3 best Mets decisions during the 2023 MLB Draft

The New York Mets entered the 2023 MLB Draft intending to continue to develop their farm system. On this occasion, and due to the new penalties for exceeding tier 4 of the luxury tax, the team could not select until pick No. 32.

However, the Mets had seven picks in the first five rounds, a plus in a draft considered by many experts to be one of the deepest in recent years. The Mets organization took a course of what they were looking for in this draft, where three decisions stand out from the rest.

The Mets used their first pick on a player who could be the "steal of the draft"

The Mets went with a clear idea with their first pick of this 2023 MLB Draft to select the best possible talent, and they did so. Despite being penalized ten spots in the first round for exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million last season, the Mets got a first-round value on the first pick.

The Mets selected infielder Colin Houck, an 18-year-old from Parkview HS, with the 32nd pick. Houck was considered a consensus top 15 going into this draft by the nation's top scouts, including 12th for MLB Pipeline, 10th for Keith Law for The Athletic, and 12th for Prospect Live.

Houck is an athletic young man with a mature swing, good bat speed, and a frame that projects room for his body to grow. Houck's swing guarantees a high probability of contact and power with a good defensive range and an exceptional arm. He has stood out for being a three-star quarterback.

Gatorade's Georgia state player of the year, Colin Houck possesses undoubted athleticism. The Mets managed to enhance their pick No. 32 in the best possible way, turning it into a first-round top, something remarkable in the organization that means that the penalty did not punish the team too much.

The Mets selected who could be one of the next two-way players of relevance in the MLB

In their first third-round pick, the Mets selected starting pitcher and outfielder Nolan McLean from Oklahoma State with the No. 91 overall pick. McLean is a six-foot-four, 214-pounder athletic player.

McLean enters the draft as one of the players with the highest ceiling and floor gap. At his best, this two-way player manages to push his fastball up to 98 mph with command of his breaking ball, curveball, slider, and changeup.

Likewise, McLean presents an aggressive bat speed that generates massive raw power and elite exit velocity to all fields. This incredible power has been awarded a grade of 60 on the 20/80 evaluation scale.

Scouts and pro teams see Nolan McLean as a pitcher with the potential of a mid-rotation starter or high-power closer in MLB. However, this player's preference is to be a full-time hitter, indicating that the middle ground between both demands would be to continue testing as a two-way player.

As well as having great potential, McLean has the weakness on the mound of not being polished as a pitcher, which could indicate that being a starter could be difficult. Likewise, as a hitter, despite his incredible power, this young man's plate discipline isn't ideal, generating too much swing and miss with a 44% strikeout percentage, which could be worrisome.

Scouts argue that with the right guidance, McLean could be a starting two-way player in MLB, who could manage to be an established starter or elite reliever, while hitting more than 40 home runs per season. The Mets achieved an excellent pick, which with the new player development of the organization could finish developing a future star in MLB.