Mount Paran product Collier likely to go quick in MLB draft

Former Mount Paran Christian School standout Cam Collier is projected to be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ fourth overall pick of next month’s Major League Baseball draft, according to Keith Law’s latest mock draft.

Law wrote for The Athletic that Collier has gained traction over the last couple weeks ahead of the draft, which will begin July 17.

Collier reclassified to be eligible for the 2022 draft, withdrawing from Mount Paran after his sophomore year to obtain his GED. He then enrolled at Chipola College, which is regarded as one of the top junior college baseball programs in the country.

After joining the Chipola roster, the 17-year-old Collier hit for average and getting on base with solid power production despite being the team’s youngest player and younger than any pitcher he faced. Collier hit .333 this season with eight home runs.

“At the plate, he’s more than held his own against much better pitching than what he saw in high school,” Law wrote.

Collier may be a familiar name to the Pirates’ fan base as his father, Lou, was a 31st-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 1992 and went on to play for the Pirates in the 1997 and ’98 seasons, as part of an eight-year major league career.

Some believe Cam Collier, a 6-foot-2 third baseman with a 70-grade arm and the agility to handle the position as the speed of the game increases, is a good fit for preserving his present role on the field. He has demonstrated consistency with his participation in the Cape Cod League — a historic summer wood-bat league for college standouts — reaching base six times in 12 plate appearances and subsequently performing well at the MLB draft combine.

“(Collier) needs to add some more strength to better control the barrel as well as make harder contact, as his hands work well enough at the plate for him to be a plus hitter with average power,” Law wrote.

Collier has committed to play at Louisville, though he will likely bypass the chance to play major college baseball should he be drafted high enough.

Other Georgia players included in Law’s mock draft included expected No. 1 pick Druw Jones. The Wesleyan School center fielder — whose team lost the 2021 Class A Private state title to Collier and Mount Paran — is the son of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones.

Law also wrote that Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada and Termarr Johnson, a second baseman from Mays High School in Atlanta, are also expected to be first-round picks.

Another Cobb County player who may be selected early in the draft is catcher Jared Jones, a recent Walton High School graduate and LSU commit. According to MLB.com, Jones is its 193rd-ranked player in the draft class and stands out for his physicality and well-above-average raw power from the right side of the plate.