Over the past couple of seasons, the New York Mets have excelled in the MLB draft. They have always developed starting pitchers well from the drafts and have plenty of homegrown talent in former top picks in Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo.
The Mets also have drafted well late picking up some steals like Jeff McNeil in the 12th round. However, with ongoing pandemic from COVID 19, the 2020 MLB draft was a bit different this season with only five rounds. Here are the picks that the Mets made this year.
Pick 19: Pete Crow-Armstrong
The New York Mets used their first-round pick to add a bit more depth to their outfield with Vanderbilt commit Pete Crow-Armstrong. He comes from the same school that has produced some quality big leaguers in Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, and Max Fried all having attended Harvard West-Lake High School and was ranked 20th on the MLB prospect rankings.
Crow-Armstrong doesn’t possess the power that some of the top picks have, but he has tremendous speed and a possible gold-glove caliber outfielder. He also is a quality speed to an organization that has lacked that in the last decade and has the potential to hit for a high average and 15-20 home runs in the big leagues.
However, at just 18 years old, he is going to have to work his way up through the organization after not finishing his senior high school season. He fills in as a solid prospect after the Mets traded away their former first-round pick, Jarred Kelenic, in the Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano trade with the Seattle Mariners.
Comparison: Michael Brantley
Pick 52: J.T. Ginn
In round two, the New York Mets took a bit of a gamble with drafting J.T. Ginn. He pitched two seasons for Mississippi State but joins a list of New York pitchers to have undergone Tommy-John surgery.
However, Ginn could have been a first-round pick after winning freshmen of the year in the SEC in 2019. His biggest strengths are his fastball and slider. He routinely tops out at 97 mph with his fastball and has some of the best life on the pitch in the entire draft. His slider might even be better with late wipeout movement.
Ginn is working on his changeup, and if he can remain healthy, Ginn has a chance to be a top of the rotation arm for the Mets.
Comparison: Shane Bieber
Pick 69: Isaiah Greene
The Mets were rewarded with a second-round supplement pick after losing Zack Wheeler to free agency. New York went and selected a second outfielder out of high school in Isaiah Greene.
Similar to Crow-Armstrong, he has tremendous speed and plays in the outfield. He lacked the power and had his draft stock plummet after a rough junior season, but he was impressive in the Area Code Games, where he hit over .400.
His power has the potential to develop as he gets older and possesses one of the best arms in the draft. Greene was originally committed to play at the University of Missouri. He also weighs only 180 lbs and could potentially see his power increase over time as he gets older.
Comparison: Garrett Anderson
Pick 91: Anthony Walters
The Mets went a little off the board with their third-round pick selecting shortstop Anthony Walters from San Diego State.
He started off his college career playing California University before going to JUCO and playing at Mt. San Antonio College, earning all-state honors in 2017. Walters started his junior season at San Diego State and hit .271 after tearing his ACL in 2019.
His biggest strength will be his versatility especially with the Mets having two of their top three prospects in Ronny Mauricio and Andres Gimenez as shortstops. Walters has shown the ability to play second and third base as well as the outfield.
He was not ranked in the Top 500 Baseball Prospects from Baseball America, but it likely going to be a bit of a money saver to help save money for the top picks. If Walters can make it through the minors without much power, he can fill in as a utility infielder with his athleticism.
Comparison: Nick Ahmed, Miguel Rojas
Walters compares well to an infielder like Nick Ahmed and Miguel Rojas. Both these players have tremendous gloves despite never really hitting for much of an average. Both Rojas and Ahmed have more power, but Walters could likely survive with his glove.
Pick 120: Matthew Dyer
The Mets selected Matthew Dyer with their fourth-round pick. While he was drafted as a catcher, he played all around the diamond with the University of Arizona, with his teammate Austin Wells getting most of the playing time behind the plate.
Dyer is a lanky kid at 6’4″, 200 lbs without much power, and had a slow start to the season. However, he hit .393 last year after coming over from Oregon.
His coach, Jay Johnson, from Arizona, spoke highly of Dyer after he didn’t think he fit with Oregon.
“He plays with a lot of competitiveness. He’s really been a jolt of energy for our team. It’s been a long road to get him here, so it’s nice to have him make a positive contribution.”
Dyer has the ability to play in the infield and outfield but doesn’t have the power to be a corner athlete in the big leagues. His speed and arm strength are two of the top skills that can help him in the future.
Dyer compares to Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes. They both have the ability to move around the diamond as well as catch when needed. They could each play pivotal roles potentially in the future with the league possibly moving towards a permanent designated hitter.
Pick 150: Eric Orze
The Mets made their feel-good story of their draft selecting Eric Orze. The University of New Orleans pitcher has beaten a battle with skin cancer twice and has an excellent fastball ranging from 92-95.
Orze also has an impressive slider and uses his splitter as his out-pitch, but has only made four starts in his collegiate career., He started out pitching to a 5.18 ERA in 2017 and then an 8.10 ERA the following year, then missed the entire 2019 season.
However, Orze was dominant at the start of this season, pitching to a 2.75 ERA and having a 26/5 K/BB ratio. While only making four starts in his college career, he likely will find himself in the bullpen. Orze throws over the top with a quick delivery out of the stretch.
“To go through what he went through a couple of years ago when it would have been easy to stop playing baseball or lose his purpose, and he never did,” said Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. “And so, he’s motivated, and he wants the challenge of professional baseball, and we’re glad to be able to give him that opportunity.”
If Orze can have the same success Kirby Yates has with his splitter, he will have a very long career. Yates bounced around the league for a bit until he solicited himself as a shutdown closer with the San Diego Padres. Both these pitchers won’t overpower a hitter, but their splitter can get big league hitters out.
Summary
It’s impossible to tell exactly how the New York Mets did with their draft until 5-10 years down the road, but Van Wagenen seems to have had another successful draft with some promising young talent. It will be up to the coaching staff in the minor leagues to help develop these kids into big-league players, but if they pan out the way they should, this could be a great 2020 draft.
With only five rounds, many big-name players are still available for the Mets to look at. In what will be a pivotal season for New York, they need to get their farm system back to where it once now with many homegrown players taking center stage for the Mets this season.
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