KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello will join MLB Network this weekend for 2022 MLB Draft coverage alongside a star-studded list of former players and other current managers from the professional and collegiate ranks who will provide analysis.
Vitello, who was awarded the National Coach of the Year Award for the second straight year by Perfect Game, will be among several college coaches who will contribute to MLB Network coverage throughout the draft. He and UCLA coach John Savage will join the channel’s regular analysts for coverage of the first 80 draft picks on Sunday, July 17 beginning at 7 p.m.
Pick-by-pick analysis and coverage will be broadcast live from Los Angeles, where the 2022 MLB All-Star game will be held Tuesday, July 19. This marks the second consecutive year the draft will be held at the site of the Midsummer Classic.
Other notable baseball figures joining MLB Network coverage include Hall of Fame inductees Greg Maddux and Trevor Hoffman, 2002 World Series-winning manager Mike Scioscia, Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall and Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell.
After a record-setting season for the Volunteers, several players who played a major role in their success are expected to selected in the first two rounds. ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel projected five Tennessee players to be selected in the first 80 picks in his latest mock draft projections.
ESPN projects two Vols, outfielders Drew Gilbert and Jordan Beck, to be selected in the first round. McDaniel predicted Gilbert will be selected 17th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and Beck to follow him in the 18th pick by the Cincinnati Reds. Pitchers Blade Tidwell and Ben Joyce also forecasted to be early draft selections, as well as third baseman Trey Libscomb.