The best first round draft picks the Mets have made at each position

Whether they were picking high in the first round or a little lower, the New York Mets have had great successes (along with some major misses) picking in round number one. Some of the franchise’s best players joined the organization when his name was called early on in the MLB Draft.

Using only first round-draft picks made by the Mets and the accomplishments they had with the big league team, I thought I would assemble a starting nine to see how productive the team would be.

NY Mets first round draft pick SP Dwight Gooden

There’s no question who the starting pitcher for this Mets team would be. It’s Dwight Gooden, one of the franchise’s best pitchers and an easy choice to take the mound.

Drafted fifth overall in 1982, Gooden would win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year with the team. In 1985, he had possibly the greatest season of any Mets pitcher. It was a modern marvel, going 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA.

Gooden finished his 11 seasons as a member of the Mets with 157 wins and a 3.10 ERA.

NY Mets first round draft pick C Kevin Plawecki

The Mets have, amazingly, not had much success with catchers taken in the first round. Steve Chilcott is the most infamous of them. Many others weren’t much better.

What makes Kevin Plawecki stand out is the fact that he made the big leagues and stuck around for a while. The 35th overall pick in the 2012 draft, he’s a first-round pick catcher who makes this roster only through means of eliminating others.

Plawecki batted only .218/.308/.330 for the Mets in his 804 trips to the plate. A part-timer in each of his four seasons, we’re going to have to hope he works well with Gooden on the mound and the rest of the offense makes up for his absence at the plate.

Let's take a look at the Mets infield