Wikipedia states:
A retrospective (from Latin retrospectare, "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past.
I thought it might be fun to look back and see who got drafted by the Mets in rounds 1 thru 5, how they panned out, and which of them (and those from rounds beyond round 5) made it to the dance.
Not to get too historical, I thought I’d start at 2005 and work forward towards 2021 from there, a year at a time.
Today? Well, the season is past, if not the entire year. 2021, that is.
The Mets' 2021 Draft:
Boy you don't have to look back far to see the 2021 draft, now do you? I excerpted parts of this from an article I did in October.
We know the team's # 1 pick, Kumar Rocker, was not signed.
Remind me when he wins his 200th major league game, will ya?
Anyway, let's move on to the other fellas, the ones that actually took pen in hand and signed, shall we?
Rounds 2 thru 20. Yep, all of them signed.
A surprising number (6 of the 19) were assigned as high as low A St Lucie, and by and large did well there.
Challenge those who can be successfully challenged.
Let's get rolling:
2nd rounder, P Calvin Ziegler - the 18 year old righty did not pitch in pro games. He was the 46th overall pick and was # 123 in the MLB Pipeline rankings. Throws hard, but not super hard, at least at age 18. I do not mind a cautious approach with an 18 year old high value draftee.
I'd love to see him start out in low A next year, but that may be too aggressive. As you read on below, though, the Mets were putting just-drafted guys in low A, so one can hope he is ready for an aggressive 2022 placement.
3rd rounder, P Dominic Hamel - his pro debut was short, but very sweet. He threw 3 perfect innings in the rookie ball Florida Complex League (FCL), fanning 7. What's not to like?
4th rounder, 1B JT Schwartz - the lefty hitter only fanned 12 times in 25 St Lucie (Low A) Mets games, which is good, but hit just .195/.320/.296, which is not so good. But, a challenging Low A assignment - remember that Pete Alonso started his career one level lower. Schwartz can look forward to 2022, most likely starting out in St Lucie.
5th rounder, P Christian Scott - 22 year old 6'4" righty in the FCL fanned 1 in 3 IP, and allowed 1 run. How's that for dipping the toe in - 3 innings?
6th rounder, P Carson Seymour - 6'6" righty got his big toes wet in the FCL, walking 6 in 4.1 IP with 4 Ks and 1 run allowed.
7th rounder, SS Kevin Kendall - the lefty bat excelled for the St Lucie Mets, 113 at bats, .327/.421/.451, 8 of 10 in steals. Some fans do feel that the Mets need a SS. Realistically, the Lindor Wall stands in his way.
8th rounder, 6'5" lefty P Mike Vasil - FCL dazzler: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 Ks. Gotta love that.
10th rounder, lefty Keyshawn Askew - great FCL debut, 9 IP, 1.00 ERA, 14 Ks, 2-0. Keyshawn!!
11th rounder, S/H OF Jordan Rowdey - for St Lucie Mets, .229/.333/.294 in 109 ABs. Not a bad immediately-assigned-to-Low-A-ball pro debut.
12th rounder, OF Jack Wold - for St Lucie Mets, 86 ABs, 8 XBHs, .279/.315/.442, 17 Ks in 25 G. Very nice career kick off.
13th rounder, IF Matt Rudick - for the FCL squad, the 5'9" OF generated .303/.404/.447 in 76 at bats, 6 for 6 in steals. Nice!
14th rounder, P Nate Lavender - the 6'2" lefty in 4 FCL games, 6.2 IP, 1 run, 12 Ks. Excellent! My new favorite color? You guessed it.
15th rounder, 5'7" IF Wyatt Young - FCL darling, hitting a scintillating .370/.426/.478. A lot better than fellow former Hawaiian Mets draft bust Branden Kaupe, that's for sure.
17th rounder, lefty P Nick Zwack - FCL dazzler: 7.1 IP, 13 Ks, 0.00 ERA. Sweet! A Big Zwack Attack!
20th rounder, IF Justin Guerrera - the 5'9" IF started out strong in the FCL, got promoted to St Lucie and hit less there, but overall, a very solid season: .286/369/.495 in 30 games. Far better than the most likely washed up Greg Guerrero.
Overall, very fine debuts for many of the 19 draftees who signed and played, and started climbing the mountain. So far, so good.
That concludes my 17 part draft retrospective series, spanning the years 2005 through 2021. I hope, in retrospect, that you enjoyed it. Let me know what ya thunk.
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