Mets 2023 MLB Draft recap: Breaking down all 23 picks

After three days and 614 selections, the 2023 MLB Draft is in the books. The Mets had 23 picks in the 20-round draft, with all of their normal selections and a compensatory pick after the third round for not signing last year’s third-rounder Brandon Sproat, who we’ll have more on in a bit, as well as two compensatory picks after the fourth round for losing qualifying free agents Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt.

The break-down of those 23 picks is as follows:

- 15 Pitchers

- 7 Position Players

- 1 Two Way Player

- 17 College Players

- 6 High School Players

Owner Steve Cohen had stated at his state-of-the-team press conference a desire to add pitching to the system to work with the newly invested in pitching lab and pitching player development system. The scouting department seems to have satisfied that desire by drafting 15 pitchers, both a mix of starters and relievers in the 2023 Draft.

I believe the Mets got great value up top with Colin Houck, who could prove to be a steal at the No. 32 pick. It was a repeat of the last two years where the scouting department shows their preparation in being able to select a player that falls in their lap. The same happened with Kevin Parada in 2022 and Kumar Rocker in 2021. They re-drafted Sproat, as he is someone they have had their eyes on for over a year, and this time it sounds as if he will sign. In the third round they selected a two-way player in Nolan McLean who has plus raw power, having hit a home run over 470 feet this year at Oklahoma State and hit 98 MPH off the mound as a reliever.

They rounded out Day Two with a collection of pitchers with intriguing traits or metrics behind their pitches, even if college statistics don’t line up. They also mixed in a couple upside high school shortstops and rounded out day two with two college position players that performed at a high level in 2023.

Here is a pick-by-pick breakdown of all 23 selections:

Competitive Balance Round A, Pick No. 32 – SS Colin Houck – Parkview HS (Georgia)

Ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the class by MLB Pipeline and No. 10 by Keith Law at The Athletic. Above average tools across the board with chance as he matures to have plus power. Likely to end up as a third baseman long-term. Would expect this to be an over-slot signing.

Round 2, Pick No. 56 Overall – RHP Brandon Sproat – Florida

Mets drafted Sproat in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but he chose to return to school to try to boost his value. He had an up-and-down year, but still improved his stock by one round. When he’s right, it’s a fastball that will sit 96-98 mph and touch 101 with a plus changeup and above-average slider. Will need some work on control and command. Potential mid-rotation starter or high leverage reliever.

Round 3, Pick No. 91 Overall – RHP/OF Nolan McLean – Oklahoma State

Yes, McLean is a two-way player and the Mets will at least let him try it in pro ball. Has some of the best raw power in the class but struck out in 37.3 percent of his at-bats this year. As an outfielder he has a plus arm and enough athleticism to play there. Most scouts believe his future is on the mound where he’s been a reliever for Oklahoma State. Sits 94-96 and touches 98 mph with a slider and a curveball that both flash spin rates near 3,000 rpm. Could Mets try him as a starter like they have done with former college relievers Christian Scott and Tyler Stuart?

Round 3 (Compensation for not signing ’22 Third-Rounder Brandon Sproat), Pick No. 101 – RHP Kade Morris – Nevada

6-foot-3 and 190 pounds with room to fill out some more. Clean delivery, throws strikes and induced ground balls at a 42 percent clip this year. Will sit 93-94 and touch 97 on occasion. Above average mid-80s slider and an average changeup. Scouts believe he should scrap his slow curveball and focus on the slider and changeup.

Round 4, Pick No. 123 – RHP Wyatt Hudepohl – UNC-Charlotte

Four pitch mix, 91-94 mph fastball that will touch 96. Also has a curveball, cutter and changeup. Transitioned to starter after transferring from Kentucky and posted a 4.27 ERA in 17 starts while striking out 129 in 105.1 innings. He throws strikes but had an issue with the home run ball (gave up 15), so will need work on his command within the strike zone.

Round 4 (Compensation for Jacob deGrom signing with TEX), Pick No. 134 – SS A.J. Ewing – Springsboro HS (OH)

Late riser in the draft process. Undersized player at 6-foot and 170 pounds. Big-time bat speed with surprising power given his size to the pull side. Shows an ability to barrel up the ball and consistently had exit velocities over 90 mph while training with wood. Good actions in the field, arm likely makes him a second baseman long-term. Will need to be signed away from his commitment to Alabama.

Round 4 (Compensation for Chris Bassitt signing with TOR), Pick No. 135 – RHP Austin Troesser – Missouri

Was mostly a reliever this year at Missouri, as 22 of his 25 appearances were in relief. Posted a 4.73 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. Velocity ticked up this spring, up to 97 mph with ride inducing nearly 20” of induced vertical break. He also has a low-mid 80s slider.

Round 5, Pick No. 159 – LHP Zach Thornton – Grand Canyon University

Really projectable 6-foot-3 170-pound build with clear room to fill out. Deceptive delivery makes it hard for hitters to pick up the ball. He already has plus control and command. Right now it is more pitchability than big stuff. Sits 89-92 with his fastball and will touch 94. Above average slider, average curveball and a change-up that flashes average. Scouts believe with physical maturation and training, there is more velocity to come here.

