Elijah Green and the 2022 MLB Draft's 10 Best Power Hitters

The 2022 MLB draft class is light on pitching talent, but it's loaded with high-ceiling hitters, especially at the high school level.

Top overall prospect Druw Jones has the potential for plus power once he grows into his 6'4", 180-pound frame, but right now his speed and outfield defense are his carrying tools, and he did not quite crack our top 10 power-hitting prospects in the 2022 class.

Instead, fellow prep outfielder Elijah Green stands out as the top potential home run hitter in the upcoming draft, and he was an easy choice to make our list.

Who else made the cut?

Let's find out.

Jacob Berry would be a legitimate candidate to go No. 1 overall in a lot of other drafts, and even with an abundance of elite-level prep talent sitting atop the 2022 draft board, he is still a safe bet to be a top-10 pick.

It remains to be seen where he will fit long-term defensively, as a move away from third base to either first base or a corner outfield spot seems likely given his limited athleticism, but his bat will play anywhere.

After slugging 17 home runs as a freshman in 2021, he hit .370/.464/.630 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in 53 games this spring as a draft-eligible sophomore.

His polished approach and quality contact skills resulted in more walks (27) than strikeouts (22) this season, and that allows him to make the most of his raw power.

Outfielder Chase DeLauter put himself on the top draft prospect radar last summer when he posted a .986 OPS with nine home runs in 34 games in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

He followed that up by hitting .437/.576/.828 with eight home runs in 24 games to begin his junior season before he suffered a broken foot in April

With a strong 6'4", 235-pound frame he looks the part of a middle-of-the-order slugger, and his strong performance against top competition in the Cape Cod League helps erase concerns about him simply being a big fish in a small pond playing in the CAA.

He could be one of the steals of the first round if his performance last summer was any indication of how he'll handle the jump to pro ball.

Sonny DiChiara launched 41 home runs in 126 games over three years at Samford before transferring to Auburn for his senior season, and he didn't miss a beat this spring while leading the Tigers to a College World Series appearance.

The 22-year-old is hitting .389/.556/.798 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI in 59 games, and he hit .337 with 11 long balls in 29 games during conference play in the SEC.

With a 6'1", 263-pound frame and limited athleticism, he's likely destined to be a designated hitter at the next level.

That limited defensive profile coupled with the fact that he turns 23 years old next month takes a significant bite out of his draft stock, but he could be an absolute steal outside the first three rounds.

A second-round pick by the Boston Red Sox last year, Jud Fabian opted to return to the University of Florida for his senior season in an effort to boost his draft stock.

Questions about his hit tool and high strikeout rate were the reason he slipped in 2021, and after hitting .239 with 69 strikeouts in 66 games this spring, those questions remain. However, an improved eye at the plate and his raw power still give him significant upside.

After hitting 20 home runs as a junior, he slugged another 24 homers this spring while raising his walk rate from 14.9 to 20.0 percent en route to a terrific .414 on-base percentage.

In today's game, his mix of power, on-base ability and center field defense give him the potential to be an impact player, even if he never hits for a high average.

Druw Jones may be the headliner of this year's high school crop and he's a more well-rounded overall prospect, but Elijah Green has the loudest raw power among this year's prep class.

The 6'3", 225-pound outfielder already looks the part of a middle-of-the-order slugger, and he also possesses 70-grade speed that should make him a perennial candidate for a 30/30 season at the next level.

There are some questions about his hit tool, and strikeouts are always going to be a part of his game, but there simply are not many prospects with his combination of raw tools.

"While other hitters in this class might top Green as a pure hitter, you won’t find anyone with his combination of dynamic athleticism, power, speed and pure upside," wrote Baseball America.

The best pure hitter in the 2022 draft class, Termarr Johnson also has sneaky power packed into his 5'10", 175-pound frame.

"He has the rare amateur combination of excellent bat-to-ball skills, an advanced approach at the plate, impressive pitch recognition and more power than you’d expect given his frame, thanks to excellent bat speed and precise barrel accuracy," wrote Baseball America.

Limited range and an average arm means he'll likely shift from shortstop to second base to begin his pro career, which in turn puts more pressure on his bat to provide value.

That said, his polish in the batter's box gives him as good a chance as any prospect on this list to fully maximize his power potential.

Despite an unorthodox swing, Jace Jung has done nothing but hit since stepping foot on campus at Texas Tech.

He batted .335/.481/.612 with 18 doubles, 14 home runs and 57 RBI in 61 games this spring, and that came on the heels of a 21-homer sophomore season, though he did struggle in the Cape Cod League last summer.

He sets up at the plate with his bat head pointed toward the catcher, which makes for a funky start to his swing plane, but everything syncs up eventually and he does an excellent job using the entire field.

Whether he ends up at second base or third base as a pro, his patient approach and 60-grade power give him the potential to be a top prospect as soon as he signs on the dotted line.

Gaudy collegiate numbers don't always translate to the next level, but there's simply no ignoring the season that Ivan Melendez has put together for the Texas Longhorns.

The 22-year-old is hitting .393/.513/.877 with a Division I-leading 32 home runs and 94 RBI in 66 games, and that performance has helped propel Texas to an appearance in the College World Series.

The right-handed-hitting, first base-only profile is always a risky one, and it likely means he won't hear his name called until the second day of the MLB draft.

However, if everything clicks with the jump to pro ball, he could rocket through the minors and find himself as an everyday first baseman in the majors in just a few years.

A draft-eligible sophomore who ranked No. 48 on Baseball America's Top 500 draft prospects list in 2020, Kevin Parada wound up going undrafted because of his strong commitment to Georgia Tech.

Two years later, he's the best offensive catcher in the country.

The 20-year-old hit .361/.453/.709 with 10 doubles, 26 home runs and 88 RBI in 60 games this spring, and he struck out just 32 times in 305 plate appearances.

Even if his fringy defensive tools eventually necessitate a position change, his 60-hit, 60-power offensive profile gives him a chance to be one of the first bats from the 2022 class to reach the majors.

We wrap up our top power-hitting draft prospects list with one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in the 2022 class in Arizona prep outfielder Gavin Turley.

"When Turley is making contact, he looks like a future star, but he has trouble making contact consistently. He’s shown a questionable approach and will expand the zone and make poor swing decisions, and he also needs to improve his contact and recognition of breaking stuff," wrote Baseball America.

He has drawn comparisons to fellow 2022 draft prospect Elijah Green for his impressive raw tools, but it's going to take some patience for him to refine his overall game to the point that he can make the most of his physical gifts.

Don't expect to see Turley in the majors anytime soon, but he's a name worth filing away who could eventually emerge as a top prospect who can impact the game in a number of ways.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Saturday's games.