The Irish have done well traditionally sending players off the the MLB, especially for a Midwest baseball team. Just last year pitcher [autotag]Tanner Kohlhepp[/autotag] and first baseman [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] were selected inside the first 11 rounds of the MLB Draft.
This coming season should see the same, as the Irish once again have a highly ranked squad and are facing off against North Carolina for a berth in the ACC Championship series. The NCAA Tournament looms large and so does the draft. Recently MLB Pipeline ranked the Top-200 draft prospects and had just one Notre Dame player on the list, and it’s not who many thought it would be.
Here's our new Top 200 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/M57TkJ3Upk pic.twitter.com/RRvEjOC2go
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 25, 2022
Before looking at this list, my initial thought was where would pitcher [autotag]John Michael Bertrand[/autotag] land and if there was going to be another one of his teammates on this list. Well, the opposite happened and after looking over the list, it was why wasn’t JMB listed while [autotag]Jack Brannigan[/autotag] was.
This is no slight to Brannigan, who is a great player in his own right, but the ace of the Irish staff being left of this list is a big time omission. A left-handed power pitcher with a proven track record is what many teams should be looking for.
Back to Brannigan, who checked in as the 163rd player ranked and “has the best college arm in the Midwest” according to the scouting report. The two-way star is also projected to end up on the mound at the next level, but does want to start his professional career as a positional player. It surely will be interesting how teams handle that request.
Eithe way, the Irish have two very good draft eligible prospects but don’t be surprised to see a few other Notre Dame players get drafted as well.
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