Mets go heavy on pitching in rounds two-10 of MLB Draft
A general view as the Mets play against the Marlins in the third inning during the second game of a doubleheader at Citi Field on Aug. 5, 2019. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets have looked into their future, and all they see is pitching.
A day after drafting Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker in the first round and 10th overall, the farm system got another shot in the arm(s) with seven pitchers drafted in rounds two through 10.
In the second round they selected Calvin Ziegler, heralded as Canada’s top prospect. The 18-year-old, a recent attendee of TNXL Academy, a baseball breeding ground in Ocoee, Florida, is a hard-throwing righthander who’s fastball hovers in the mid-90s and has reached 97. His fastball has excellent swing-and-miss potential thanks to its sink. And at his age, and at 6-0, 205 pounds, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to get stronger.
"Getting Ziegler, to me, was just a tremendous group pick," said Marc Tramuta, the Mets’ director of amateur scouting. "Our national pitching cross-checker Chris Hervey and I were the last two to see him and we walked out of there looking at each other, [saying] this is some of the best high school stuff we’ve seen all year."
In addition to the fastball, he has a curveball/slider hybrid with dynamic breaking action and a changeup, though he’s struggled with commanding that pitch, according to Baseball America. His control in general is something to keep an eye on and could affect his reliever profile, according to MLB Pipeline, but his arm strength is undeniable.
He’s ranked as the 105th prospect in the nation, according to Perfect Game, and the 34th best pitcher. He’s described as a polished product, despite his age. MLB has him ranked 123, with the caveat that he could benefit considerably from further developing his changeup. His signing bonus is estimated at $1.62 million, according to MLB’s draft tracker.
In the third round, the Mets drafted another righty: Dominic Hamel, 21, out of Chandler, Arizona. The No. 96th-ranked prospect, according to MLB, Hamel is a high-spin pitcher with a fastball that has high-riding life and sits at about 90-94, topping out at 96, along with a low 80s slider and curveball. Both this slider and curve reach 3,000 rpm, which is considered an elite spin rate; his fastball reached 2,500 rpm, also elite. He’s 6-2, and 206 pounds and went 13-2 with a 4.22 ERA this season with Dallas Baptist University.
"We like to scout through both lenses — both a scouting lens and an analytics lens — and on that particular player, they matched up really well," Tramuta said. "It’s a plus-ride fastball which all of you know, in today’s game, is something that’s very effective. When I saw him pitch, the fastball was anywhere from 91 to 96. He actually threw a little harder as the game went on . . . He showed that stamina. We’ve seen an above-average curveball and slider, which both have high spin rates."
J.T. Schwartz, a 21-year-old first baseman, was picked in the fourth round, 111th overall. The 2021 PAC-12 All-Conference selection is a consistent lefthanded bat, a doubles hitter with a good eye for the strike zone but will need to further develop his power as he matures. The Mets selected hard-throwing righthander Christian Scott in the fifth round. Projected to be a reliever, he has a fastball that can hit 98, along with a mid-80s slider.
The Mets drafted Kansas State righthander Carson Seymour in the sixth round and Kevin Kendall, a shortstop and lefty bat from UCLA was picked in the seventh round. The rest of the Mets’ Day 2 selections: 21-year-old righthander Mike Vasil in the eighth round, 22-year-old righthander Levi David in the ninth round, and 21-year-old lefthander Keyshawn Askew in the 10th.
Rounds 11-20 will be held Tuesday.
"It helps a lot," to draft so many mature pitchers, said Tommy Tanous, vice president of amateur and international scouting. "I think it’s an area where . . . Mark and I and the staff never look at the needs of a team. We don’t think that’s a strength to draft from. We look at the best player available and it happened this year that we hedged toward the pitching a little bit more."
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
