Tyler Oringer: Well, this one is obvious. If you’ve been following any of my coverage throughout the season, you know how much I love the future first baseman for the Mets. The fact that the 23-year old was not called up this season in order to manipulate service time for his age 31 season is beyond belief – but hey, let’s stick to the good part.  Alonso finished his 2019 minor league campaign (65 games at Double-A, 67 in Triple-A) with 36 home runs, 119 RBIs and a triple slash of .285/.395/.579. The changes to his swing from 2017 were real, and allowed him to drive the ball to more fields with major league power, while also advancing his plate discipline to another level. The former Gator saw his OBP jump from .355 to the aforementioned .395.  Alonso finished a full minor league season between Double-A and Triple-A at 23 years old with an OPS of .975. Yes, his defense is not good, but the bat makes him the clear MVP of the Mets’ system in 2018.

Breakout prospect of the year: Jeff McNeil

Alex Rosen: Jeffrey, Jarrett and I were all on McNeil as a future major league contributor before July (and as early as 2014 in Jeffrey’s case) but we’d all be lying if we said we saw this coming. Injuries limited him to just 21 games above A-ball in 2016 and 2017 but McNeil rode a vastly improved frame and a new stomp and pull approach all the way to Queens before the end of July. He’s been the Mets’ best position player since the day he arrived in Flushing – not to mention one of the best players across all of baseball – and gives the organization another cost-controlled above-average regular to build around.

“Cy Young”: Um… Justin Dunn and David Peterson… I guess

TO: DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel comfortable giving either of these guys a Cy Young vote here, but the Mets didn’t really have any impressive season showings from any of their developing starting arms. Dunn, a 2016 first round pick out of Boston College, was okay this season but did improve greatly from 2017. He did struggle a bit in Double-A but flashed some of the potential the Mets have seen, striking out 156 batters in 135.1 innings. Control has continued to be an issue for the 22-year-old, but next season should be a massive stepping stone in his development. I’ve always felt his relief potential was immense and he could be extremely valuable there, but it would be quite the stretch to move him to the bullpen any time soon. Like Dunn, Peterson was good, not great. The 2017 first rounder dominated full-season A-ball, but was knocked around by Advanced-A hitting, surrendering 74 hits in 68.2 innings pitched. The southpaw already has the control and movement to be a legitimate prospect, he just needs to serve up fewer hittable pitches as he goes on.

Platinum Glove: Luis Guillorme

TO: A favorite of mine who was handled as poorly as he could have been in 2018.  Regardless, Guillorme is already an elite defender. If given the chance to start at shortstop or second base in a full major league season, the 23-year-old would challenge for a Gold Glove.  Guillorme flashes some of the smoothest actions and fluidness that any middle infielder in the minors has shown over the past few years. There is a lot to love about Guillorme, if the Mets could just figure out a way to best utilize his talents.

Comeback prospect of the year: Justin Dunn

AR: Dunn’s full-season debut couldn’t have gone much worse, but he rebounded nicely and took care of business in 2018, tossing about 90 innings in Binghamton en route to winning the organizations minor league pitcher of the year award. It was more of “meh” season by top pitching prospect standards, but even that was markedly better than Dunn’s 2017 in the Florida State League. There’s still a ton of room for improvement, especially with the change-up, but 2018 was without a doubt a step in the right direction. The stuff came back, the command improved and Dunn’s now one step closer to the big leagues.

Most likely to have their service time manipulated: Peter Alonso Andres Gimenez

AR: Oh, this is for the future? (looks at personal pref list…) Andres Gimenez it is! Until the rules change in the next CBA, teams are going to hold down top prospects to gain that extra year of control. It’s going to happen to Gimenez too, unless the Mets find themselves in a pennant race in 2019 with a hole to fill. Nevertheless, Gimenez had a tremendous 2018 season across Port St. Lucie and Binghamton, solidifying himself as one of the best prospects in the game.

The Ty Kelly Memorial Roster Spot: Gavin Cecchini

AR: Cecchini was off to a solid start in Las Vegas before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He’s seemingly been around for forever, though he somehow won’t turn 25 ‘till December, but his spot on the 40-man is hanging by a thread. The former first rounder has never really received an extended stay with the big league club, but seems like a prime candidate to hang around as organizational depth for a number of years.

Best early return from the 2018 draft: Ross Adolph

TO: Adolph was drafted in the 12th round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft, but has already shown his value in his first year in Brooklyn. In my live look at Adolph, he did not get any hits or even take good routes to the ball in the field, but the athletically built outfielder owned a noticeably advanced approach at the plate and looked the part. The Toledo alum put up some nice number with the Cyclones, OPSing .857 with 14 stolen bases and an affinity for chasing down balls in the outfield.

Most likely to receive the Dominic Smith treatment: Mark Vientos

AR: Vientos still has a long ways to go before he’s a viable major league contributor, but he’s an early round pick who might find playing time hard to come by at the big league level. Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez look to be franchise cornerstones in the infield and Jeff McNeil’s not going anywhere anytime soon, leaving Vientos without a future home on the dirt as of now. Of course, these things tend to sort themselves out, but it hasn’t with Smith at the big league level for one reason or another. A similar fate could be awaiting Vientos, though we’re at least a couple of years away from having to even entertain the possibility.

Most likely to pitch too many high leverage innings: Kevin Smith

AR: The Mets went reliever heavy on Day Two of the 2018 MLB Draft, using a seventh rounder to grab Smith, a crafty SEC lefty with starting experience. There’s likely some internal hope that Smith can start, but having seen him this summer, I can tell you with confidence that that ain’t happening. He’s a future LOOGY in the Jerry Blevins/Daniel Zamora mold who’ll probably be overused like Blevins was in 2017. To be clear, a major league LOOGY is a fine outcome here, but the Mets have an affinity for Smith that I just personally don’t see.

