With Jordan Beck Promotion, Vols Have 30% of All 2022 MLB Draft Big Leaguers
Image credit: Jordan Beck (John Williamson/Four Seam Images)
When Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck makes his MLB debut today or later this week, he will become the 10th player from the 2022 MLB Draft to reach the majors. Very few players from that draft have yet to reach the big leagues.
But he’ll have plenty of company among his former Tennessee Volunteer teammates. He’ll become the third player from the 2022 Vols team to reach the majors. Angels reliever Ben Joyce and Nationals third baseman Trey Lipscomb have already gotten the call in advance of Beck.
So when Beck debuts, a full 30% of all MLB players from the 2022 draft will be Tennessee Vols.
| Player | Round | School |
| Jackson Holliday | 1st round | Stillwater (Okla.) HS |
| Zach Neto | 1st round | Campbell |
| Jordan Beck | 1st round | Tennessee |
| Trey Lipscomb | 3rd round | Tennessee |
| Ben Joyce | 3rd round | Tennessee |
| Orion Kerkering | 5th round | South Florida |
| Victor Scott | 5th round | West Virginia |
| Victor Mederos | 6th round | Oklahoma State |
| Wade Meckler | 8th round | Oregon State |
| Graham Pauley | 13th round | Duke |
That’s a crazy stat, but if any team was going to produce that kind of stat, the 2022 Vols would be the logical pick. The Vols went 57-9 and were No. 1 in the country for most of the season. They were knocked out in the super regionals, which is why they’ll forever be known as one of the great “what could have been” teams of all time rather than contending for the title of the greatest college baseball team of all time.
But when it comes to dominance, we’ll likely have to wait quite a while to see another team like that one. The Vols led all D-I teams in ERA (2.51) in a year when no other team was below 3.25 and only one other team was below 3.60. They led the nation in hits allowed per game (6.48) and walks allowed (2.48). They led the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.48).
The Vols lineup was just as fearsome as the pitching staff. They were also fourth in D-I in runs scored per game (9.6). They led the nation in home runs per game (2.39) and slugging percentage (.604).
Sending three players to the majors so quickly is a further reminder of how much talent that team had, but those three will likely have plenty of company in the long term.
Rockies righthander Chase Dollander, a first-round pick in 2023, is in High-A. Righthander Chase Burns, a freshman on that 2022 Vols team, ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft class. Righthander Drew Beam, another 2022 freshman, ranked No. 29 on the 2024 Draft rankings.
The 2022 Vols could almost field a full lineup of future pros.
| Pos. | Player | Highest Level |
| OF | Jordan Beck | MLB: Rockies |
| OF | Drew Gilbert | AAA: Mets |
| OF | Seth Stephenson | HiA: Tigers |
| OF | Jared Dickey | HiA: Royals |
| 3B | Trey Lipscomb | MLB: Nationals |
| 2B | Jorel Ortega | AA: Twins |
| SS | Cortland Lawson | AA: Nationals |
| C | Evan Russell | LoA: Angels (released) |
| SP | Blade Tidwell | AA-Mets |
| SP | Chase Dollander | HiA: Rockies |
| SP | Chase Burns | No. 4 prospect, 2024 draft |
| SP | Drew Beam | No. 29 prospect, 2024 draft |
| RP | Will Mabrey | AA: D-backs |
| RP | Mark McLaughlin | HiA: White Sox |
| RP | Ben Joyce | MLB: Angels |
We’ll see who ends up having the biggest impact among the Vols in the pros, but when it comes to making a quick impact, that group is standing out already.
