Grading the Mets' 2022 MLB Draft, with breakdowns of every pick

The Mets made a total of 22 selections in the 2022 MLB Draft. Here are our grades for the entire draft, with a breakdown of each player...

Round 1, Pick No. 11 – C Kevin Parada – Georgia Tech

The Mets landed the fifth best player on my board here at No. 11. You are buying a bat here who has a chance to hit for average, get on base and provide potentially 25-home run power. Defensively, he is an average receiver with a fringy arm, but I have been told that some think there is a chance that he could handle left field at the next level. The position later on will figure itself out, but the Mets landed potentially the best college player from this draft class.

Round 1, Pick No. 14 – SS Jett Williams – Rockwall-Heath HS (TX)

Williams was my personal favorite player in the class. Big-time bat speed, some of the best pure bat-to-ball skills in the high school class. He is a plus athlete who should be able to handle center field or second base at the next level. Known as a baseball rat and a gritty player who frequently took the extra base if defenders were napping. His “flaw” is being one of the shortest players in the draft at 5-foot-8. It’s 2022, who cares? He can hit, run and field. I will deal with the fact that he isn’t tall.

Round 2, Pick No. 52 – RHP Blade Tidwell – Tennessee

Coming into this spring, I could have told you Tidwell was going to be one of the Mets' first-round picks and it would have made sense. He had shoulder tendinitis that knocked out a couple months of his season, but he returned late in the season and looked like his normal self, albeit in outings no longer than 14 outs. It’s a starter build, a four-pitch mix headed by a fastball that will touch 99 mph. Potential for a mid-rotation type starter.

Round 2 (Compensatory Pick), Pick No. 75 – OF Nick Morabito – Gonzaga College HS (DC)

A pop-up prospect who jumped onto the scene in a big way this spring. He's built like a football player at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and has a compact swing with above average bat speed and potential for above average power. He is a plus runner who played shortstop in high school but was drafted as a center fielder and that transition should start right away.

Round 3, Pick No. 90 – RHP Brandon Sproat – Florida

Sproat is a bit of a player development and analytics staff’s dream. He's 6-foot-3 210 pounds with a long stride and premium stuff. His fastball will sit mid-90s and touch triple digits with a mid-upper 80s slider with bite that will miss bats. His curveball and changeup lag behind but show promise. His command comes and goes, so if the Mets can harness that, he has the potential to be a big-league starter.

Round 4, Pick No. 119 – 3B Jacob Reimer – Yucaipa HS (CA)

Reimer attended the same high school as current Mets starter Taijuan Walker, who actually texted Reimer after he was drafted congratulating him and telling him if he needs anything to reach out. Reimer is a thickly built 6-foot-2, 205-pound shortstop who will move to third base in pro ball. He controls the barrel well and makes hard contact and has above average raw power.

Round 5, Pick No. 149 – SS D’Andre Smith – USC

Smith is another smaller middle infielder at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds. He's a sparkplug type of player who has a history of good contact ability, but some scouts said he sold out for more power in 2022. He's likely a second baseman at the next level.

Round 6, Pick No. 179 – RHP Tyler Stuart – Southern Miss

A massive human at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. A sinker-slider reliever that will sit 94-96 and occasionally touch 97 mph with a low 80s slider. He struck out less than a batter per inning this year, but with some improvement on his breaking ball there should be an opportunity to miss more bats.

Round 7, Pick No. 209 – RHP Jonah Tong – Georgia Premier Academy (GA)

Tong came to the Georgia Premier Academy by way of Ontario, Canada where his travel ball team was fittingly named the Toronto Mets. Tong has a projectable build at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. He attended the MLB Draft League and graded out as the top pitcher at the event using their data systems. He touched 96 mph with 21 inches of vertical break which is a big number. His curveball topped out at 2,875 rpm with -10 inches of vertical break and induced an 80 percent whiff rate. He also had an 80 percent whiff rate on his changeup and only allowed an average exit velocity of 78 mph off the pitch. A projectable, analytically savvy prospect for an expanded analytics staff is a potentially exciting match.

Round 8, Pick No. 239 – RHP Dylan Tebrake – Creighton

Tebrake is a two-time Big East Pitcher of the Year who was slated to transfer to LSU before being drafted by the Mets. He's sturdily built at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds with a four-pitch mix with a fastball that will touch 95 mph and had a 2.80 ERA in his career at Creighton with 230 strikeouts in 222 innings pitched.

Round 9, Pick No. 269 – 3B Chase Estep – Kentucky

Estep is known as a tireless worker whose bat right now is more power over contact and he has above average speed. He struggled a bit in SEC play against premium velocity, but the Mets will work some swing adjustments to help him out there.

