has already shown. Cole is a complete baseball player with a special bat, and we are thrilled to add him to our organization.”
NEXT: WHAT POSITION WILL SECOND ROUND PICK EVENTUALLY PLAY?