Here are the Mets' under-the-radar 2022 MLB Draft picks

The 2022 MLB Draft was significant for the Mets in multiple ways, namely the additions of multiple high-end talents to the organization’s updated top prospects list.

As a result of having four day-one picks and five within the top 90, the Mets own the third-highest signing bonus pool among the 30 teams at $13,963,000. With the added spending power comes the ability to get creative and even take players with higher upside in rounds that have traditionally been marked for saving costs.

Last year in this space, I highlighted seven players from the Mets’ 2021 Draft class who warranted closer attention and four have either met or exceeded expectations 12 months into their pro careers.

With that being said, let’s dive into some names further down the board that should get some buzz going forward.

3B Jacob Reimer, 4th round

To find the last time the Mets selected a high schooler in the fourth round you have to travel back to 2012, and even then you’ll only find two other instances since 2000. Over the last seven Drafts, the Mets have used a third or fourth round pick on a high schooler just twice — Reimer and Matt Allan in 2019.

I’m including that information to show that Reimer’s selection represents a serious deviation from how the Mets have operated in the past. That isn’t a negative, but rather an example of savvy decision making that took advantage of the increased spending pool.

There’s a lot to like about Reimer’s bat, from his feel for making easy contact to his pole-to-pole power. At just 18 years old, there is plenty of time for the player development staff to figure out what tweaks need to be made to unlock that power in-game consistently. He’ll likely stay at the corners defensively but his bat is what will carry him as a pro.

RHP Jonah Tong, 7th round

Staying with the prep theme, Tong was the fourth and final high schooler that the Mets picked between the first two days of the draft. That was the most since 2013 when they took five through the first 10 rounds, a group that produced Dom Smith and Luis Guillorme.

Tong is a projectable righty that some evaluators had as high as a third-round grade on. A native of Ontario, Canada, he finished his high school career in Georgia before pitching briefly in the MLB Draft League last month.

The 19-year-old is the type of prospect that the Mets have lacked. The movement profiles on his fastball, which tops out at 96 mph, and curveball stand out, plus he throws a promising changeup as well. The framework for a top-20 organizational prospect is here, he’ll just need a plan for added velocity and command from the pitching coaches and analytics staff in Port St. Lucie to get there.

RHP Dylan Tebrake, 8th round

Tebrake has far from the best stuff in the class and is older than the ideal college pick, but the righty has the makings of a guy whose drive and willingness to improve will carry him far.

Tebrake was dominant at Creighton, winning back-to-back BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year awards before committing to LSU as a graduate transfer. He obviously won’t play for the Tigers, but it’s notable that he was set to join one of the best programs in the country.

Tebrake can run his fastball into the mid 90s but sits lower than that. If he’s able to work to maintain that higher velo, his mound presence and intangibles stand to put him in good position to pitch his way up the system.

RHP Dylan Ross, 13th round

Ross was ranked 114th — a fourth-rounder — by Baseball America in 2021 out of junior college but went undrafted and committed to Georgia. He pitched just six innings there before season-ending surgery and the Mets may have gotten themselves a steal.

If the pre-injury reports hold true, Ross should be back in action next spring touching the upper 90s with a plus slider and splitter. He’s a physical presence at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds and should be brought along as a reliever once he’s back and healthy.

RHP Chris Santiago, 18th round

Santiago was one of the best hitters not just on his St. Mary’s team but in the entire West Coast Conference, hitting 10 home runs and nine doubles (.525 slugging percentage) in 51 games. So naturally, the Mets drafted him as a pitcher.

As a reliever this season, Santiago had a 3.71 ERA for the Gaels. Whether his stuff plays at the professional level remains to be seen, but I’m very intrigued by his two-way background. While it’s not uncommon in college to see a player work on both sides of the ball, Santiago was a strong hitter and could keep the skill in his back pocket if the Mets ask him to revisit it at any point.