2022 MLB Draft: Way too early draft targets for the Blue Jays first pick

Peyton Pallette – RHP

School: Arkansas

Age: 20       Height: 6’1″

If the Blue Jays are looking to add a college pitcher at the 2022 MLB Draft, Peyton Pallette could be a solid option for the Blue Jays if he is still on the board.

A right-hander at Arkansas these past two seasons, Pallette split his time between the bullpen and the rotation last season for the Razorbacks, authoring a 4.02 ERA through 15 appearances (11 starts). He would strike out 67 batters and author a 10.8 K/9 with a 1.268 WHIP through 56.0 innings. His season came to an end in mid-May when he left a game with an elbow injury and he feared that he would have to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery. He avoided surgery and should be good to go for his Junior year at Arkansas.

His Major League comparison is right-hander Walker Buehler, which is a pretty strong vote of confidence for a pitcher heading into his draft year. Pallette features a fastball that sits in the mid 90’s but has touched 99 MPH and he features a put-away curveball that has an excellent spin rate and he is not afraid to throw to batters on both sides of the plate. He also features a changeup that keeps hitters off balance but it is not as refined as his fastball or curveball. Prospectlive.com projects in their Mock Draft that the Blue Jays will select Pallette this upcoming draft.

The biggest question regarding the right-hander is his overall health, as he will need to prove in 2022 that the elbow injury is behind him and Tommy John surgery won’t be required. This is always a risk when drafting players but the Blue Jays were not afraid to take Gunnar Hoglund last year when he dropped down in the MLB Draft after going under the knife. If Pallette is there, the Blue Jays could take him off the board.