Gavin Cross had an illustrious career at Virginia Tech where he proved himself to be one of the best baseball players to ever play for the Hokies while helping Tech reach never before seen achievements in Blacksburg including VT's first ACC regular season title, first Super Regional appearance (hosting as well), and highest national seed (#4) in program history.
Cross had a strong 2022 season batting .328 with 17 home runs and 50 RBIs plus 14 doubles and 8 triples along with a .411 on-base percentage and .660 slugging percentage. He also was a perfect 12 for 12 on stolen base attempts while also having a .992 fielding percentage with 3 outfield assists and only 1 error.
His career numbers are quite strong as over his two full seasons plus the cut-short 2020. In 124 career games, Cross batted .340 with a .412 on-base percentage and .609 slugging percentage while hitting 28 home runs, 93 RBIs, 28 doubles, 12 triples, 51 walks, 28 stolen bases, 7 outfield assists, a .988 fielding percentage, and only 3 errors.
If Cross can put up those type of numbers (or anywhere close to those) in a full MLB season, he'll be in the majors for a long time.
Now, Cross is on the verge of making more history as Tech's top prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft this Sunday.
Cross is on the verge of being Tech's fifth first round pick (pre-comp portion) in program history while he is also looking to become the highest selected player in program history. The current record holder is starting pitcher Joe Saunders who was selected 12th overall in the 2002 MLB Draft and went on to have a 10-year MLB career that included 89 wins and an All-Star appearance in 2008.
Most mock drafts have Cross as a top 10 pick while his floor seems to guarantee that he'll surpass Franklin Stubbs (1982, 19th overall) as the highest drafted position player in program history.
Cross is considered one of the top college bats along with LSU's Jacob Berry, Cal Poly's Brooks Lee, Campbell's Zach Neto, Georgia Tech's Kevin Parada, Arizona's Daniel Susac, and Texas Tech's Jace Jung. Based on some projections, Cross appears to have a floor in the mid-teens with the trending projection having him being selected in the top 10.
Here's a rundown on some of the latest draft projections ahead
- MLB.com: 10th overall, Colorado Rockies
- CBS Sports: 8th overall, Minnesota Twins
- Bleacher Report: 9th overall, Kansas City Royals
- The Athletic: 12th overall, Detroit Tigers
- ESPN: 8th overall, Minnesota Twins
- Prospects Live: 10th overall, Colorado Rockies
If you're a Hokie who is also a fan of an AL Central team or lives in the Midwest, there's a good chance that you may get to see Gavin Cross in your city at some point down the road.
Seeing Cross this high shouldn't come as a surprise not only do the success that he's had, but also because he has proven himself to be a classic five-tool outfield prospect with power, contact, speed, fielding, and throwing. Like many college players, Cross has a high floor and it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the majors within 2-3 years at most.
Gavin Cross is on the verge of making history this Sunday with a chance to become the first Hokie to ever be selected in the top 10 of the MLB Draft. His days in Blacksburg may be done, but his future will be repping the maroon and orange all over the country as a top prospect and a major leaguer down the road in the not too distant future.
