3 reasons why the New York Mets had an excellent draft

After last year’s debacle involving Kumar Rocker and the 10th overall pick, the New York Mets had pressure to get that draft right this year. That same pressure, also assisted in giving them a boost to be one of the main teams to watch heading into draft night. 

Much like other years, the New York Mets were one of the key storylines in the draft, thanks to their bonus pool. Thanks to failing to sign Rocker - who went third overall in the 2022 draft to the Texas Rangers - and watching Noah Syndergaard leave for Anaheim in the offseason, the Mets entered the 2022 draft with two additional picks and three in the top 90 overall selections.

It allowed the Mets to be aggressive. If a top talent like Druw Jones or Elijah Greene fell? The Mets felt like the team to snatch them up. Or, maybe the Mets would spread the bonus pool money out among several draftees. For a team that sits atop the National League East, New York and their financial options were veiwed as a true turning point in the draft. 

And nothing too crazy happened. No big names falling out of the top ten. New York decided to take the best players on the board in the first round and go from there. In the end, New York had a solid class, making the most of their draft picks. MLB Pipeline listed the Mets as one of the better draft hauls, while The Athletic’s Keith Law (subscription required) was positive about both of New York’s first round selections. After the Rocker debacle last year, the Mets rebounded well with a strong draft. 

While it’s early to make any broad statements, here are three reasons why the Mets came away with a solid draft class, one of the Mets could build upon for years to come. 

1) The Mets added strength to strength with premium hitters in the first round

If there was anything to take away from New York’s first round selections, it was a premium on hitting. The Mets ended up selecting Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada and Texas High School shortstop Jett Williams. Parada finished his sophomore season with 26 home runs and a battling line of .361/.453/.709. The same goes for Jett Williams, who was a favorite of the Mets front office. Williams knocked in five home runs, stole 15 bases, and finished with a split of .347/.514/.723.

New York didn’t stop there with the bats early, snagging Virginia High School outfielder Nick Morabito in the Comp B round and Washington High School third baseman Jacob Reimer in the fourth. Both players could project as hit-over-power bats with moderate pop. The Mets don’t care about positional value with all three of the four expected to switch positions as professionals, but they did show just how much they value the hit tool. 

Both Parada and Williams are representative of New York’s approach to hitting at the top of the draft. Both players were great in terms of exit velocity, trackman data and other hitting metrics both ranked Parada and Williams out well. For Parada, it offers the upside of a high upside, two-way catcher, or, a middle-of-the-order corner outfield bat. 

For Williams? It could be an element that allows him to take a further jump as an undersized infield prospect. Whether he stands at second base or center field, Williams tapping into his power and combining it with pristine contact ability could create a top prospect in the organization. 

2) The Mets continue to diversify their pitching pipeline

Coming into the draft, New York’s biggest weakness was its pitching pipeline. With top pitching prospect Matt Allan injured until the middle of the season and several attractive arms below him several years away, the Mets had a severe gap in their pitching pipeline. While they ignored pitching in the beginning, they returned to the well with several selections for the farm system.

Blade Tidwell, the team’s second-round pick, and Brandon Sproat, New York’s third-round pick, are two of the same coin - big-time college starters with flaws. Tidwell, who sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, was viewed as a first-round arm, but injuries knocked him into the second round. Sproat was a flamethrower at Florida, but can’t locate the ball. Both have the size and velocity to stick, but it’ll be up to the Mets’ development stat to help them take the next step. 

The most intriguing ptching selection for the Mets is Jonah Tong, the team’s seventh round pick. Not the physical marvel like Tidwell or Sproat, nor does he offer the same fastball, but impressed with his spin rates on his fastball and curveball, while touting a developing curveball. Much like fellow Canadian Calvin Ziegler, Tong seems like another high school arm the Mets can develop with his pitchability and hope a few tweaks can unlock a few miles on his fastball.

Ultimately, New York added several arms in the class with a few destined for the bullpen if they were ever to make it to the majors. However, New York continues to show how they continue to view their pitching in the system. A brief look shows that New York will prioritize big arms like Tidwell, Sproat, Kumar Rocker last season and even 2022 sixth round pick Tyler Stuart are all big bodied pitchers with big fastballs.

But you also see the value of New York with pitchability guys - guys who are more than the sum of their parts. Tong has several positive traits, but even guys like Dominic Hamel and Calvin Ziegler from last year's draft have been selected by the Mets and took a leap after being drafted.

It's only a matter of time before the New York Mets continue to hit on another successful pitcher in their system, but this class is a nice step forward in both finding arms to help the starting rotation and bullpen in the future.