As an entry into both the College World Series and the MLB draft, I wanted to break down some of the top prospects in the CWS as well as provide a quick breakdown of the talent for each of the eight qualifying teams. I'm limiting my scope to the type of talent found in the top two to three rounds, so there are plenty of solid contributors -- maybe even some soon-to-be 2021 CWS heroes -- who won't be on here because the draft stock of a 22-year-old first baseman with average tools or a one-and-a-half-pitch reliever just isn't that high and all of these teams have a number of them.
While this is a solid indicator of which teams have the most pro-style, blue-chip talent, I wouldn't treat it as a great handicapper for CWS success, except in extreme situations (i.e. Vanderbilt can be seen as a favorite), because depth, short-term performance and luck will play key roles.
If you're paying casual attention to college baseball and the MLB draft, you might not know that the 2022 draft class already has proved to be loaded a full year in advance, but the list below makes that more clear. If not noted, prospects are 2021 draft-eligible.
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Top 15 draft prospects
1. Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt
2. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt
3. Carter Young, SS, Vanderbilt (2022 draft class)
4. Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi State (2022)
5. Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State
6. Ty Madden, RHP, Texas
7. Jacob Berry, 3B, Arizona (2022)
8. Enrique Bradfield Jr., CF, Vanderbilt (2023)
9. Landon Sims, RHP, Mississippi State (2022)
10. Daniel Susac, C, Arizona (2022)
11. Brock Jones, LF, Stanford (2022)
12. Trey Faltine, SS, Texas (2022)
13. Christian Little, RHP, Vanderbilt (2023)
14. Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas (2023)
15. Andrew Abbott, LHP, Virginia
Arizona Wildcats
Top prospects: 3B Jacob Berry (2022), C Daniel Susac (2022)
Others of note: RHP Chase Silseth, RF Ryan Holgate, RHP T.J. Nichols (2023)
Arizona has a deep roster of pro-quality talent with its top two prospects both returning next spring, a great development under coach Nate Yeskie. Silseth and Holgate figure to go in the late-second to fourth-round area this July, and there are a number of prospects who should go just behind them.
Berry and Susac are just behind the top tier of college hitters in the 2022 class, but a strong College World Series and summer versus top competition could vault them into that top tier.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Top prospects: C Logan Tanner (2022), RHP Will Bednar, RHP Landon Sims (2022)
Others of Note: RHP Jackson Fristoe (2022), LHP Christian MacLeod
Mississippi State is second to Vanderbilt in first-round-level talent, with three total prospects, and two of them will be back next spring.
Sims and Tanner both have a shot to go in the top half of the first round next year, with Fristoe more likely in the second-round area and MacLeod in the late second or third this summer.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Top prospects: None
Others of note: C Luca Tresh, SS Jose Torres, 2B Tyler McDonough, LHP Evan Justice
Tresh was a near miss to the main list and has a shot to sneak into the second round of this year's draft. Torres and McDonough should go in the third or fourth round; Justice is an older power lefty reliever who likely goes just behind them. There are also a number of players with pro potential in the lineup who belong in the fifth round or later.
Stanford Cardinal
Top prospects: LF Brock Jones (2022)
Others of note: 3B Drew Bowser (2023), RHP Brendan Beck
Jones has taken a big step forward this spring and now looks like a first-round pick. Bowser was a fringe first-rounder out of high school last year who had big bonus expectations and a solid freshman year. Beck fits Cleveland's style of pitching, as a second-tier command-over-stuff arm who belongs in the third to fifth round. The next tier of talent is pretty young, so Stanford has a bright future.
Tennessee Volunteers
Top prospects: None
Others of note: RF Jordan Beck (2022), RHP Chad Dallas, RHP Blake Tidwell (2022), 2B Max Ferguson, CF Drew Gilbert (2022)
Tennessee's talent base has been arrow up since Tony Vitello showed up, with three premium pro prospects coming back next year who all figure to go in the top two rounds. Ferguson had a very slow start but decent finish that should get him into the third round, while Dallas has also finished strong and could also work into the second or third round.
Texas Longhorns
Top prospects: RHP Ty Madden, SS Trey Faltine (2022), RHP Tanner Witt (2023)
Others of note: 3B Ivan Melendez, LHP Pete Hansen
Texas is right there with Mississippi State with three potential first-rounders in each of the next three classes, but I prefer the Bulldogs' group slightly and clearly prefer their team depth.
Faltine has real questions about his offensive performance, but all the components are there. Witt has a knockout curveball with a velo spike as a starter possibly the next step. Madden is the prototypical power arm from Texas who has a plus slider and heater up to 99 mph.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Top prospects: RHP Jack Leiter, RHP Kumar Rocker, SS Carter Young (2022), CF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (2023), RHP Christian Little (2023)
Others of note: 3B Parker Noland (2023), RHP Patrick Reilly (2023), RF Isaiah Thomas
You don't have to follow college baseball closely to know Vanderbilt is loaded, even more than usual. Beyond Leiter and Rocker, Young's tool set (shortstop fit, power production, big exit velos, some contact problems) is along the lines of Jazz Chisholm (though not quite as explosive) and he might be the top college position player come next July; I have him as that right now, but narrowly over SS Robert Moore (Arkansas), 3B Jace Jung (Texas Tech) and C Kevin Parada (Georgia Tech).
Bradfield and Little both look like first-rounders two summers from now, and Noland is probably in the second round right now, but a hot start next spring would also land him in the first round.
Virginia Cavaliers
Top prospects: LHP Andrew Abbott
Others of note: C Kyle Teel (2023), RHP Mike Vasil, LHP Brandon Neeck
Abbott has been rising all spring but is still a medium-framed 22-year-old without a plus pitch and a shorter track record of starting, so the second round seems as high as he can get.
There's a lot of fourth-to-fifth-round talent on this team, but Vasil should go a bit better than that this summer. Teel could go in the first round in two summers and Neeck has finished hot, giving him a chance to slide ahead of Zack Gelof and Nic Kent this summer.
He hasn't produced much yet, but RF Chris Newell has first-round bat speed and raw power, while LHP Nate Savino enrolled early as a mid-first-round talent but hasn't shown that thus far.