Matthew Allan has potential first-round talent but had an asking price of around $4 million. However, on day two of the MLB draft, the New York Mets selected the University of Florida commit. Fortunately for the Mets, he signed with New York.
As a result, the Mets front office altered its next seven picks to sign college seniors to reach an agreement with the talented pitcher to a $2.55 million signing bonus.
Strengths
At 6’3″ and 210 pounds, Allan has an electric fastball that can reach 98 mph. He can pitch both high and low to change the eye level of a hitter. Also, Allan has good command both in and out of the strike zone. Allan has a tight spinning curveball that he throws in the low 80’s which is his strikeout pitch. He also has a very smooth delivery with a high leg kick, which is easy to replicate and potentially stay healthy.
Weakness
Allan’s changeup is a work in progress. He recently changed his grip from split-fingered to three-fingered. At times, his changeup isn’t as deceptive as it should be, and he occasionally will hang a pitch in the zone. He can sometimes lose his command. But Allan is still only 19-years old and has only one professional season under his belt. Unfortunately, he will not have the minor league season in 2020 due to COVID 19.
Statistics
In high school, Allan will always be remembered for throwing a perfect game and striking out 17 hitters in the Division II playoff’s semifinals. He had a .99 ERA and a 108:18 K: BB ratio during his senior year as well.
As a professional, Allan pitched in five games and made four starts in rookie ball for the Gulf Coast Mets. After allowing only one run in 8.1 innings, he was promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones. He got hit pretty hard in his one start and lasted only two innings.
“We promoted him to Brooklyn because he was throwing the ball well and we wanted him to get the taste of a playoff race,” Mets executive director of player development Jared Banner said in an email. “We knew he had the makeup to thrive under pressure and he did — helping us to a championship.”
Comparison
Allan is a powerful arm that gets stronger as the game goes on similar to Justin Verlander. They both have an explosive fastball and a terrific curveball. Allan appears to have the mental toughness that Verlander has on the mound. When he gets into trouble, both pitchers bear down to get the job done. Allan also gets stronger as get gets deeper into games and can potentially be a front of the rotation pitcher for the Mets. The Mets can only hope Allan becomes three-quarters of what Verlander is.
The 2019 draft for the Mets may go down as one of their best drafts ever if their top three picks can pan out. Allan could have been a first-round pick if there wasn’t the concern about him signing coming out of High School. The Mets also selected Brett Baty and Josh Wolf, who are all among the top-ten ranked prospects already in the organization and can possibly all impact the team within the next few years.
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