Tom Brennan - Retrospective on Mets' Drafts of Years Past: 2018

I thought it might be fun to get all retrospective and look back at: 

1) How Mets kiddies drafted in rounds 1 thru 5 panned out, and 

2) Which of all the Mets' picks actually made it to the dance. 

I started this series at 2005 a year at a time towards 2021. 

2005 thru 2017 have had articles done so far.

Today?  The Mets' 2018 Draft 

The Mets sucked as a team during the 2017 season, and as a result, found themselves with the 6th overall pick, a high place they rarely find themselves drafting in.  So they grabbed athletic power hitting OF Jarred Kelenic.  Who was controversially traded to  - where else - Seattle, where Mets so often tend to go.  

Kelenic's 2021 debut with the Mariners was "rough, rough, rough", as my dog, if I had one, would bellow.  His .248/.331/.524 in September, though, hints that 2022 is likely to be a lot different for him.  And heck, he just turned 22.

Round 2 - Simeon Woods R. was also traded - to the Blue Jays in the Stroman deal.  He and his power arm seemed to be rocketing northwards, but then he stunk, and missed some time, after May, as a Jay farmhand, then got traded mid-year to Minny, where he is the Twinkies' 4th ranked prospect, so we'll get a better idea as to what we lost next year, I guess.

Round 3 - Brennan fave Carlos Cortes was drafted here.  Short player in height, but he comes with a Brennan fave attribute: "Power Bat."  Had a fine 2021, with would have been even finer if he hadn't missed a lot of time in the second half and if he had stopped trying to hit righty.  I think his biggest flaw (trying to hit righty) has been tossed into the trash heap.  Which is good, since his AA slash line as a lefty hitter in 2021 was a robust  .287/.372/.579.  

He played in the AFL and got on base OK there, but the power evaporated.  I see him in the outfield in Queens at some point during 2022 if he is not traded, perhaps in 2023 if the Mets heavily stock the outfield and thus push him lower on the depth chart.  His bat will make or break his big league dreams.

Round 4 - Adam Hill - big righty dude fanned 26 in 15 innings in Brooklyn in his draft debut year.  SO what the Wil-putzes do?  They traded Hill to the Brewers from the Mets along with two other prospects  for K-loving outfielder Keon Broxton.  Agghh!!  Since then, he's 12-16 with an ERA in the mid 4s, and now hurls in the minors for - who else - Seattle.  Whether Hill ever makes it remains to be seen, but never liked that K-K-K-K-Keon Broxton trade.

Round 5 - Ryley Gilliam - at the start of his pro career, he came out of the bullpen gates guns-blazing, but has been frankly terrible for quite a while. Which Gilliam will show up in 2022?

After Round 6, we arrive at Round 8, where some guy named Tylor Megill made phenomenal and accelerated progress in 2021.  2022 ought to be a fascinating one for the big righty.

Mack, by the way, reminded me of another outstanding 8th round pick in an earlier season: DANNY MUNO.  Thanks, Mack.

My other 2 real 2018 hopefuls were the Brooklyn Flamethrowers, 40th rounder Brian Metoyer (who had his ups and downs vs. advanced hitters in the AFL, but had to have learned a lot) and 9th rounder mountain-sized Bryce Montes de Oca.  

Will the duo continue their notable progress (and high K rates) in 2022?  We'll see.

Nick Meyer (6th round) will go as far catching as his bat will take him.  He hit modestly in 2021, and needs to continue to try to make that a more MLB-ready tool.  Ditto on 24th round catcher Hayden Senger, who (along with Metoyer) got tabbed to participate in the AFL, and did not play a lot there.

Stay tuned in 2022 for further developments regarding the class of 2018.  Maybe it will be very fruitful - for Seattle and Minnesota, if not for the Mets.

Thank heavens for Big, Bad Tylor Megill.

Next up?  The 2019 draft.