The Mets zigged while the other teams at the top of the MLB draft zagged. For the first time in 12 years, the first five picks were college players, but that didn’t scare the Mets away from going young with their highest pick in 14 years, a departure from their preference over the past half-decade.
With two of their top choices, college third basemen Alec Bohm and Jonathan India, off the board, they picked Wisconsin high school outfielder Jarred Kelenic, a potential five-tool player who has committed to Louisville if he doesn’t sign a professional contract.
“He was the best player on the board and we felt really strong about him,” Mets vice president of amateur scouting Tommy Tanous said. “It didn’t have a lot to do with high school or college at that point.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound, left-handed hitting outfielder is the first Wisconsin prep player to go in the top 10, and helped USA Baseball’s 18-and-under team win gold medals each of the past two years in the 2016 Pan American Games and the 2017 Baseball World Cup. As was the case with former first-round pick Brandon Nimmo, Kelenic didn’t play high school baseball, choosing travel ball instead. He also graduated a semester early from Waukesha West High School, giving him more time to prepare for the draft.
“We were sold on his makeup,” Mets amateur scouting director Marc Tramuta said.
One scout familiar with Kelenic believes he could stick in center field, but profiles to be a plus defender as a corner outfielder. His strength is his bat.
“Most people would say he’s the best high school hitter in the class,” the scout said.
Draft guru Jim Callis described him as a more athletic Mark Kotsay, and doesn’t think his smallish frame will limit his power. The Mets were drawn to his versatile skill set.
“One of the things we were looking for picking this high was a position player that has two-way value,” Tanous said. “We feel that Jarred is a young man that possesses tools to give him a well-rounded game. We think he’s going to hit, play defense and add value on the bases. That was something that was attractive to us.”
With their second-round pick (48th overall), the Mets took another high school prospect, right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods-Richardson, a hard-throwing 17-year-old from Texas. Woods-Richardson was ranked low for where he was drafted, 76th by Baseball America and 160 by MLB Pipeline.
The Mets passed on two of the top pitchers in the draft, 6-foot-5 high school southpaw Matthew Liberatore and college pitcher Brady Singer Florida, who were rated second and fourth by Baseball America. Liberatore fell to the Rays at No. 16 and the Royals nabbed Singer two picks later.
Kelenic, meanwhile, was ranked 12th. He is the first high school player the Mets have taken in the first round since Dominic Smith in 2013, and the first position player they’ve used their first-round pick on since Michael Conforto in 2014
With the first-overall pick for just the second time in franchise history, the Tigers took Auburn right-hander Casey Mize. Undrafted out of high school, the 6-3 Mize became the first college pitcher to go first overall since Mark Appel was taken by the Astros in 2013.
Following Mize, Georgia Tech catcher and ACC Player of the Year Joey Bart went second to the Giants, and the Phillies picked Wichita State’s Bohm third. Bohm was reportedly a Mets target, had he fallen to sixth. Oregon State middle infielder Nick Madrigal went to the White Sox fourth, and the Reds took Florida’s India fifth.
