Orioles select four on first day of 2022 draft

The Baltimore Orioles selected infielder Jackson Holliday from Stillwater High School (OK) with the first overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles also selected outfielder Dylan Beavers at No. 33 overall from the University of California, Berkeley, infielder Max Wagner at No. 42 overall out of Clemson University (SC), and outfielder Jud Fabian at No. 67 overall out of the University of Florida.

Holliday, 18, hit .685/.749/1.392 (89-for-130) with 29 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, 74 runs scored, 79 RBI, and 30 stolen bases in 40 games during his senior season and was named a Preseason Second-Team All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game before the year. The 89 hits set a national high school record for hits in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 88 set by J.T. Realmuto in 2010. Holliday’s season led to him being selected as the Gatorade Oklahoma Baseball Player of the Year and Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year. He was named the top player in Oklahoma by Perfect Game, No. 2 overall draft prospect by MLB.com, and No. 3 prospect by Baseball America. Jackson is the son of MLB veteran Matt Holliday, who played 15 seasons for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. Matt was a seven-time All-Star from 2004-18 and originally selected by Colorado in the seventh round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft out of Stillwater High School (OK). Holliday is the first high schooler taken by the Orioles in the first round since right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (No. 11 overall) in 2018, and the first high school position player taken by the Orioles in the first round since infielder Ryan Mountcastle (No. 36 overall) in 2015. He was ranked as the No. 2 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 3 by Baseball America.

Beavers, 20, slashed .291/.426/.634 (62-for-213) with 16 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 62 runs scored, 50 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 56 games for the Golden Bears during his junior season. His 17 home runs are tied for eighth-most in a single-season in program history, while his 36 career home runs rank seventh-most. Beavers led the team in RBI, total bases (135), and multi-RBI games (13). The outfielder was named a First-Team All-Pac 12 selection for the second straight year and earned his second straight ­American Baseball Coaches Association West All-Region First Team honor. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, and was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. A graduate of Mission College Preparatory High School in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Beavers was a two-time First-Team All-California Interscholastic Federation selection and earned a USA Today All-USA Honorable Mention as a senior in high school. He was ranked as the No. 22 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 26 by Baseball America.

Wagner, 20, hit .369/.496/.852 (75-for-203) with 15 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 66 runs scored, and 76 RBI during his sophomore season. He tied a school record with 27 home runs. He was named ACC Player of the Year after leading the conference in slugging percentage and OPS (1.348) while ranking tied for the ACC lead in home runs. His slugging percentage ranked second in the nation, trailing only Texas’ Ivan Melendez (.863). The Wisconsin native also paced Clemson in walks (45), runs, RBI, and total bases (173). Wagner set a single-season school record by averaging a home run every 7.5 at-bats. He is Clemson’s highest draft pick since 2019, when Logan Davidson was selected in the first round (No. 29 overall) by the Oakland Athletics. Wagner attended Preble High School in Green Bay, Wisc., and was named the 2020 Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year. He was ranked as the No. 66 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 70 by Baseball America.

Fabian, 21, slashed .239/.414/.598 (56-for-234) with 10 doubles, one triple, 24 home runs, 63 runs scored, and 55 RBI in 66 games with the Gators during his redshirt junior season. The former Gator ranked among SEC leaders in walks (2^nd, 62), home runs (T-2^nd), and runs (T-9^th) in 2022. His 56 career home runs rank third in program history. He was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, First-Team All-SEC Preseason selection, and to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Fabian was selected in the second round (40^th overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft by the Boston Red Sox, but did not sign. He graduated from Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla. He was ranked as the No. 52 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 61 by Baseball America.

The Draft continues with Day Two on July 18, with rounds 3-10, and Day Three on Tuesday, July 19, with rounds 11-20, with each day beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on MLB.com.