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Mets Draft: 1 player they won't get, 1 they will pass on, 1 they will select

By JOSUE DE JESUS |
Georgia v Vanderbilt
Georgia v Vanderbilt / Carly Mackler/GettyImages
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On July 9, the New York Mets, along with the rest of the league's 29 teams, will be holding the 2023 draft. In this edition, the level of depth among the candidates offers several potential impact players in MLB.

The Mets will not take their first pick until Competitive Balance Round A, with number 32 overall dropping ten spots because they exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million. Regardless of this, the team could have an impact player in this pick, and this time we describe which of them best fits, which the team would like to be able to draft, and who they will end up selecting.

One player the Mets won't get in the first round: Yohandy Morales

The best approach in each draft is to select the best available talent at each pick, regardless of the organization's current need. The product of the University of Miami, third baseman Yohandy Morales meets these conditions for a pick around position 30.

Morales has an intriguing profile. He's an athletic hitter with good bat speed and aggression at the plate who has scouts raving about his ability to drive the ball hard on every contact.

The young man of Cuban descent has a power level of 60 on the 20/80 scale, indicating he is a hitter with above-average power potential in MLB. Despite these qualities, due to his high tendency to chase pitches and his propensity to hit ground balls, scouts do not view him as a top-20 player.

Despite this, Morales can stay at third base because of his arm, which makes him an important target. The Mets would be delighted to land Morales at pick 32, but with his raw power, Yohandy Morales will be selected earlier in the draft.

One player the Mets should select but won't: Travis Sykora

Travis Sykora is a high school pitcher from Texas. Despite being of considerable size at 6/6 tall and 2020 pounds, the 19-year-old still has room to gain body strength.

Sykora has the fastest fastball in his class, which travel between 95-98 mph and hit 100 mph consistently. His fastball, combined with a good splitter and above-average slider, allowed him to be the most dominant pitcher at both, the PDP League and the Area Code Games, according to the MLB pipeline.

His secondary pitches are efficient even though his slider doesn't have enough spin rate. The complementary plus is his splitter, which works as a change-up, that combined with his powerful fastball could be a devastating arsenal for his opponents.

Sykora's progression since 2019 has been massive, gaining 20 mph on his fastball. His delivery is compact and slow, but he picks up speed with little effort, which is a significant factor.

The factors against Sykora that teams will reserve in this draft are his advanced age for a high school pitcher and his commitment to the University of Texas. This last reason will represent a fear of the Mets for drafting another pitcher who does not want to go to MLB, even as the most recent case of Brandon Sproat last season.

Due to his age and potential, the Mets should select Travis Sykora as their first pick, as he would advance quickly in the minor league circuit due to his maturity at the plate and would come to strengthen a weak area in the organization. Unfortunately, the Mets will be more cautious in the way they will use this pick, migrating to another safer player.

One player the Mets will draft with their first-round pick: Hunter Owen

Vanderbilt University left-handed pitcher Hunter Owen looks like a potential top-10 pick pitcher due to his control and dominance on the mound. Owen is a tall pitcher weighing 261 pounds, making him one of the most physically imposing and advanced pitchers in this class.

Owen's signature pitch is his slider, which is projected to be above average in MLB. His fastball, which can touch 97 mph, stays consistently in the low 90s with flat movement.

The most striking and important aspect of Owen is his delivery and control. The Vanderbilt lefty throws consistently in the strike zone, and his arm action and body movement need no adjustment or correction.

Owen was his state's top prospect in 2020 but chose to go to college and mature as a pitcher. However, this pitcher has shown tiredness in his throwing arm in recent seasons, which questions whether he can be a long-term starter in the long run.

The Mets can see Hunter Owen as a fast-growing pitcher in their farm system capable of quickly moving up to MLB. Due to his condition as a left-handed pitcher, the Mets would be selecting a great promise of this draft capable of being the No. 2 or No. 3 starter in MLB if he works on his durability.

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