NY Mets first-round pick from 2022 left unprotect, so was the guy David Stearns took

The 2022 MLB Draft became significant this week with the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. The 2022 draft marked the passage of time between college picks and service time for players to become eligible to get taken this December.

The Rule 5 Draft is a chance to take a flier on a minor leaguer. The 11th overall pick from the draft, Kevin Parada, was one of several first-round picks who weren’t added to their team’s 40-man roster. The Mets have left him open to get grabbed for nothing at all. He’s hardly alone.

As Baseball American profiled, several first-rounders from the first round in 2022 (and 2021 who are now eligible) weren’t added and are now available. This includes the guy David Stearns took 27th overall.

And don’t expect David Stearns to take a chance on his first-round bust either

One pick ahead of Drew Gilbert, coincidentally enough, the Brewers took Eric Brown. An infielder from Coastal Carolina University, the story of his minor league career isn’t much different from Parada.

After hitting .330 in college during his 2022 season, Brown has struggled to keep up with the rigors of facing professionals. He’s just a .212 hitter in the minor leagues. He has been in Double-A since the end of 2023, now slashing .176/.259/.253 overall.

The blame doesn’t go solely on Stearns the same way we shouldn’t hold it over Billy Eppler for taking Parada. And much like the way things went for the Mets, it turned out to be an effective draft after round number one.

Jacob Misiorowski was a second round pick by the Brewers. Debuting in 2025 with much fanfare, we can equate him to those who came after Parada in the draft. Jett Williams, Jonah Tong, and a guy who was protected this week, Nick Morabito, all went after the Parada selection.

Because of his placement in the draft at 11 versus 27 for Brown, Parada can be regarded as the far bigger bust. Nevertheless, both the Mets and Brewers-led Stearns in 2022 made a mistake. Luckily for them, only Zach Neto from the first round has a career WAR over 2.