Mets Go Pitching Heavy With Day Two Picks
The Mets continued their 2021 Draft on Monday afternoon with their second through tenth picks. The organization went pitching heavy, selecting seven pitchers over their nine picks. Let’s take a look at each pick. Round 2, Pick 46: RHP Calvin Ziegler – TNXL Academy Slot value: $1,620,000 Ziegler, a Canadian product who spent his 2021 season […]
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The Mets continued their 2021 Draft on Monday afternoon with their second through tenth picks. The organization went pitching heavy, selecting seven pitchers over their nine picks. Let’s take a look at each pick.
Round 2, Pick 46: RHP Calvin Ziegler – TNXL Academy
Slot value: $1,620,000
Ziegler, a Canadian product who spent his 2021 season pitching in Ocoee, Florida, is a towering presence on the mound 6’2″, 205 pounds. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with the ability to touch the high-90s. To go along with the fastball, he throws what some scouts call a “gyro” off speed pitch that sits in the mid-80s. Some believe it is a curveball, some a slider; it is accompanied by a changeup that also sits mid-80s.
Of Ziegler, Baseball America says ““The 18-year-old right-hander has gotten his fastball into the upper 90’s this spring, showing more velocity than any other Canadian high schooler in decades, sitting more consistently in the mid 90’s. His ability to make improvements in a tight timeframe bodes well for his future, especially as a 6-foot-2, 205 pound-hurler without much physical projection remaining.”
The slot value for Ziegler’s pick is set at $1,620,000. There is no indication whether or not his commitment to Auburn will keep him from joining the Mets or not.
MMO’s Joseph Langan went more into detail on Ziegler.
Round 3, Pick 81: RHP Dominic Hamel – Dallas Baptist
Slot value: $775, 300
Dallas Baptist ace Dominic Hamel was the next arm to be added to the Mets’ draft board after they selected the 6’2 righty. At 22, Hamel is all but a lock to sign with the Mets for a value well under the slot.
Hamel pithed to a 13-2 record with a 4.22 ERA, and struck out 136 over 91.2 innings during his junior campaign. As MMO’s Mike Mayer notes, Hamel is a forward thinking pick by the Mets: he sits in the 96th percentile on MLB’s draft board when it comes to spin rates.
Baseball America thinks fondly of Hamel, noting that ““Teams decided they didn’t have enough to pick him in a five-round draft. There will be no such concerns this year. Hamel was Dallas Baptist’s ace in 2021, ranking among the nation’s top 10 in strikeouts (129) and top 20 in strikeout rate (13.4 K/9). He reached double digits in strikeouts in six of his first 15 starts in 2021. Hamel has shown the consistent ability to elevate his plus 90-94 mph fastball for swings and misses. It has the vertical movement that frustrates hitters, although he could still improve his command of it.”
MMO’s Joseph Langan wrote about Hamel on Monday night.
Round 4, Pick 111: 1B J.T. Schwartz – UCLA
Slot value: $552,600
The UCLA first baseman was the next to go for the Mets. At 6’4″. Schwartz is a towering frame in he left handed batters box. Schwartz is considered to be a bat first prospect, with the potential to round out his game as he years come. Schwartz was named an All-American in 2021 despite missing a decent amount of time.
Schwartz was ranked as Baseball America’s 126th ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 145th. MMO’s Joseph Langan said of Schultz that he “has been on scouts radar since 2018, being featured on Baseball America’s top 500 high school prospects. In 2019 he redshirted at UCLA and had his 2020 season cut short due to the global pandemic. With that being said, Schwartz made up for lost time in 2021 by slashing .405/.528/.635 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs.”
Schwartz struck out 28 times this season compared to 37 walks in the Pac-12, showing great command of the srtikezone and great discipline.
Langan broke down Schwartz for MMO.
Round 5, Pick 142: RHP Christian Scott – Florida
Slot value: $386,000
The Mets went with another collegiate arm in the fifth round, selecting Florida reliever Christian Scott. At 22, Scott pitched to a 3.00 ERA in 53 innings out of the Gator bullpen.
Baseball America says of the 6’4″ righty that “This spring, Scott continued to be a reliable arm for the Gators out of the bullpen, leading the team in appearances (26) while posting a 3.00 ERA. Coaches said Scott took a step forward with his fastball command during the fall and he posted the lowest walk rate of his career this spring (1.5 BB/9) while sitting in the 93-95 mph range and running the pitch into the upper 90s at its peak. Scott is mostly a fastball/slider pitcher and his breaking ball comes in hard in the mid 80s.”
Scott presents a great value pick for the Mets, considering the likelihood that he signs well under the slot, and the potential to become a formidable reliever down the road. Langan echoed this in his breakdown of Scott, saying that “Most scouts project Scott as a reliever due the significant effort in his delivery and aggressive head movement when he finishes his pitches. Fans could expect the Mets going the same route and keeping Scott as a reliever and trying to build him as dominating bullpen piece.”
Round 6, Pick 172: RHP Carson Seymour – Kansas State
Slot value: $289,000
Carson Seymour towers over the opposition at 6’6″, which attributes to a fastball that can touch 99 MPH to go along with a “gyro” breaking ball that can touch 91 MPH with some serious RPM on it. He struck out nearly a batter an inning in 2021, sitting 57 batters down over 56.2 innings.
