Mack - Mock Draft v3.0 - Pick 1.12 - 3B - Jacob Berry

 

 Jacob Berry 

3B      6’      210      LSU 

2021 Arizona stats - 17 HR, .352/.439/.676, 2 SB, 58/33 K/BB in 63 games.

 

2-19-22 - https://www.si.com/mlb/phillies/news/inside-look-potential-mlb-draft-prospects-college-baseball-opening-day-2022-rumors - 

Jacob Berry (3B, LSU) 

LSU narrowly missed out on a bid to the College World Series last season and will be looking to advance this season. Berry, on the other hand, advanced to the College World Series with Arizona and is bringing his playoff experience to Baton Rouge. Berry is another highly touted switch-hitter who put 17 balls over the fence while slashing .352/.439/.676 as a freshman.

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2-17-22 -

https://soxmachine.com/2022/02/17/2022-mlb-draft-watch-the-sensational-seven-and-top-100-prospects/ - 

Jacob Berry, 3B, LSU 

Last year, Jacob Berry hit .352/.439/.676 with 19 doubles, 17 home runs, and 70 RBI as a Freshman with Arizona. His coach, Jay Johnson, accepted the LSU job this season, and Berry is tagging along. Like Brooks Lee, Berry is a switch-hitter that puts up eye-opening numbers from both sides of the plate. 

In 2021, Berry was the designated hitter for Arizona while playing nine games on the field. Early reports from Baton Rouge suggest that the Tigers will have Berry start the season at third base. Not the greatest reputation defensively, Berry might be a candidate to move across the infield in his professional career and try sticking at first base. We’ll see in 2022 if Berry improves at the hot corner, and if he does, could challenge Brooks Lee and Jace Jung as the best college position player.

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2-12-22 - https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=20433&src=hmrep&s=03 - 

Impact Transfer 

Jacob Berry, 3B/1B, LSU 

Berry’s ability to adjust to a new school and the SEC will be challenging, but he is just too talented in the batter's box to not make a quick adjustment. He does have the luxury of having a familiar face as his skipper to go with his elite run-producing capability. -JG

                                                            2-11-22 - https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-draft-prospects-2022-ranking-top-50-players-in-the-class-with-termarr-johnson-at-no-1/?s=03 - 

8. Jacob Berry, 1B/3B, LSU 

Berry, a switch-hitter, batted .352/.439/.676 with 17 home runs last season at Arizona. He's since transferred to LSU to remain with the same head coach. While moving into the SEC months ahead of draft day would be an unwise decision for many hitters, Berry should be fine thanks to his well-above-average power and his appreciable feel for contact. He struck out in fewer than 20 percent of his plate appearances in 2021, and scouts expressed more confidence in his bat than they did with Alex Binelas' entering last season. (Binelas was ranked 13th on CBS Sports' preseason list, but he slipped to the third round after a poor campaign.) Berry's offense will ultimately dictate his draft slot, as scouts believe his stiff hands and heavy feet will prevent him from playing third base. Should that assertion prove to be prophetic, he's likely to end up at first base. It might not matter if Berry passes his SEC vetting; some team will jump on him early with visions of a mid-order slugger dancing in their noggins. 

                                2-10-22 - https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2022-mlb-mock-draft-version-10/?s=03 - 

Baseball America 2022 MLB Mock Draft Version 1.0 

5. Nationals — Jacob Berry, 3B/1B, Louisiana State 

Scout’s take: Hmmm, you mentioned Lesko here, and I did think hard about it. My thinking with this pick was looking at their recent drafts and their system, besides Brady House last year, they have gone pitcher in four of the last five first-round picks. They haven't picked this high since Anthony Rendon at No. 6 in 2011, and you see how that turned out. They have a lot of pitching at the top of their system. They need bats and Berry fits here, regardless of the defensive inconsistencies, but hopefully he improves at third base at LSU this season. We could be seeing a switch-hitting plus-plus hit/power combo in the future. The Nats may be looking at Berry playing the opposite corner of House in the big leagues or DHing since it will be universal. You can figure out the position later, but you can't pass up the bat now. 

