3 NY Mets draft picks from last year that already look like a steal

The MLB draft is one of the biggest events of the baseball season. Many young talents hope to get selected early and live out their dream as a professional baseball player. However, teams can find steals in later rounds. Last year, the New York Mets had the 19th overall pick and selected 20 players in total. It's still early into the minor league season, but so far, the Mets look like they pulled off a heist with these three players.

1) Ryan Lambert

Ryan Lambert could make an impact in the Major Leagues as soon as next season. The right-hander was the Mets' eighth-round draft pick out of the University of Oklahoma. His final college season wasn't all that impressive. He had a 2.57 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 21 innings, but only struck out 20.9% of opponents with a 13.2% walk rate. Lambert made a solid first impression, with three scoreless innings and four Ks for High-A Brooklyn late last season.

But so far this year, Lambert has looked outstanding. He's tossed a combined 12 innings between Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, only allowing two earned runs, six hits, and one home run. Lambert's 10.4% walk rate isn't great, but not horrible either. However, he has struck out a whopping 47.9% of opponents.

The 22-year-old reliever has some of the most impressive stuff in the Mets' farm system. According to Baseball America, Lambert's fastball sits mid-to-upper-90s, but has topped out at 102 MPH before. His sweeping slider is also an above-average pitch. He is only a two-pitch pitcher and hasn't started a game, at least since high school, so he's a reliever-only prospect. Look for Lambert to factor into the Mets' late-inning situation next season given how well he's looked so far and since he's hit the ground running at Double-A.

2) Will Watson

Before the Mets selected Ryan Lambert, they took Will Watson in the seventh round of the draft. Watson also didn't perform spectacularly in college. He only posted a 3.93 ERA, a 20.6% strikeout percentage, and a 12.1% walk rate in 50.1 innings at the University of Southern California. Watson pitched 2.2 scoreless frames at St. Lucie at the end of last year, and while he's started the year off there again, he's done well for himself.

In 21.1 frames, Watson owns a 3.38 ERA, 3.81 FIP, and 1.36 WHIP. Walks have still given the right-hander some trouble, but he's striking out 26.7% of opponents with. Home runs haven't been much of a problem either, as he's only allowed one dinger and has induced a ground ball 45.1% of the time at A-Ball.

Watson sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 97 MPH. Any pitching prospect who can sit 94-95 MPH as a starter deserves some attention, especially if they can throw their fastball with movement, along with good velocity. Watson is only 22 and projects as a starting pitcher. He'll need to sharpen up his command, but if he has to move to the bullpen, his already good pitch selection should only play up.

3) Nate Dohm

Nate Dohm is the highest-ranking prospect in today's article. The Mets drafted Dohm in the third round, and he is a consensus top 30 prospect in their system. With how he's performing so far, he will move up prospect rankings. Dohm was selected out of Mississippi State after he pitched to a 1.23 ERA, had a 32.7% strikeout rate, and only walked 3.5% of batters. But he was only limited to 29.1 innings due to forearm issues.

Dohm opened 2025 at St. Lucie, and currently is working to a 2.22 ERA, 2.40 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP. He's getting plenty of swings and misses, with a 28.9% K% and a whiff percentage of 28.9%. He also hasn't given up many walks with an 8.9% BB%. But Dohm has yet to allow a home run, and has held opponents to an outstanding 1.7% barrel rate.

Pipeline currently ranks Dohm as the Mets' 18th best prospect, while BA ranks him as the organization's 23rd best farmhand. But with how good he's doing, he could be a consensus top 15 prospect in the Mets' system by the end of the year. Dohm is only 22, and will be until next January. If he continues to throw like he is now, he'll definitely move up to High-A before the end of the 2025 campaign.