The next wave of Mets prospects is about to make an impact

2020-21: J.T. Ginn

The payoff of the Mets’ last two draft classes is already mirroring that of 2018, for all the wrong reasons. Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Mets’ first round choice in the abbreviated 2020 draft, is already out of the organization, having been traded for Javy Baez at the deadline last July. The team’s first round choice in 2021, Kumar Rocker, never even made it into the farm system, as the sides could not come to a contract agreement reportedly due to medical concerns.

Like 2018, however, there is still one prospect from these past two classes poised to make an impact quickly. J.T. Ginn, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher out of Mississippi State, has already cracked the top 5 of the Mets’ organizational rankings per MLB.com after being selected 52nd overall in 2020.  There was even some talk of the Mets calling him up last season amidst a rash of injuries to the major league rotation, but with very little minor league experience to speak of, the team wisely passed on that. That’s not to diminish Ginn’s pedigree, however – his first professional season was a success, with a 3.33 ERA in 18 starts split between Brooklyn and St. Lucie.

Ginn has a plus fastball and slider that can help him rise quickly through the farm system, but the Mets shouldn’t be quick to rush him up if they can help it. He has just one season of minor league ball under his belt after undergoing Tommy John surgery in his last year of college (just prior to the draft), so a bit more seasoning and experience should be prioritized over a big-league debut any time before 2023.