Carlos’ take: If Lee isn’t the best pure hitter in the college class I would assume that title goes to Berry based on the results of our best tools ballots. Even after what he’s done already with the bat, I think Berry has a solid shot to boost his stock. If he puts up similar numbers in the SEC teams will love it and as you mentioned he’s going to be playing third base. Even if he looks fringy there I think teams would have a lot more comfort in the profile. At the end of the day, hitting is the most important tool and Berry is a fantastic hitter. 

                            2-4-22 - Baseball America @BaseballAmerica

 Jay Johnson first saw Jacob Berry’s swing on his phone. “My instinct was, ‘Let’s get this guy right now.’ That doesn’t happen very often,” Johnson said. 

                                2-1-22 - https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/Initial-2022-PBR-Draft-Board-Released-6478125903?s=03 - 

The top of the class is heavy with hitters, taking up the top six spots and eight of the top 10. Holding that No. 1 spot is 3B/1B Jacob Berry (Louisiana State), who followed head coach Jay Johnson from Arizona. He has an excellent approach and big power from both sides of the plate, as evidenced by his big freshman year with the Wildcats and summer with Team USA. At Arizona, he slashed .352/.439/.676 with 17 home runs. With the Collegiate National Team he did struggle against professional competition, but ended with a .387/.475/.871 line. 

 

1-15-22 - https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2022-mlb-draft-top-100-prospects/ - 

8 Jacob Berry

Louisiana State 3B/1B

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 212 | B-T: B-R

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.2 

Perhaps without a Covid year in 2020 and a full high school season, Berry would have never made it to campus at Arizona, where he turned in a freshman All-American season in 2021 with 17 home runs and 19 doubles. As a high schooler, Berry impressed Four Corners area scouts with his swing from both sides of the plate and loud exit velocities. He was trending in the right direction, but with the season cut short, he finished as the No. 220 player in the 2020 class and made it to college. Berry will play with Louisiana State this spring—following head coach Jay Johnson from Arizona to LSU—where he will look to continue showing his offensive chops in the SEC. Berry has one of the best overall offensive profiles in the class, with all fields power from both sides of the plate as well as solid on-base and bat-to-ball skills. He has a simple swing from both sides of the plate, initiated by a slight toe tap, with minimal pre-pitch hand movement and a swing that’s leveraged for power and slightly uphill. While scouts feel as confident in Berry’s offensive ability as almost any player in the class, his defensive profile is a question mark. He’s not a great runner and only played nine games as a third baseman in 2021—everything else was at the DH spot. His speed certainly makes him a corner player in some capacity, but he’ll have to prove a lot to stick at third base and most view him as a likely first baseman in the long run. If Berry hits in the SEC like he did in the Pac-12 a year ago, defensive questions won’t stop him from coming off the board quickly. 

 

1-5-21 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022-mlb-mock-draft - 

Prospect Live Mock Draft 1.0 

15. San Diego Padres

Jacob Berry, Corner Infield, LSU

 If Berry somehow finds a way to slip all the way into AJ Preller’s lap, what an enormous coup it would be for the San Diego Padres. Newly-minted Scouting Director Chris Kemp may be encouraged to go the high school talent route as it’s been a trend for the organization for years, but there’s a massive competitive window open right now for the Padres and Berry could move extremely quick. First baseman Eric Hosmer is controlled through 2025, but has seen his production dip in recent years. Berry could be ready to take the reins at some point in 2024. Still, given their history, it’s hard to imagine the Padres not taking a long, hard look at guys like Noah Schultz, Jackson Ferris and Ian Ritchie Jr. here.

  

12-30-21 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2021/12/29/2022-mlb-draft-top-300-prospects - 

9. Jacob Berry Third Base/First Base, LSU 

Simply put, one of the best hitters in the 2022 class. A year removed from anchoring the Arizona Wildcats lineup, Berry transferred to LSU to follow Jay Johnson. Berry was not only arguably the best freshman in college baseball in 2021, you could make the argument he was one of the best players in the country regardless of age. He's a potential plus hitter with plus power. His optimized swing is allowing the power to play immediately. He's a physical, imposing specimen with power to all fields and enough speed to be given some credit on the base paths. He'll get a shot to play third base at the next level, though some believe he'll have to shift to first base. Scouts want to see the swing and miss tick down a few points, but it's nothing terribly alarming at this stage.