The 2022 MLB Draft is not expected to be as laden with top-end New England prospects as 2021, when three natives were selected in the first round and seven in the top 100 selections.
So, it comes as no surprise that fewer New England-based players are ranked in MLB Pipeline's preseason top 100 Draft prospects list for 2022. It does come as a mild surprise, though, that there are no New England natives ranked in the top 100 on MLB Pipeline's list, which was released on Thursday.
The top 100 list does include three non-New England natives who will play for college or prep programs in New England this spring. By comparison, when MLB Pipeline released its preliminary list of top 100 prospects for the 2021 MLB Draft last December, six New England-based players were ranked in the top 45. Five of those six were New England natives. All five New England natives eventually earned selections in the top 100. However, MLB Pipeline had a glaring omission in East Catholic High (Conn.) left-hander Frank Mozzicato, who later earned a selection in the first round -- seventh overall -- of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Here is a look at which New England-based players earned spots on MLB Pipeline's top 100 Draft prospects list as well as four questionable omissions.
