3 Mets pitching prospects they may have struck gold within the fifth round or later

The New York Mets have not been recognized as an organization that has been able to promote talent within its farm system. The team has had to search for players through free agencies and the trade market because its internal talent has not been able to reach the expected level.

However, little by little, the organization's farm system has been improving, now more with the incorporation of the top prospects that the team acquired in the trade deadline. Despite this, pitching talent has been limited within the Mets, although three of them have shown that the team knows how to identify good talent in a cost/benefit ratio.

From eighth-round pick to top pitcher in the Mets' farm system

Mike Vasil could have been a first-round pick out of high school in the 2018 draft, but Vasil opted to continue with his commitment to the University of Virginia. After that, he suffered an arm injury and later showed inconsistencies in the following seasons of college baseball that made him drop to the eighth round of the 2021 draft, where he was selected by the Mets.

Vasil was ranked No. 111 in the top 250 MLB Pipeline prospects ahead of the 2021 draft. For MLB Pipeline, due to the inconsistencies shown, Vasil was not projected as a frontline starter but had a ceiling of being a No. 4 rotation pitcher or No. 5.

The experts were higher on Vasil than the teams since despite being ranked in that position, he was not taken until pick No. 232. Something that the young pitcher took as an opportunity since he had thought that his chance to play baseball with professional players was in short supply as the draft progressed.

Vasil began to develop in the Mets' system but never as a top prospect until this season. His stint at Double-A was stellar displaying elite command and control thanks to a good speed and high spin four-seam fastball that travels 95 mph that works well alongside his upper-80s cutter-ish and mid-80s curveball, all projected above MLB average.

This performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A where he started with problems but has begun to show great results. Vasil still does have to work on his change-up to establish himself as a frontline starter, but he has the stuff to go to MLB.

The Mets' scouting team saw a great opportunity in drafting Vasil so far back in the round. The young pitcher could be competing in the upcoming spring training for a potential fifth seed in the Mets' next rotation.

This former fifth-round pick has been some of the best news for the Mets in 2023

Christian Scott entered the 2023 season as a top-30 borderline prospect within the Mets organization. Today, his work within the Mets' minor league circuit ranks him as the No. 12 prospect in the organization and No. 3 among pitchers, according to MLB Pipeline.

Scott is another product of the 2021 draft that is generating a lot of promise for the Mets, but his story is very different from that of Mike Vasil. Scott was ranked by MLB Pipeline ahead of the draft as the No. 228 prospect, but the Mets selected him at No. 142.

For the MLB experts, Christian Scott had in his arsenal a good fastball and then a couple of pitches with limited potential that led them to believe that he would only be a bullpen depth pitcher due to a lack of dominance and command. However, the Mets saw something they could work with in his stuff to push his delivery and shooting to a higher level.

Scott is one, if not the pitcher with the most swing-and-miss potential in the entire Mets farm system. His efforts over the years have paid off thanks to a fastball that touches 98 mph, a change-up that manages to strike out lefties, and above all, a top slider within the system.

This young pitcher developed his slider with a new grip after watching videos of Max Scherzer, turning this pitch into a lethal weapon against right-handers. Between A, A+, and AA, Scott records around 11 strikeouts per nine innings against around 1.3 walks, displaying an elite command-and-control ratio.

However, Christian Scott has some limitations to be promoted as an MLB starter, his arsenal. His third pitch, the change-up, needs to be refined, and the development of a fourth pitch would be ideal. In any case, in models like the Tampa Bay Rays team, pitchers with similar stuff have managed to establish themselves in MLB as a limited innings starter but with wide dominance and stellarity.

If Scott ends up as a starter or as a top MLB reliever with the Mets, it is thanks to the credit that the team's scouting team has for having identified a talent like this pitcher in time. The Mets found a youngster who carries the momentum to be a bottom-of-the-rotation starter as early as 2024.