Round 6, Pick No. 186 – RHP Jack Wenninger – Illinois

Stock ticked up in the MLB Draft League. Fastball sat 93-95 and it plays up due to averaging 18” of induced vertical break. Has two off-speed pitches in a changeup and curve ball. Control over command right now.

Round 7, Pick No. 216 – RHP Noah Hall – South Carolina

6-foot and 195 pounds. Fastball will sit 91-94 and touch 96. His changeup is talked about as a plus-plus offering that gives both lefties and righties fits. Slider shows some spin, but he rarely threw it. Only made seven appearances this year due to a back injury.

Round 8, Pick No. 246 – SS Boston Baro – Capistrano Valley HS (CA)

Wiry 6-foot-1 175 pound frame. Line drive approach with a feel for barreling the ball. Power isn’t a big part of his game right now, but possible he can grow into average power. Intriguing hit tool and athlete with good instincts in the field. Baseball America ranked him No. 98 overall in the class. Committed to UCLA.

Round 9, Pick No. 276 – 3B Nick Lorusso – Maryland

Monroe, Conn. native. Transferred from Villanova and put up one of the better seasons in college baseball this year. Slashed .379/.446/.765 with 26 home runs and tied the NCAA Division I lead with 105 RBI. He also has some metrics behind his numbers, as he averaged 92 MPH exit velocity. Will be 23 in September.

Round 10, Pick No. 306 – C Christian Pregent – Stetson

Drafted from the same school as deGrom. Team Captain. A scout told Jonathan Mayo from MLB Pipeline that he is a legit defender with defensive skills to be a big leaguer. Made some changes to his swing and mechanics and hit .315/.394/.567 in 51 games.

Round 11, Pick No. 336 – RHP Brett Banks – UNC-Wilmington

Posted a 4.23 ERA in 30 relief appearances. Struck out 44 batters in 38.1 innings. Slated to transfer to North Carolina State if he didn’t sign. Sits 94-96 and touches 98 with high-spin and carry, up to 20” of induced vertical break. Potential average slider.

Round 12, Pick No. 366 – RHP Brady Kirtner – Virginia Tech

Smaller right hander at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. Posted a 4.62 ERA in 23 games this year. He struck out 36 batters in 25.1 innings.

Round 13, Pick No. 396 – RHP Ben Simon – Elon University

5-foot-11 and 197 pounds. Princeton, NJ native. Posted a 3.20 ERA in 21 games this year. Struck out 32 batters in 25.1 innings pitched.

Round 14, Pick No. 426 – RHP John Valle – Jefferson HS (FL)

6-foot-3 and 196 pounds. Born in Cuba, posted a 1.83 this season. Fastball will sit 90-93 and touch 94. Main secondary is a curveball that shows some potential.

Round 15, Pick No. 456 – RHP Justin Lawson – North Carolina State

6-foot-3 and 198 pounds. Posted a 5-0 record with 3.27 ERA in 27 relief appearances. He struck out 67 batters in 52.1 innings.

Round 16, Pick No. 486 – 3B Jake Zitella – St. Charles East HS (IL)

Stocky 5-foot-11 and 200 pound build. Good bat speed with 55 grade raw power per Baseball America. Posted peak 99 mph exit velocity at the 2022 Perfect Game National Showcase. Would need to be signed away from commitment to Illinois.

Round 17, Pick No. 516 – RHP Bryce Jenkins – Tennessee

5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Posted a 5.51 ERA in 18 games this year but struck out 24 batters in 16.1 innings. He threw 5.2 scoreless innings at the Cape Cod League sitting 92-94 with a high spin slider.

Round 18, Pick No. 546 – LHP Gavyn Jones – White Oak HS (TX)

Physical 6-foot-2 and 200 pound build. Up to 95 MPH with a slider and change-up. Control needs work. Ranked as the No. 260 player in the class by Baseball America. Would need to be signed away from Texas Tech commitment.

Round 19, Pick No. 576 – RHP Christian Little – LSU

Very highly regarded prospect out of high school. Enrolled early at Vanderbilt, but transferred to LSU. Big time stuff that has not translated to on-field results as of yet. Fastball will touch 98 mph with high spin. Has a cutter, slider, curveball and change-up. Only 20-years-old and has another year of eligibility, so would need to sign him away from returning to LSU and re-entering the 2024 draft as a 21-year-old.

Round 20, Pick No. 606 – OF Kellum Clark – Mississippi State

6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. Slashed .300/.395/.546 with 11 home runs in 56 games. 89 MPH average exit velocity with max north of 110 mph per Baseball America. Struggles at times with swings-and-misses on breaking balls but consistently hits 92+ MPH velocity.

Overall, I would consider the Mets 2023 class to be a very strong one on paper. I believe they took advantage of the very strong depth this class had to offer and drafted some talent with upside. Now that the draft is done, the next task is to sign these prospects to contracts. They very well may not sign all the picks, as some of the high school selections could choose to go to college and some of the college players with remaining college eligibility could return to school. Teams have until July 25 at 5:00 pm to come to terms with their picks.

After that, the job moves to the player development and analytics staff to help take the raw tools that these prospects have and turn them into a true skill set that could potentially have an impact on the big-league team in Queens sometime in the next couple of years.