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 2018 have had articles done so far.
Today? The Mets' 2019 Draft
Round 1 goes to (envelope, please) Brett Baty!
He seems to be in true ascendancy. Kid can hit, and has real plate discipline. It won't be if he gets to the Mets - it is more when in 2022 will he get here? Fine season and a very solid AFL season.
Round 2? Josh Wolf - bartered off in a trade. He had a weak 2021, but he is young.
Round 3 - Matt Allan - the second gem of the 2019, but broadsided by Tommy John surgery, and unlikely to reappear in the minors until late in 2022. If he picks up where he left off, the Mets stole one with that 3rd round pick. You gotta be good - and lucky.
Round 4 - Jake Mangum - had a very fine 2021 in AA, with added power to go with his speed and glove, and has put himself into the major league conversation for 2022. No time yet in AAA. Keep plugging and keep climbing. My guess is he will spend 2022 in AAA, and will be ready in 2023.
Round 5 - Nate Jones - 14 struggling innings in Brooklyn in 2019. No 2021; just activated from the 60 day IL in November. He turns 25 in January; having 14 total innings as you turn 25 makes Tom Szapucki look like a workhorse.
Way too early to effectively assess the rest, but 7th round Luke Ritter hit very well FOR Brooklyn - when not actually hitting IN Brooklyn. He had a .561 road slugging % in 2021, a promising stat. He can really show us what he can do in AA in 2022, which thankfully has no games scheduled in (booo!!) Brooklyn.
Justin Lasko (30th round) and Cole Gordon (32nd round) showed real progress, and should have major pitching roles in the upper minors in 2022. May both replicate, and even build on, their 2021 success.
Many 2019 draftees seem to have disappeared from the scene after Covid wipe out 2020 minors, and due to the cutback in 2021 in the number of minor league teams. COVID SUCKS IN THAT WAY, TOO. It basically sucks in every way imaginable.
Assuming Allan comes back as promising as when he went down, having a draft which produces both a Baty and an Allan may turn out to be quite good.
Next up? 2020's Draft.
P.S. The days are moving along...
Who the heck will be the Mets' next manager?
Let us all know your call, will ya?
And when you do, can you...Show Walter?
My vote for next Mets manager? Mack Ade. Why? He cares more than all the current candidates.
ReplyDelete2019 was the first of Brody's two drafts. In both years, he went for over slot guys and filled out the rest with college graduating seniors. Mets got three really solid prospects - Baty, Allan and Wolf. What helped make it better than the 2021 strategy (IMO) was that they had three prime picks - so if one didn't sign (like Kumar Rocker) they still had two others.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I agree, and it sure seems the Mets dropped the ball by not having a plan B to use for another over slot once Kumar Kratered.
ReplyDeleteWolf, we'll see if he pans out - if he does, it will be elsewhere. He may turn out to be a sheep in Wolf's clothing.
Wolf went 1 and 3 with a 5.35 ERA in Low A last year. 18 games - 17 starts - 67 Ks 65.2 innings - 73 hits - 34 walks - 3 HRs - we will see.
ReplyDeletePitching Prospects are a numbers game - need as many as possible for trades and to get enough to develop for the MLB team.
Because of Baty alone, this is a good draft (Yoda speak).
ReplyDeleteMatt Allan will be the 🍒 on top
If Brodie hadn’t made that trade…
ReplyDeleteI personally have Mangum as my #11 prospect. I think the guy has tools, much more than Cortes that people seem attracted to.
This was a very good draft. Because the Mets started the run on seniors, they got the best ones.
Mangum I hope will turn into a Brett Butler type in the majors, Gus. We'll see. He is fundamentally sound. Doesn't fan a lot, added power, my guess is he is smarter, more focused and more determined than most and will succeed.
ReplyDeleteJohn, Wolf is only 21 next year. Megill turned pro just before he turned 23. Wolf likely has a lot of upside. Not in Guardians' top 30, though.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting piece by Justin Toscanini in today’s northjersey .com newspaper. It’s an interview with Kevin Howard on the state of the Mets minor leagues.
ReplyDeleteGus, a VERY interesting and encouraging article. The Mets minors sound like it had its goods on shelves as if at K Mart. Now, it will be more like Saks. The Mets are smart to realize that if you max out your minor league guys, the minors will produce more (and more ready) players.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the reasons I was impressed with Alonso when he was in the minors. He videoed his typical daily off season workout. He did everything possible to get better as quickly as possible. The rest is history.
Imagine if in the off season some very athletic guys who fan too much, for example, were given specific things to do to improve.
Tom, LOL, I’d start with Palmer, Newton, and Mauricio and explain to them that they can’t hit a homerun if they don’t hit the ball. Let’s start on that, please.
ReplyDeleteI kind of wonder what Alderson’s response would be to this…
Those 3 for sure, Gus. I wonder what Rosario would have been like, Smith would have been like, with this approach. Maybe saved them a few years of fumbling and stumbling.
ReplyDelete