IF NUMBERS decided whether or not a base ball prospect was drafted, Brant Rustich wouldn’t have had a chance after sporting a 9-11 record and 6.10 ERA in 72 appearances (13 starts) over three-plus seasons at UCLA.

But a strong showing in the 2005 Cape Cod League, along with a fastball that ranges from 93-97 mph and a good slider, made the Mets decide to select Rustich in the second-round of last year’s First-Year Player Draft.

In fact, in the eyes of one National League scout who saw him pitch with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League last year, Rustich should have gone even higher.

“When I saw him in Brooklyn, I called up some of our scouts and said, ‘How did this guy last into the second round?’ . . . For me, he had really good stuff,” the scout said. “I saw him twice, an inning each time. When he came in, he blew people away.”

The 6-foot-6 right-hander was ranked by Baseball America as the second-best pitching prospect in the Mets organization, behind fellow 2007 draftee Eddie Kunz, after going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA in the minors last year. Through Friday, Rustich is 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in 42/3 innings with Low-A Savannah this year.

Pitching for the eventual 2005 Cape Cod League champion Orleans Cardinals, Rustich was 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 13 appearances, striking out 24 and walking five in 261/3 innings.

“He developed confidence and was throwing to the wood, and he was lights out,” Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson said. “We had a ton of confidence in him, and he was a great kid, too.”

tbontemps@nypost.com