NY Mets 2021 Draft Picks: Where they fit in on the top prospects ranking

The New York Mets will end the 2021 season with something we haven’t seen in a while. Normally, after an amateur draft, MLB.com will have one or two of the new faces with the franchise within the club’s top ten. I remember when Brett Baty and Pete Crow-Armstrong quickly slid in at top-tenners before even playing a professional game.

Because the Mets didn’t sign Kumar Rocker, their first-round pick, things are a little different. The club still has some nice prospects, but the new guys are all outside the exclusive top 10.

As subjective as anything in the game, a top prospect ranking is created to be wrong. Nevertheless, I was curious to see what MLB.com thought of the recent draft picks the Mets made and what the immediate expectations are of each.

Mets third-round draft pick Dominic Hamel ranks 11th

Just outside the top 10 is the third-round draft pick the Mets made, pitcher Dominic Hamel. Taken from Dallas Baptist, he’s now the fourth highest-ranking pitcher the team has.

Matt Allan (4), J.T. Ginn (5), and Robert Dominguez (9) are the three ahead of Hamel on the list. Ranking this high without any professional experience bodes well for him moving forward.

Known for high spin rates with multiple pitches, Hamel strikes me as the kind of guy that can go far in either direction.

Mets second-round draft pick Calvin Ziegler ranks 12th

Although select before Hamel, Calvin Ziegler is currently the 12th ranked Mets prospect. There’s an explanation for this. He’s only 18.

Ziegler has a chance to do something pretty special. The Canadian-born pitcher can finally dethrone Ron Taylor as the best Canuck to ever suit up for the Metropolitans.

Long before that, he’ll have to impress the Mets in the minor leagues. There appears to be some development needed as Ziegler has thus far relied heavily on his arm strength. We’ll need to remain patient with him.

Mets fourth-round draft pick JT Schwartz ranks 17th

The highest-drafted position player the Mets took in this year’s draft was a first baseman, JT Schwartz. Already getting at-bats with St. Lucie, there is one question we’ll also be asking about him: can he do anything other than play first base?

Pete Alonso is locked in as the Mets first baseman for at least a few more years which could have the organization thinking about a change for Schwartz at some point. However, as a fourth-round draft pick, they’re not going to bend over backward to make him fit.

Schwartz has a ways to go before this becomes any kind of issue. Expectations from the bats of minor league first basemen are always much bigger than anyone else because of the surplus of men who can play this position.

Mets fifth-round draft pick Christian Scott ranks 27th

The last of the new draftees to crack the top 30 is Christian Scott. Yet another pitcher, he’s a bit different from most top prospects.

Of his 55 college games, only 5 came as a starter. Scott is a reliever through and through. I’m curious to see how this works for him. Experience pitching fewer innings but on a regular basis could actually translate well to the professionals.

The Mets have had a tough time developing relievers in recent seasons—I’m sure they’re not alone. Knowing exactly how Scott fits into their system could work well. Teach him how to throw hard and add in some deception and maybe we have a future closer.

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Which of these Mets prospects are you most excited about?