The Mets went high-risk, high-reward by drafting RHP Matthew Allan in the third round (89th overall) in the MLB Draft earlier this month and hoping they could sign him to a well over-slot deal. And that risk is going to pay off.
Allan, who was ranked as the 13th-best prospect in the Draft and viewed as the best high school pitcher in the country, has agreed to a deal with the Mets, the team announced Friday.
The 18-year-old Allan, who had been committed to the University of Florida and was on hand Friday at Citi Field, dropped in the Draft because of his asking price and signability concerns.
"Ultimately, my goal was to make it to the big leagues and stay there," Allan said on Friday. "So once the situation was put in front of me, it was too good to pass up. I was just thrilled hearing about it."
Allan was officially introduced to members of the media at Citi Field on Friday, donning a Mets jersey for the first time.
"It's unreal," Allan said. "I don't think I can get the smile off my face. Even here, just watching and looking at everything here, it makes me just want to be here and help the team and all of that kind of stuff. I'm really excited."
Now that the Mets have agreed with Allan -- something VP of amateur scouting Tommy Tanous was confident they would do -- they have pulled off a coup as they will have locked up Allan as well as first-round pick Brett Baty and second-round pick Josh Wolf.
"They would have a first-round talent in addition to the kid (3B Brett Baty) they picked in the first round," former MLB exective and current SNY contributor Adam Fisher explained earlier this month about Allan, while calling him the "linchpin" of the Mets' draft.
"It's definitely risky," Fisher said. "He's the linchpin of their draft. If they are able to sign him -- and they know a little bit more than the industry. ... It's not just scouting the talent -- especially with these bonus pools. It's now about scouting the player, the family, understanding what they want, and how easy or hard it is to sign them."
The Mets have roughly $2.5 million left in their pool for the Draft -- something they accomplished by strategically drafting lots of low-cost college seniors in order to be able to afford Allan.
A 6-foot-3 starter out of Seminole High School in Florida, Allan has a fastball that already tops out at 97 MPH.
