Mets: Getting to know all six members of the 2020 draft class

Let’s get to know all six of the New York Mets draft picks taken in this year’s MLB Draft.

The 2020 MLB draft concluded on Thursday, June 11, providing a much-needed jolt to the baseball world. The New York Mets had six total picks in the draft, selecting at spots #19, #52, #69 (a compensation pick in exchange for losing Zack Wheeler in free agency), #91, #120, and #150.

This year, the draft was severely truncated, taking place across only five rounds instead of the usual 40.

In case you missed the 9+ hours of draft coverage across MLB Network and ESPN, here is a rundown of the newest Mets prospects.

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 1: Pete Crow-Armstrong

The Mets made a splash with their first-round pick, selecting 18-year-old high school outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong with the 19th overall pick. Crow-Armstrong hails from Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, California. His alma mater has consistently produced strong big-league talent, boasting alums such as Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito, and Max Fried.

According to scouts, Crow-Armstrong profiles as a strong defender in center field with speed who consistently makes contact at the plate. In that vein, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen had high praise for the Mets’ 2020 first-rounder: “Pete stood out because he was so far up the board that regardless of position, regardless of college, high school, pitcher, it didn’t matter (because of how much he stood out)… He was a guy that we had targeted for months and months.”

Crow-Armstrong wasted no time endearing himself to Mets fans as soon as he was chosen. In his initial press conference, he declared, “I want to interact with the fans. I want to be more than just a baseball player.” He also tweeted the following note of appreciation the day after he was drafted:

If he’s anything like the other notable Pete in Flushing, Mets fans are in for a treat.

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 2: J.T. Ginn

With their second-round pick, the Mets opted for a college arm with a high ceiling by selecting J.T. Ginn, a right-handed pitcher out of Mississippi State. Ginn was previously drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 draft, but opted to attend college instead. He thrived in his freshman year, pitching to a 3.13 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 105 strikeouts in 86.1 innings. His successes netted him the  SEC Freshman of the Year award.

His sophomore season was cut short by Tommy John surgery, which Ginn underwent in early 2020. Before the surgery, Ginn was projected to go potentially as high as #15 in the draft. He ended up falling to #52 before the Mets snagged him. Ginn’s main weapons on the mound are a high-90s fastball, a slider, and a changeup.

Some in the Mets camp have already compared Ginn’s situation to that of last year’s third-round pick, Matthew Allan. Like Ginn, Allan was originally projected to go in the first round and was considered a steal for the Mets later in the draft. With the uncertain future of the Mets rotation as several pitchers reach free agency in the next few years, Ginn could emerge as a valuable starting pitcher for the Amazins in short order.

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 2 (compensatory): Isaiah Greene

After losing Zack Wheeler in free agency last year, the Mets picked up an extra pick at #69 in this year’s draft. They used it on another high school outfielder, Isaiah Greene from Corona Senior High School in Southern California. Greene has been praised for his speed in the outfield and on the basepaths, as well as his impressive batting average. As cited by Baseball America, Greene has some similarities to major leaguers Michael Brantley and Garret Anderson.

After a superb sophomore year in which he hit .389, stole nine bases, and walked more than he struck out, Greene’s performance slipped a bit during his junior year. However, he turned heads at the 2019 Area Code Games, an invite-only baseball event for highly touted high school athletes, which raised his draft stock considerably.

Greene’s high school baseball coach, Andy Wise, has publicly praised Greene’s work ethic and determination to succeed in his chosen sport.

“He has great bat control, a natural stride to the ball and his ability to get the barrel of the bat on the ball is elite level,” said Wise. “This dude is trying to get to that next level and is putting in the continuous work it takes to be successful.”

Like Crow-Armstrong, Greene helps fill the void of outfielders in the Mets minor league system. If he signs, he should slot in quickly as one of the Mets’ top outfield prospects.

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 3: Anthony Walters

With their third-round pick, the Mets ventured into the infield for the first time in the 2020 draft by selecting Anthony Walters, a college shortstop from San Diego State University. Walters has bounced around a few positions in his baseball career, also spending time at second base, third base, and left field. Before attending SDSU, Walters attended Cal State Berkeley before transferring to Mount San Antonio College. There, he hit .374 and earned numerous accolades, including an all-South Coast Conference first-team selection.

Walters’ baseball career was then set back somewhat when he tore his ACL and missed the entire 2019 season. He managed to make it back on the field the next year and appeared in 16 games for SDSU before the baseball season was halted due to the pandemic.

Walters was not originally in MLB Pipeline’s top 200 players before this year’s draft, but he projects as a solid player with both the bat and the glove. The Mets have had luck with under-the-radar draftees (see: Jacob deGrom), and there’s no reason to think that Walters can’t exceed expectations.

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 4: Matthew Dyer

The Mets currently have one standout catching prospect in their system with Francisco Alvarez, but they added to that by selecting catcher Matthew Dyer from the University of Arizona. Dyer began his college career at the University of Oregon before transferring to a junior college in his home state of Arizona. He ended up playing for the University of Arizona after transferring there in January 2018 and sitting out that season due to eligibility reasons.

Dyer was a force at the plate during his junior year. His .393 average was the third-highest across the entire Pac-12 conference that season. Though Dyer has spent most of his time on the field behind the plate, he has also spent a significant amount of time at first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield positions.

The Mets’ selection of Dyer goes in as one of their lower-profile picks in this year’s draft. Despite this, Dyer is clearly laser-focused on achieving his goal of becoming a major league ballplayer.

“My plan is to get to the big leagues in a year and a half, two years,“ said Dyer in a recent interview. “That could be very unachievable. But in my eyes, it’s not. I know what I (can) do, how hard I work and what I bring to the table. I’m not gonna stop until I get to where I want to be.”

Mets 2020 Draft Class Round 5: Eric Orze

With their final pick in this year’s much-shortened draft, the Mets went back to the pitching depth pool and selected righthanded pitcher Eric Orze from the University of New Orleans. Orze’s pitching arsenal includes a fastball that sits around 93-95 MPH and a scorching splitter that, according to some scouts, has “big league put-away potential.”

All ballplayers will deal with injuries at some point in their careers, but Orze has already handled more health scares than major leaguers twice his age. At age 21, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which he successfully beat. Immediately following that ordeal, his doctor informed him that a mole on his back was cancerous, and Orze had to go through another round of treatments to fight skin cancer.

These diagnoses caused Orze to miss the entire 2019 season. He came back more determined than ever to achieve his goal of making it to the major leagues.

“Having that taken away from me opened my eyes to how much I appreciated and loved the game and how much I’m willing to do for it,” Orze said earlier this year. “It kinda opened my eyes to just how much I want to do this and how little time I have to prove to whatever professional people come to see if I have the ability to play at the next level.”

Orze will enter the Mets’ minor league system low on the depth chart, but Mets fans should have no problem rooting for him and his resilient story to succeed at the major league level.

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The six newest Mets have a long way to go before taking the field in Flushing. Still, on draft day, any one of them has the chance to become the next Pete Alonso or Jacob deGrom.