The Guardians certainly could use some more powerful outfield bats in their system, and they made that their top priority heading into the 2022 MLB Draft.

On Sunday night, the club selected 20-year-old outfielder Chase DeLauter with its first-round pick (16th overall) of the MLB Draft. DeLauter becomes the first player from James Madison University to be selected in the first round.

The flashiest tool DeLauter boasts is his power. He had 15 homers in 66 games during his three-year tenure with James Madison. DeLauter hit .382 in 16 games in 2020 in his freshman season and returned in his redshirt freshman season in ’21 to slash .386/.508/.723 in 26 games.