Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball was well-represented on Day 1 of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft with three players selected during the first two rounds on Sunday night, including a pair of first-round selections.
The Vols’ three selections were tied with Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon State for the most through the first two rounds among all college programs. That number also tied the most picks in the opening two rounds of a single draft in program history (1971, 2005, 2007).
Drew Gilbert became the highest drafted position player during the Tony Vitello era (2018-pres.), going No. 28 overall to the Houston Astros. He is the first Vol position player to be selected in the first round since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to Cincinnati in 2016 and was the second first rounder under Vitello, joining pitcher Garrett Crochet (2020).
Jordan Beck was the next Vol off the board, going to the Colorado Rockies with the No. 38 overall pick in first round (Competitive Balance Round A), giving the Big Orange multiple first-round picks for the first time since 2007 when three Tennessee players were selected in the opening round (J.P. Arencibia, Julio Borbón, James Adkins).
Gilbert and Beck became the 17th and 18th UT players taken in the first round, giving the Vols 20 total first-round selections in program history.
Blade Tidwell rounded out Tennessee’s big night, being selected in the second round with the No. 52 overall pick by the New York Mets. The talented right hander is the second-highest drafted pitcher under Vitello and his staff and the eighth pitcher selected overall during Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson‘s tenure at UT.
The 2022 MLB Draft continues on Monday afternoon with rounds 3-10. Coverage will begin at 2 p.m. ET on MLB.com.
More information on each of Tennessee’s draft picks can be seen below.
OF Drew Gilbert – Houston Astros – First Round – No. 28 Overall
Gilbert was the first Tennessee player selected following the best season of his collegiate career, leading the team with a .362 batting average, 21 doubles and four triples while ranking second on the team with a career-high 70 RBIs despite missing six games due to injury.
The Stillwater, Minnesota, native was named a first-team All-American by the NCBWA and garnered All-America acclaim from the ABCA, D1Baseball.com, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game, as well. The junior outfielder was also an All-SEC first-team selection and was named to the SEC All-Defensive team. Gilbert earned SEC Tournament MVP honors after helping lead the Vols to their first conference title since 1995.
During his three seasons at UT, Gilbert slashed .314/.400/.534 with 116 runs scored, 160 hits, 36 doubles, 22 home runs, 140 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 141 games played.
OF Jordan Beck – Colorado Rockies – First Round (Competitive Balance Round A) – No. 38 Overall
An ultra-talented prospect, Beck built off an impressive sophomore season with an even better junior campaign in which he set career highs in batting average (.298), runs scored (70), triples (three), homers (18), total bases (150), slugging percentage (.595) and walks (37) to earn ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region honors.
The Hazel Green, Alabama, native played a major role in helping lead Tennessee to SEC regular season and tournament titles as well as the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA tournament in 2022. He also was a key member of the Vols’ 2021 College World Series team. For his collegiate career, Beck slashed .284/.366/.553 with 122 runs scored, 156 hits, 36 doubles, 34 home runs, 134 RBIs, 69 walks and 14 steals in 149 games played. His 34 long balls are tied for seventh most in program history.
RHP Blade Tidwell – New York Mets – Second Round – No. 52 Overall
Tidwell was the first UT pitcher selected in this year’s draft despite missing the first half of the 2022 season due to shoulder tightness and soreness. In 13 appearances (nine starts), Tidwell posted a 3-2 record with a 3.00 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 39.0 innings of work. He was named to the NCAA Knoxville Regional All-Tournament team after tossing a gem in the Vols’ regional opener against Alabama State, pitching a career-best 7.2 innings and holding the Hornets scoreless while striking out a season-high seven batters to pick up the win.
The Loretto, Tennessee, native had a dominant freshman season in 2021 while helping lead the Big Orange to their first College World Series appearance since 2005. Tidwell led all pitchers with 18 starts en route to amassing an impressive 10-3 record. His 10 victories are the second most by a true freshman in program history. Tidwell also led all starting pitchers on the team with a 3.74 ERA in 2021 and finished second on the team with 90 strikeouts over 98.2 innings.
For his UT career, the hard-throwing right hander went 13-5 with a 3.53 ERA and 141 punchouts in 31 appearances, including 27 starts.