Of Seymour, Baseball America says that “He has an extremely interesting (breaking ball),” Rossini said. “He throws it hard … He throws it a 6 o’clock, which is great. It’s the pure 12-to-6 (shape). But the most unique part … he throws it with low spin. He throws it at like 1800 rpms.”
His 260 pound frame gives reason to believe his velocity won’t be going anywhere, and he is considered to be a Rapsodo darling thanks to his breaking ball. They ranked him in their top-10 draft prospects entering this year’s draft due to his RPM, which was sitting around 1,800.
Seymour will save the Mets money on the bonus pool, considering he will likely sign for a serious underslot deal. Langan wrote about Seymour for MetsMinors.
Mets take right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour from Kansas State with their sixth round pick.
His fastball is up to 99 mph. He also has an usual breaking ball that has touched 91 with 12-6 shape and 1800 rpms.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 12, 2021
Round 7, Pick 202: SS Kevin Kendall – UCLA
Slot value: $227,000
The second member of the UCLA starting infield to be drafted by the Mets was shortstop Kevin Kendall. At a smaller frame of 5’10”, 175 lbs., Kendall does not hit for much power. Kendall slashed .356/.413/.498 over 56 games for the Bruins in his third year.
Kendall’s only pre-draft ranking came from Baseball America, who dubbed him the 195th best prospect in the draft. MLB.com said of Kendall that ““After missing the shortened 2020 season with an injury, Kendall returned to star atop UCLA’s lineup in 2021. The big key to his success this spring was a vastly improved approach at the plate and large decrease in his whiff rate as a result, hitting for average and getting on base, where he could use his excellent speed more frequently. He’s also shown defensive flexibility in his career with the Bruins, playing center field as well as both middle infield positions.”
MMO’s Connor Gray noted of Kendall that “According to Baseball America, Kendall is an above average runner who is a plus defender at both middle infield positions and center field. Past arm injuries have made his arm strength inconsistent.”
Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Round 8, Pick 232: RHP Mike Vasil – Virginia
Slot value: $181,200
The Mets took a high profile prospect here relative to the 232nd pick with Virginia starter Mike Vasil. Vasil went 7-5 with a 4.52 ERA for Virginia in 2021, posting a 2.0 BB/9 and an 8.0 K/9. Vasil stands in at 6’5″ with a fastball that can tough the high-90s, to go along with a solid changeup.
Baseball America notes that “Vasil has touched 96 mph with his fastball this spring, but it sits in the 89-91 mph range and is just an average or fringy pitch that gets very little swing and miss. Vasil also throws a curveball, slider and changeup, with most scouts preferring the change out of all his secondaries and questioning his underlying feel for spin.”
Vasil could return to Virginia for his senior year, so it is unclear whether or not he signs with the Mets after being taken in the eight round.
Gray broke down Vasil for MMO here.
Round 9, Pick 262: RHP Levi David – Northwestern State
Slot value: $157,200
Levi David was the pick for the Mets at number 262. The righty comes way of Northwestern State, with another impressive build of 6’5″, 220 Lbs. MLB Pipeline ranked David as the 197th best prospect in the draft saying that “He has one of the best curveballs in the 2021 Draft. He had a 72 percent swing-and-miss rate on his breaking ball and hitters went just 5-for-98 with 80 strikeouts against it, the main reason he ranked third in NCAA Division I in whiff rate (15.3 per nine innings).”
They continued that ““He also can run his fastball up to 99 mph and uses his 6-foot-5 frame to create downhill plane to compensate for a lack of life, though he often dials it back to 92-95 in order to try to throw strikes.”
He struck out 104 hitters over 61 innings in his 2021 campaign, showing an ability to use his plus breaking ball to his advantage and put hitters away.
David should be able to sign with the Mets for relatively cheap, but he also has the option to return to school for the 2022 campaign.
Round 10, Pick 292: LHP Keyshawn Askew – Clemson
Slot value: $147,000
Askew appeared as both a starter and a reliever for Clemson during his college career, but spent most of his 2021 season as a starter. He pitched to an ERA in the 6’s last season, but scouts still see reason to like Askew. Of the 6’4″ lefty, Perfect Game said “High leg lift delivery, low to mid 3/4’s arm slot, arm is loose and quick coming through, pretty clean delivery mechanics.”
MMO’s Connor Gray said that “The six-foot-four, 190-pound left-hander pitched 114 2/3 innings across three seasons with the Tigers. In doing so, he racked up 117 strikeouts and walked 37. During this past season, he did struggle down the stretch. In his last four appearances, he allowed 19 earned runs over only 14 2/3 innings which was good for a 12.04 ERA.”
With their 10th round pick, the Mets have drafted left-hander Keyshawn Askew from Clemson.
He had 69 strikeouts in 57 innings this season.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 12, 2021
Gray continued that “As mentioned above, Askew pitched as both a starter and out of the bullpen during his college career. His fastball only sits in the high-80s which features good sinking movement. He compliments this fastball with a good changeup and a sweeping curveball that does still need some more development. Given his strikeout ratio, he seems to profile as a reliever who will focus on getting soft contact.”
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