Mets Roster Trivia: Who was the highest drafted player on the current team?

Like any roster in Major League Baseball, the New York Mets have a mix of first-round picks, later-round selections, and amateur free agents. Not all were selected by the Mets, of course. Many came over from another organization.

On the current Mets roster, the latest selection was Kevin Pillar. He was taken in the 32nd round or 979th overall back in 2011. That same year, Seth Lugo was taken in the 34th round, the 1,032nd overall pick.

The highest-drafted player of all, by the Mets or otherwise, is probably going to surprise you. It’s not Dominic Smith (11) or Michael Conforto (10). It’s not even Francisco Lindor (8). It’s a guy the Mets added this winter whose expectations have yet to be reached.

Alberto Almora is the highest-drafted overall pick on the current Mets roster

In 2012, with the sixth overall pick in the draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Albert Almora.

I don’t know about you, but 2012 feels like ages ago. I resigned from the only job I ever had that year and thought for sure the world would come to an end in December. The thought of a reality game show host whose popularity was at its height in the 1980s would become a future president was beyond ridiculous.

The draft itself produced a couple of current stars. The first overall pick was Carlos Correa, the star Houston Astros shortstop.

There were a fair amount of misses in the draft as well. With the number 12 pick, the Mets took Gavin Cecchini. They would also pick up catcher Kevin Plawecki in the supplemental round with the number 35 overall selection.

Current Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman was actually a part of this year’s first-round as well. Selected at number 22, he went after Lucas Sims and before James Ramsey.

Looking back at old drafts and the results that followed on the field is always an enjoyable exercise. You never know what to expect.

Almora has not performed up to sixth-overall potential. Neither have many others before or after him in this spot.

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If you’re ever curious as to why the Mets signed Almora this offseason, this is one of those reasons. At a time, he was a highly-regarded amateur player and then prospect. Now a role player for this team in 2021, he’s also the answer to a trivia question.