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 2019 have had articles done so far.
Today? The Mets' 2020 Draft
Pete Crow-Armstrong was their first rounder, and his first pro live game action was...what???....to play in a bunch of MLB games for the Mets in spring training. Who does that? Only guy I can think of is.....him. Little Pete, as opposed to Big Pete.
He started out after spring training in 2021 for the St Lucie Mets like a house on fire - but about a week in, hurt his shoulder, darn it, requiring season-ending surgery.
And then...he transformed and morphed into Javier Baez.
Bye, bye, Baez. Goodbye, Crow. He was thrown out of the coop by the Mets. We'll know if that trade was for the birds in a few years. I have a feeling that if we had a crow's wishbone, we'd wish we had the Crow back.
In the 2nd round, the Mets gambled mightily and took JT Ginn, who looked like a top 10 first round pick until his elbow needed TJS prior to the draft. He returned quickly, in mid-season 2021, missing only about 15 months, and much of that was Covid "no games" 2020, anyway.
He pitched very well this season for St Lucie and Brooklyn. If you ask me, he'll likely grab a spot in the Mets' rotation by some time in 2023. Overall, 5-5, 3.03, 1.05 WHIP, 92 innings. Nice season. VERY nice pick. Not in the MLB Top 100 - yet.
2nd round comp pick OF Isaiah Greene went from the Mets to the Indians as one piece in the Lindor trade. The 20 year old played 40+ games in 2021 and hit .289 with a .421 OBP in rookie ball. Indians, perhaps, may have gotten themselves a good one. Just 1 HR, though. A much better Greene read will occur in 2022.
3rd rounder Anthony Walters was a cheap pick to save money towards the JT Ginn signing. The cheaply signed Walters was kind of a flop, hitting .156 in 35 games. He did walk 20 times, though, but his final walk as it turned out was when the Mets released him. So, strategically cheap pick or not, I think a 3rd round pick not making it thru his debut season and being released is the definition of a failed pick.
4th rounder C Matt Dyer wasn't hitting much when the Mets included him in the Rich Hill trade. Those Rays are geniuses, though, it sure seems - after the trade, in 27 games, he hit a blistering .336/.383/.598. Shades of Mike Piazza, it seems. How good he really will be will become clearer in 2022. Struggled in the Arizona Fall League, though.
5th round reliever, righty Eric Orze, made it all the way to Syracuse in his debut season. 3-2, 3.21 in 33 games, a 1.07 WHIP, and 62 Ks vs. 13 BBs in 47.2 IP. in 9 AAA outings, 2.61. Sounds like a guy who should be expected to help the Mets' pen in 2022.
An EXCELLENT pick for round 5, if you ask me.
Overall, had the Mets kept Crow and Greene, other than the bust pick of Walters, it seems it will prove to be seen as a brief, but outstanding, 2020 Mets draft.
That said, I miss the Crow. Caw, Caw!
My fear? The Crow will be picking at the Mets' carcass in a few years. Ouch.
Next up? 2021.
Yes, he is on par with Jarred Kelenic for sure...Kelenic hit .181 for the Mariners this past year. He should improve. He'd better.
ReplyDeleteIsaiah was a particular favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteWill haunt us someday
It’s no wonder our system lacks depth……..look at the number of players that were traded away, mostly for nothing!
ReplyDeleteThat needs to change, along with better player development and sports medicine (so now my wish list is up to three).
It reeks of "same old Mets" and that has to change as we must stop doing "stupid".
ReplyDeleteToo many trade-aways, fellas. We need to draft shrewdly and hold astutely.
ReplyDeleteOr we risk doing miserably.
It’s almost as if we skipped the 2020 draft all together
ReplyDeleteWe got nothing from it
I still have that Freeman signing on my brain. Think about it Steve. He not only brings us another All-Star and WS winner but does 3 things Stevie wants: sells tickets, help get us into the playoffs and win the back page with the added bonus of sticking it to the Bravos simply a another winning player.
ReplyDeleteEddie, we got 10 weeks of Baez. Can we get a do-over?
ReplyDeleteGary, Freddie should be considered. Him at 1B, Pete at DH - dangerous indeed.
Matt Dyer drafted as a catcher played CF in Arizona. Rays scout lower minors and pick prospects from other teams - Mets don't. May want to add a few scouts before they add every Analytics guy in MLB.
ReplyDeleteWe will add 4 top shelf prospects this year from the draft and 1 top International guppy.
ReplyDeleteA little light internationally but still a great haul in one year.
Add 5 a year for 5 straight years and you have a top system.
Yeah, i don't understand trading top picks before they have had time to see what they have. It was disappointing to see Crow gone in the Baez trade, but I think I was even more disappointed with Greene being involved in the Lindor trade.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mack ... I like players like Greene.
Bill, how many cast offs and traded draftees will play All Star caliber ball? In 2021, Wheeler, Flexen, Sewald, and Matz, to name 4. How many to come? Only time will tell.
ReplyDelete