First five rounds: Brett Baty (1-12), Josh Wolf (2-53), Matthew Allan (3-89), Jake Mangum (4-118), Nathan Jones (5-148)
Also notable: Luke Ritter (7-208), Antoine Duplantis (12-358), Hunter Barco (24-718)
The Mets had a fairly unorthodox strategy here, but ultimately, I like the end product. After going a little underslot with first rounder Brett Baty, they splurged and spent a combined $4.65 million on their second and third round picks – about $2.5 million total above slot – and then proceeded to take seven straight college seniors to save money. After spending a total of $8.55 million on those first three high schoolers, those seven seniors cost them a combined $62,000. Funny what a little leverage can do for you. Brett Baty, Josh Wolf, and Matthew Allan all have tremendous ceilings and are certainly premium talents, but there were some interesting guys taken later on. Of course, nobody can ever say enough about Mississippi State legend Jake Mangum, who finishes college baseball as the SEC's all time hits leader and as possibly the most popular player the league has ever seen. Either way, it's clear that the Mets are significantly invested in these three high schoolers, and the success of this draft will hinge on them.
1-12: 3B Brett Baty (Lake Travis HS [TX], my rank: 21)
Brett Baty is a polarizing prospect, but his immense upside and the bit of savings the Mets got here makes him a worthwhile gamble in the top half of the first round. Baty played alongside Dodgers second rounder Jimmy Lewis for Lake Travis High School near Austin, and he took off by hitting everything in sight during his senior year of high school. He's 6'3" and generates easy plus power from the left side, and he got to it very consistently this spring, so his hit tool looks like a plus for now as well. However, his stock takes a big hit when you consider his age, as he turned 19 in November and is a year to a year and a half older than most high school seniors. Scouts have to weigh that in when considering the way he produced in 2019, it will be very interesting to see how he does against more age-appropriate competition. If Baty shrugs off the age thing and hits like he very well may have the ability to, he could hit 25-30 or more home runs per season with fairly high on-base percentages, making him a true middle of the order threat. He has a cannon arm at third base ubt his glove is a bit uncertain, so it remains to be seen whether he sticks at the hot corner or is forced over to first base. Baty signed away from a Texas commitment for $3.9 million, which was $470,000 below slot, and he's slashing .259/.394/.481 with a home run and a 12/6 strikeout to walk ratio over seven minor league games, five of which came in the complex-level Gulf Coast League and two of which were with rookie-level Kingsport.
2-53: RHP Josh Wolf (St. Thomas HS [TX], my rank: 43)
Josh Wolf saw his stock climb this spring as scouts saw the progress he made. The Houston native is a 6'2" righty that sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and adds a very good curveball, one which generates a lot of swings and misses. His changeup is coming along as well, and while he loses his arm slot occasionally and that can impact his command, he generally fills the strike zone and certainly can't be considered wild. He's very skinny and doesn't look like he has a ton of room to add weight, but he already has plenty of arm strength and may not need to add that much if he wants to remain a starter. He also supposedly has a strong work ethic and that has helped him consistently get better, and he has the ceiling of a #2 or #3 starter and a good shot to be at least a #4. Wolf signed away from a Texas A&M commitment for $2.15 million, which was $780,000 above slot.
3-89: RHP Matthew Allan (Seminole HS [FL], my rank: 12)
Mets fans should be ecstatic that they were able to land Matthew Allan here, who could have easily gone in the first round. With a strong Florida commitment, Orlando-area high schooler was reportedly asking for upwards of $4 million for his signing bonus and slipped out of Day One, but apparently there was some wiggle room and the Mets were able to land him for less, though still massively overslot for this part of the draft. Allan, in my opinion, was the top high school pitcher in the country this year, coming in with a mid 90's fastball, a very good curveball, and a changeup with solid drop. His command isn't pinpoint but it's safely above average, and with an easy delivery and a 6'3" frame, he checks all the boxes that you're looking for in a future impact starter. While I'm not sure he'll ever end up a true ace, Allan has a very good chance to be a #2 or a #3 starter so long as his command holds up. He signed for $2.5 million, which was more than $1.83 million above slot.
4-118: OF Jake Mangum (Mississippi State, unranked)
Their pocketbooks virtually empty after drafting three pricey high schoolers, the Mets started a long run of college seniors with perhaps the most exciting player in college baseball. I'm not talking about Oregon State's Adley Rutschman, but rather Mississippi State's Jake Mangum, who has become the face of college baseball over the past couple of seasons. Very old for his class, he was drafted by the Yankees as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2017, but he turned them down to return to Starkville for his junior season. The Mets drafted him as a 22 year old junior in 2018, but he again turned them down to return to school. Now, he emerges after four years as the SEC's all time hits leader and perhaps the most popular player in Mississippi State history, quite the feat when you consider all the talent that has come through the program from Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark to Jonathan Papelbon, Mitch Moreland, and Brent Rooker. Mangum, from the Jackson area, slashed .408/.458/.510 as a freshman and never looked back, hitting at least .324 every season and capping it off with a .358/.417/.467 line, one home run, 22 stolen bases, and a 24/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 67 games for the Bulldogs this season. Mangum is a switch hitter with great bat to ball skills and the ability to spray line drives all over the park, though he is strictly a contact hitter and you'd be lucky to get 5-10 home runs per season out of him. Once he puts the ball in play, he's very fast and can use his speed well on the bases, and it also suits him well in the outfield, where he has a strong arm and should be an above average center fielder. Having turned 23 in March, he's much older than most of his draft peers even at the college level, so he'll want to move quickly. Overall, that equates out to a fourth outfielder projection given his age. However, the biggest thing you're getting with Mangum isn't his hit tool or his run tool. His work ethic and leadership qualities are off the charts, and even that's an understatement. The unquestioned captain of not only his team but probably of all of college baseball, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who worked harder, played harder, and who poured more of their soul into not only improving themselves, but everyone around them. Jake Mangum was to Mississippi State what the media played Derek Jeter up to be to the Yankees, and while he never won the College World Series with the Bulldogs (he came close on a few occasions), there's no doubt he has laid the groundwork for that to happen in the near future. As a senior with very little leverage, Mangum signed for $20,000, which was $467,900 below slot, and he's slashing .235/.278/.294 through his first four games at short season Brooklyn.
