By Harrison Tarr
For The Observer
AUBURN —
Auburn baseball’s 2022 campaign was nothing short of remarkable; after being picked to finish last in the SEC West, the Tigers battled their way into hosting an NCAA regional and eventually punching a ticket to the College World Series in Omaha. Needless to say, the orange and blue earned attention on the national stage and proved to the college baseball world that no Butch Thompson-led team should ever be counted out.
In an equally impressive feat, the historical campaign played a significant role in vaulting four Tigers to the next level. Blake Burkhalter, Mason Barnett, Trace Bright, Sonny DiChiara, Blake Rambusch and Brody Moore are all headed to the MLB in situations where each individual stands a chance of contributing significantly to their respective organizations.
BLAKE BURKHALTER: ATLANTA BRAVES (ROUND 2, PICK 76)
The first Tiger to hear his name called in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, Burkhalter was a nearly perfect selection for the Braves. Regarded by many as the best closer in college baseball throughout 2022, and listed as No. 207 on the MLB top-250 prospects list, the talented right-hander posted a season to remember. In his 30 appearances as a junior, Burkhalter pitched to a 3.69 ERA and a .91 WHIP, giving up just 19 earned runs en route to tallying 16 saves.
With solid fastball velocity and devastating movement on his cutter, the former Tiger is as MLB-ready as they come and could prove to be impactful in the very near future on a team who has become a perennial contender; reports currently state that the Braves will have him begin his career as a starting pitcher, that is likely to change in a short time.
Burkhalter enters the league as the third-highest drafted Auburn reliever in program history.
MASON BARNETT: KANSAS CITY ROYALS (ROUND 3, PICK 87)
After seeing their top reliever selected on the first day of the draft, Auburn fans heard Mason Barnett’s name called as the newest member of the Kansas City Royals on Monday afternoon. A contributing starting arm for the Tigers in 2022, the right-hander enters the Royals organization following a junior campaign in which he saw 34.2 innings of work— across eight starts and 11 total appearances — pitching to a 3.63 ERA and sitting 43 hitters down on strikes.
Kansas City’s interest in Mullins is clear. The franchise has not had a complete starting rotation in nearly a decade, and there is no better time to search for the answer than now. Nine of the Royals’ top 30 prospects are right-handed pitchers, making the former Tiger’s road to the show a bit murkier than one might prefer; on the other hand, the vast majority of athletes ahead of him have yet to advance past double-A, meaning Barnett has the opportunity to compete alongside his competition.
TRACE BRIGHT: BALTIMORE ORIOLES (ROUND 5, PICK 137)
The MLB continued to raid the Auburn rotation when the Orioles selected right-handed starter Trace Bright in the fifth round on Monday. A six-foot-four native of Montgomery, Alabama, Bright joins the Orioles upon the conclusion of a somewhat up-and-down junior season. In his 18 appearances — 17 of which were games started — bright pitched to an ERA of 5.13, allowing 46 earned runs, surrendering 38 walks and still striking out a team-best 94 batters. The right-hander allowed two or fewer runs in eight outings and four or more on five occasions.
With all of this said, the Baltimore organization might have just been the perfect landing spot. For the first time since the departure of Manny Machado, things are looking up for the Orioles. The O’s have the best farm system in the major leagues; player development and building from within have been of utmost importance. Bright has the opportunity to focus entirely on his game, and he certainly has the talent to develop the necessary consistency.
SONNY DICHIARA: LOS ANGELES ANGELS (ROUND 5, PICK 148)
Likely the most bittersweet departure of all selected for Auburn fans, first baseman Sonny DiChiara received the call from the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth round on Monday afternoon. The six-foot-one Hoover, Alabama, native heads to the next level after putting on nothing short of an offensive clinic in 2022 where he slashed for a .383 average, 22 home runs, 59 RBIs and drew an eye-popping 68 walks.
In an era of baseball where the home run reigns king — and in which there is a universal designated hitter — there was little doubt that any organization was going to be happy to snag DiChiara; the Angels are certainly no exception. After seemingly crashing and burning in 2022, the organization has continued to make strides to build for the future and to bolster its brand of mashing baseballs. The Halos have a somewhat middle-of-the-road pipeline with plenty of room for a first baseman to make his way through the ranks.
BLAKE RAMBUSCH: SEATTLE MARINERS (ROUND 15, PICK 456)
As the second draft selection out of the Auburn infield, third baseman Blake Rambusch heard his name called in the later rounds as the newest member of the Seattle Mariners. The SEC regular season hits leader, Rambusch slashed for a .383 average, tallying 13 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs in his redshirt junior campaign. He will leave his final year of eligibility on the table as he takes the next step in his career.
While Auburn fans celebrated his accomplishment; few anticipated the immediate decision to move on and join the Mariners organization in 2022. After all, Rambusch was selected in the 15th round, giving plenty of reason to be encouraged by his potential for improvement. That being said, the decision is certainly justifiable. The M’s have a pretty slammed farm for infielders and a clogged-up route to the MLB, but the former Tiger now has the opportunity to prove his worth and become a viable option for not only Seattle, but other teams around the league.
BRODY MOORE: SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS (ROUND 17, PICK 517)
The last known departure for the 2022 Tigers, shortstop Brody Moore had a senior season to remember; hearing his name called as the newest Saint Louis Cardinal was probably his idea of the perfect celebration. The 5-foot-11 shortstop proved himself on both sides of the plate in Auburn’s run to Omaha: starting all but one game at shortstop, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage and slashing for a .291 average with 74 hits.
A grind-it-out everyday guy like Moore is seemingly the perfect selection for an organization such as the Cardinals; the club has grinded its way to the top of the baseball world on more than one occasion, committing to their brand of baseball all along, a feat Moore should be familiar with from his tenure at Auburn. The Cards do have the future of their left-side infield largely figured out, but Moore is more than capable of relocation on the field should his club ask him to.