Mets Draft - Pick 9.264 - RHP - Jaxson Jelkin - Houston

 

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Opening Day starter who struck out seven Binghamton hitters in his debut while allowing just one earned run. 

Struck out six or more in five of his seven starts. 

Struck out a single-game team-high 13 at BYU (3/15). 

Posted two quality starts, one at BYU (6.0 IP, 1 R) and in his final start at TCU (6.1 IP, 3 R). 

Made seven consecutive starts before getting shut down due to injury. 

 

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In round nine, the Mets went with Houston right-hander Jaxon Jelkin ($196.7K slot value). Like Watson, Jelkin was drafted in 2023 (14th Round by the Dodgers), but he elected to go to Houston after playing college baseball at Nebraska in 2022 and then at South Mountain Community College in ’23. 

Jelkin ended up being Houston’s Opening Day starter this year and he had a 4.19 ERA in seven starts. Despite the small sample size in terms of outings, he was able to put up strikeouts at a good rate (46 in 34.1 innings) and he had at least six strikeouts in five of those starts.

 Jelkin has a fastball that gets up to 97 mph, to go with a slider and a changeup in his arsenal. As Future Stars Series points out, Jelkin has the ability to get a good amount of spin on his offspeed pitches that made him one of the best pitchers in the conference.

 “His secondaries include a low-80s slider/curveball whose shapes and velocities tend to blend together. Nevertheless, they’re both of the high-spin variety and he throws both with conviction. He also throws a changeup with massive fading life, projecting above-average…It’s a balanced profile suggesting a reliable floor to go with some upside.” 

 

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For the fourth-straight season, a Houston Baseball player has been drafted in the MLB Draft with the NY Mets taking right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin at No. 263 overall in the ninth round on Monday. 

The Omaha, Neb., native was the Opening Day starter striking out seven Binghamton hitters in his Cougar debut while allowing just one earned run. 

Jelkin struck out six or more in five of his seven starts and struck out a team-high 13 at BYU (3/15).

 In his junior season, Jelkin made the third-most starts on the team while pitching to a 3.41 ERA in 34.1 innings with 46 strikeouts before missing the second half of the season due to injury.

 The right-handed pitcher is Houston's first draft pick inside the first 10 rounds since Robert Gasser was taken in the Competitive Balance B round by the San Diego Padres.

  

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Round 9, No. 263 Overall

Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Houston

Notable Skill: Like so many pitchers coming out of the Draft these days, Jelkin throws hard. He used that skill set to strike out 46 batters over 34 1/3 innings as a junior at Houston. 

Fun Fact: Jelkin made only seven starts at Houston due to injury. He’s considered a potential high-risk, high-reward pick given his excellent velocity but spotty health history.

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Interesting Friday night starter for a smaller school… projectability exists… long, clean arm action. 

Fastball is well below 90 but go to pitch was a 72-73 slider. 

He’s only 21 so there is plenty of time to work with this kid