5-148: RHP Nathan Jones (Northwestern State, unranked)
It was hard for me to find information or video on Nathan Jones, though I've got a little bit. Jones was lightly recruited out of a Shreveport high school and ended up at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he relieved his freshman year before starting for the last three seasons. The 6'1" righty put up a 2.78 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and an 80/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 81 innings, tossing two complete game shutouts along the way. I don't know anything about his stuff, but given his college numbers, he may have a chance to try to crack it as a #4 or #5 starter with his solid command and proven durability. He signed for $10,000, which was $254,400 below slot, and he tossed two shutout innings while striking out five in his first game with Brooklyn.
7-208: 2B Luke Ritter (Wichita State, unranked)
Luke Ritter has been a big performer for Wichita State over the past two years, slashing .341/.420/.484 as a junior before bumping it up to .333/.458/.545 with nine home runs and a 39/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games as a senior. The Kansas City native is only 5'11" but he has some pop from a powerful swing, and he greatly improved his plate discipline in 2019 to the point where it should be a net positive in his development. He's not great defensively, but he's not a butcher either and should be able to stick at second base, where he'll likely serve as a bench bat at the major league level if he gets there. He does have some offensive upside, making him a sleeper to track and a guy who could surprise if he takes to pro ball well, so his ceiling is not limited to a reserve role despite the fact that he turned 22 in February as a college senior. Ritter signed for $10,000, which was $206,600 below slot, and he's slashing .250/.348/.429 with a pair of home runs and a 13/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 16 games with Brooklyn.
12-358: OF Antoine Duplantis (Louisiana State, unranked)
The Mets grabbed Mississippi State's all time hits leader (and the SEC's all time leader) in Jake Mangum and his 383 hits, so they went ahead and grabbed another big program leader in Antoine Duplantis, who set the LSU all time hits record with 359. And of course, that LSU program has produced hitters like Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Aaron Hill, and Alex Bregman (as well as the previous hits leader Eddy Furniss), so Duplantis coming out on top is no small feat. Duplantis slashed .324/.376/.505 with eleven home runs and a 30/21 strikeout to walk ratio as a senior this year, and when you pair him with Mangum, the Mets picked up two of the greatest leadoff hitters in SEC history. Unlike Mangum, Duplantis has the ability to turn on the ball and drive it over the fence, but at a skinny 5'11", he ultimately does not project for much power in pro ball because he is much more inclined to use his quick, compact swing to spray line drives around the field. The Lafayette, Louisiana native has good range in the outfield, but with a mediocre arm, he doesn't profile as more than an average center fielder, if he sticks there. Overall, that looks like a fourth outfielder profile because he doesn't place the bat on the ball quite so effortlessly as Mangum, but he still should hit for high averages. Duplantis signed for $85,000 and is slashing .136/.174/.182 with five strikeouts to one walk over his first five games at Brooklyn.
24-718: LHP Hunter Barco (Bolles HS [FL], my rank: 33)
With the Mets spending a boatload of bonus pool money to sign second rounder Josh Wolf and third rounder Matthew Allan, Hunter Barco won't sign here, and he'll instead head to Florida, where Allan was committed. The Jacksonville high schooler's stock has been anything but steady, as he shined on the showcase circuit between his sophomore and junior years of high school to put himself on the map as a potential top ten overall pick in early, early mock drafts. However, he was only so-so this past summer, not too dissimilarly to Brewers 2018 first rounder Brice Turang, and his stock fell a little bit. He came out of the gate looking better this spring, but he also dealt with minor shoulder problems and ultimately his stock leveled off in the compensation round-area, in the pick 35-45 range. Ultimately, though his asking price was too high for teams to be comfortable with and he'll look to find consistency as a Gator. Barco is a 6'4" lefty with a low 90's fastball, a slider that flashes plus, and an advanced splitter, but his mechanics have been inconsistent and that affects not only his command but his stuff. Barco throws from a low three quarter arm slot with a cross-body delivery, and at times his arm falls down to almost sidearm and his stuff flattens out. The Florida coaching staff is going to have to work with him on that, but with that projectable 6'4" frame, three potential plus pitches, and left handedness, he has a very high ceiling.
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