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

NY Mets first round draft pick 1B Ike Davis

True first basemen don’t always get drafted in the first round. Many times, anyone from the first round who ends up as a first baseman has been moved from a different position. Ike Davis is a little different. The 18th overall selection from 2008, the Mets knew what they were getting when they took him.

The hype for Davis was huge. Before I even knew who he was, I can recall hearing his name on the radio. He had a productive rookie year, slashing .264/.351/.440 with 19 home runs and 71 RBI. Two years later, in 2012, he had a different kind of season. Davis hit 32 bombs and added 90 RBI but did it with only a .227 batting average.

Davis would be a bit of a letdown for the Mets with injuries partly to blame. Traded early on in the 2014 campaign, he’d finish his time in Queens with 68 home runs and a .241 batting average. Even with these numbers, he’s our starting first baseman.

NY Mets first round draft pick 2B Wally Backman

Wally Backman was the 16th overall pick in 1977 and a quietly productive member of the Mets for nearly a decade in the 1980s. He would hit only 7 home runs for the club in 2,704 plate appearances. Backman, who would spend the first few seasons of his career playing a “Luis Guillorme role,” eventually became the club’s starting second baseman in 1984.

Backman would actually hit .283/.353/.344 for the Mets in parts of nine seasons. He batted .320 in 1986 and had another impressive campaign in 1988 when he batted .303.

His style of play might not translate too well to today’s game. However, with steady defense and the ability to hit for a high average and make contact, he’s an acceptable member of this fictional Mets team.

NY Mets first round draft pick 3B David Wright

It’s impossible to tell the story of the Mets without mentioning David Wright. He holds multiple franchise records. If not for the injuries at the end of his career, he might have swept all of them up.

Wright first joined the Mets organization when he was selected in the supplemental portion of the first round back in 2001. The 38th overall pick, he made his Mets debut in 2004 and quickly became one of the most beloved players of all-time.

Wright’s accomplishments include seven All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves, and a pair of Silver Sluggers. The best third baseman of all-time for the franchise, there’s no one else to even consider.

NY Mets first round draft pick SS Tim Foli

The very first pick in the 1968 draft, the Mets decided to go with shortstop Tim Foli. He’d spend only two years with the team in 1970 and 1971 before rejoining them for the 1978 season and three more games in 1979.

Foli never came close to reaching the expectations of a first overall pick. However, among all first-round selections the Mets made, he was the best shortstop for the organization.

Foli’s Mets numbers include a .243/.277/.302 batting average and a single home run in 773 plate appearances. A good defender, we’ll just have to hope he saves them runs with his glove.

We finish up with the Mets outfielders