Round 10, Pick No. 299 – RHP Zebulon Vermillion – Arkansas

If you didn’t think the Mets could top themselves, they drafted a Jett, a Blade and now a Zebulon. Fun name aside, Vermillion is a 6-foot-5 and 240-pound reliever who has been up to 98 mph on his fastball with an average slider.

Round 11, Pick No. 329 – OF Rhylan Thomas – USC

The second USC Trojan drafted by the Mets, this one is a good athlete capable of playing all three outfield spots who is a contact-based hitter who rarely swings and misses. He hit .363 with only 17 strikeouts in 53 games in 2022 for USC. He had a taste of wood bats at the Cape Cod League in 2021 where he hit .408 in 12 games. If he can tap into a little more power, this could be a very interesting pick.

Round 12, Pick No. 359 – RHP Paul Gervase – LSU

If you assumed Stuart was going to be the tallest Mets draft pick this year at 6-foot-9, well, you were wrong. Gervase stands 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds. He put up dominant numbers as a reliever at LSU and the Cape Cod League this spring/summer. At LSU he posted a 1.85 ERA with six saves in 39 innings, striking out 52. At the Cape he struck out 18 batters in 11.1 innings and posted a 1.59 ERA. He has a deceptive low ¾ arm slot with a fastball that will touch 94 mph with big extension.

Round 13, Pick No. 389 – RHP Dylan Ross – Georgia

The Mets clearly had a type this year, and it was big, strong reliever prospects. The thickly built 6-foot-5 and 251-pound Ross transferred to Georgia from junior college instead of signing in the 2021 draft where he was ranked as the 114^th best prospect in the class by Baseball America. Unfortunately, after just 6.0 innings pitched this season he underwent season-ending arm surgery. But when Ross is right he has serious power stuff with a fastball that is up to 99 mph and an upper-80s slider that touches 90 mph.

Round 14, Pick No. 419 – RHP Cameron Foster – McNeese State

Big? Check. Reliever? Check. Foster is a 6-foot-5 and 230-pound closer who won the Southland Conference Reliever of the Year. He posted a 1.86 ERA with 12 saves in 63 innings allowing only 35 hits and striking out 84 batters.

Round 15, Pick No. 449 – 3B Jackson Jaha – Clackamas HS (OR)

Son of 10-year big leaguer John Jaha, who made the All-Star team in 1999. He was the third ranked prospect out of the state of Oregon in the 2022 recruiting class by Perfect Game. He has good bat speed with a max exit velocity at events of nearly 104 mph. He is committed to Oregon and may end up finding his way to campus with hopes of improving his draft stock.

Round 16, Pick No. 479 – RHP Jimmy Loper – Duke

Loper stands 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs. He battled back from injuries and posted a 4.44 ERA in 2022 for the Blue Devils but did strike out 64 batters in 48.2 innings. His fastball was up to 96 mph this year.

Round 17, Pick No. 509 – RHP Connor Brandon – Toledo

Brandon was another arm whose stuff stood out at the MLB Draft League. He posted a 4.76 ERA for Toledo. He struck out 88 batters in 75.2 innings but also walked 42. He has a four-pitch mix with big stuff headed by a fastball that will touch 98 mph. Control and command need development for him to get to the upper levels.

Round 18, Pick No. 539 – RHP Chris Santiago – St. Mary’s College

Santiago was a two-way-player at St. Mary’s where he hit .287/.363/.525 as a third baseman/first baseman and had a 4.50 ERA in 16 games striking out 20 batters in 20 innings. The Mets like his potential more as an arm sitting 92-94 mph and hit 97 mph, so it seems like his days as a hitter may be coming to an end.

Round 19, Pick No. 569 – SS Jackson Lovich – Blue Valley West HS (KS)

Lovich was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Kansas. He has a projectable build at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds and projects to develop power as he grows into his body. He likely will end up a third baseman long-term, and could be a tough sign as he is committed to Missouri where his older brother Ross is an outfielder.

Round 20, Pick No. 599 – LHP Eli Ankeney – Grand Canyon University

Ankeney posted a 2.68 ERA striking out 61 batters in 40.1 innings. He also appeared in the MLB Draft League with a 3.38 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched. He's a deceptive left-hander with a low-90s fastball that averaged 20” of vertical break.

The Mets came into the 2022 draft with the extra draft capital and opportunity to be aggressive, especially early, and I think they did just that. They landed three first-round talents in Parada, Williams and Tidwell, as well as very intriguing arms on day two in Sproat and Tong.

On day three they largely targeted big, powerful reliever prospects who have a chance at a big-league future if they can put it all together. Gervase and Ross are the ones that stand out to me the most. They mixed in a couple upside high school picks on day three that we will see if they can sign either away from their college commitments.

Given the amount of upside drafted with three prospects immediately cracking my top 10 prospect list, and likely a couple more making my top 20 when I update that list, this has a chance to be one of the stronger Mets drafts in recent years.

For that, I will grade the draft as an A-.