IN FOCUS - Sean Manaea, Mitch Voit, David Wright, Antonio Jiminez, Peter Kussow, Peyton Prescott, Nathan Hall, Cam Tilly, Camden Lohmanb, Trade Market: Centerfield, Bold Trade Prediction

 

Pitch Profiler                             @pitchprofiler

Sean Manaea continued to build back in another STRONG start for the Mets!

Nearly three out of every four pitches was a fastball, that's straight up bully ball right there.

Mets Player Development                  @MetsPlayerDev

OFFICIAL

We have signed first-round draft pick Mitch Voit. Welcome to the Mets, Mitch!

 

SNY Mets                                    @SNY_Mets

Seven years after he exited the field for the final time and right before he gets his number 5 retired, David Wright still can't believe the career that he was able to have as a New York Met.

NL East 2025 draft report

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6496017/2025/07/17/nl-east-draft-grades-picks-mlb-2025/

The Mets didn’t pick until 38 due to luxury tax nonsense. They took Michigan second baseman Mitch Voit (1A) at that spot and announced him as a two-way player, because that’s just how they roll — they took two-way players high in 2023 (Nolan McLean, now a full-time pitcher) and 2024 (Carson Benge, now a full-time masher). Voit can really hit, with very high contact rates and more walks than strikeouts. He has solid-average power that would play at second or if he returns to center. He’s a plus runner and, of course, has a plus arm. I know a few scouts who thought he was a sleeper and even heard rumors he might go higher than this.

Central Florida shortstop Antonio Jimenez (3) struggled badly in the Cape Cod League last summer, but after transferring from Miami to UCF, he had a huge breakout year (against weaker competition), hitting .329/.407/.575 with a ton of very hard contact, almost all to the pull side. He hardly ever misses in zone but does chase way too often. He’s an average runner with a hose of an arm, probably moving to third base in time.

Wisconsin high school right-hander Peter Kussow (4) is 6-feet-5 and very projectable, sitting low 90s now with a slider that has a high spin rate but isn’t very sharp. He comes from a three-quarters slot with a long arm action, yet he’s very north-south and hasn’t learned how to work east-west yet, without a pitch that naturally moves that way. He’s a Louisville commit.

Florida State right-hander Peyton Prescott (5) is up to 100 with a 55 changeup but gets crushed by right-handed batters, as his slider is fringy and he leaves it up too often. He has an incredibly short arm action with a ton of effort, so he’ll stay in relief, where he pitched for the Seminoles this spring and posted a 5.15 ERA with a 27 percent strikeout rate.

Central Missouri right-hander Nathan Hall (6) is at least the fourth guy I’ve come across in this draft who made exactly four starts this spring and then had to have elbow surgery. In his case, it was the internal brace rather than Tommy John, so there’s at least a shorter rehab process involved. He’s been up to 98 but has barely pitched, as he was a catcher before 2024 and threw just 29 total innings for the Mules in two seasons.

Auburn righty Cam Tilly (7) sits 93-94 with a 55 changeup and a slider that has high spin rates but isn’t as effective as it should be, resulting in righties posting a .420 OBP off him this spring. He has a good enough delivery to start and did so six times for Auburn this year, so I expect him at least to go out in a rotation.

Missouri prep righty Camden Lohman (8) is going to be an over-slot deal, but he could be the steal of the Mets’ draft. The Mizzou commit has a super-fast arm and a potentially plus curveball, getting on top of the ball really well from a high three-quarters slot. He wasn’t that heavily scouted coming into the year because he didn’t do many showcase events.

Trade Market – Centerfield

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6496642/2025/07/18/gauging-mlb-trade-market-cf-2b-ss-sp/

There are a lot of center fielders…

This is especially true if the Red Sox were to move Jarren Duran — a left fielder who’s capable of playing center — but even without him as a headliner, the center fielder market could include Cedric Mullins, Harrison Bader, Alek Thomas and Luis Robert. None of these have been massive bats, but Bader is having a resurgent season at the plate and offers above-average offense with some power. Mullins and Thomas have been above replacement level, too, and Robert is an immense talent that might be worth a gamble despite his awful 2025 numbers. Each of these center fielders has a different skillset that might fit a different team.

 

One bold prediction for each team ahead of the MLB trade deadline

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6494695/2025/07/18/mlb-trade-deadline-prediction-2025/

Mets

They'll add meaningfully and keep top prospects.

In the last few years, New York’s farm system has improved to where the talent doesn’t fall off a cliff past its seventh or eighth prospect. The Mets have a surplus of intriguing mid-tier prospects, enough to where they could use them (in one deal or multiple) to substantially improve the big-league club without dealing a top-10 prospect in the organization.