The Reliever of the Carousel of Relievers Who Is Legit:  Drew Smith

TO: Bad timing – I know.  Anyway, Smith possesses true back-end relief talent which has come through in his every stop in the minors and more recently, the majors. I wrote about Smith back in Week 7 of the Prospect Watch, and stand by those previous comments.  Smith’s fastball and slider combination poses the potential for some elite late-inning stuff which has already come to fruition in 2018. When Sandy Alderson traded a fading Lucas Duda for a relief arm, people were concerned, but it would not be crazy to me if Smith is closing with success for New York in the near future.

Biggest Disappointment: Desmond Lindsay

TO: When Lindsay was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft, big things were expected. The centerfielder looked to have the tools, body, and pedigree to turn into a major league regular, but things have just not transpired that way. Lindsay is still stuck in Advanced-A ball, and has not shown any reason to get out of it. The right-handed hitting high school pick has OPSed .715 and .640 in consecutive seasons – and unless he makes the necessary adjustments to his approach, his athleticism may end up going to waste. Injuries have hampered the 21-year old throughout his short career, so there is still a bit of hope – but change must come fast.

Happiest Met to head to Syracuse: Nabil Crismatt

AR: If Crismatt pitched the entire season in Binghamton, he’d have been my choice for the Cy Young award. Unfortunately, we can’t erase those nine starts in Las Vegas and Crismatt will instead have to settle for the “Happiest Met to head to Syracuse” designation. His strong season in Double-A proved there’s a future major league contributor here, but the disaster in the desert muddied things. The Mets will need to protect Crismatt from the Rule-5 draft this offseason by adding him to the 40-man roster, which currently seems like a toss-up at best. He should absolutely be protected, but this is the Mets and they’ll let him go to Oakland, where he’ll suddenly become a No.3 starter.

Best trade deadline acquisition: Franklyn Kilome

TO: This is quite obvious, but not because the other acquisitions were bad – it’s because Kilome, the only player from the Asdrubal Cabrera deal with the Phillies, is that good. The 6’6,” 175-pound 23-year old, has shown to have an advanced upper-90s fastball along with an impressive curveball which has a swing-and-miss movement. In Double-A, Kilome struck out 125 batters in 140 innings, but did walk 61.  Kilome needs to work on his control, but the young right-hander does flash the stuff to succeed as a major league starter – and should see time on the big league club at some point next year.

Most excited to see in 2019: Thomas Szapucki

AR: Szapucki missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is set to return to the mound in 2019. He’s only thrown a total of 83.1 innings in his brief career and will turn 23 next June, but Szapucki has undeniable upside that enticed virtually everyone who saw him. He flashed three potential plus offerings from a tough slot prior to the injury, giving him top of the rotation upside if he could simply stay healthy. There’s no question he’s behind the developmental curve, but 2019 could be a make or break season for the left-hander.

Tim Tebow Award: Tim Tebow

TO: Sorry, I just had to.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

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RHP Briam Campusano

Alex Rosen: Campusano is listed at 6’2,” 174 pounds, but looked to be at least an inch or two shorter out on the mound. He’s a two-pitch pitcher at this point in his career, relying heavily on a fastball/slider combo that has just enough velocity to overwhelm short-season hitters. The fastball sat 90-93 for the entirety of the outing, though it did touch 94 once. It’s got some arm-side run, but ultimately plays half a grade down due to the arm action. His slider sat consistently in the 84-86 mph range and was his go-to two-strike offering.

While the delivery isn’t necessarily bad, the arm action, uh, is. It’s a violent, unnatural motion that, in combination with his stuff, is going to force a move to the bullpen in the future. Speaking of stuff, the Mets are trying to work with Campusano on developing two additional offerings, a curveball and a change. If Wednesday night was any indication though, he still has a ways to go in that department.

Tyler Oringer: Fastball sat at 90-93 mph – topping out at 94 – with noticeable, yet unimpressive arm-side run and was used as his first pitch in most at-bats. Campusano could not locate his fastball, his primary pitch, at all inside the strike zone to righties or lefties and eventually hit a batter in his last inning of work in the fourth.

The right-hander was primarily using a fastball-slider combination, attempting to mix in a curveball and changeup in deeper counts. There was minor break and movement on any breaking pitches to begin with, but by the fourth inning Campusano was hanging pitches in the zone if they weren’t for balls. He is very quick and sudden to the plate out of the stretch and projects as a reliever rather than his starting role in Brooklyn.

LHP Kevin Smith

TO: Smith’s fastball sat at 87-90 mph Wednesday night and had a bit of sink to it. He predominantly worked away to both left- and right-handed bats, but was far more comfortable pitching to lefties and already has nasty movement on his slider, which was clocked in at 80-83 mph.

The Mets’ 2018 seventh-round selection, who boasts a 0.76 ERA and WHIP after Wednesday’s one-inning outing where he struck out two and walked one, could be more than just a LOOGY. Smith throws out of a windup with a pseudo-side arm release and has primarily been used as a long reliever with Brooklyn.

His approach reminded me that of Oliver Perez’s with the Indians this year, but he will need to improve his fastball if he wants to carve out a larger role.

AR: A low-slot lefty out of the SEC (Georgia), Smith was always a likely overdraft candidate despite his obvious deficiencies. He has experience starting in school and has made three starts with Brooklyn this summer, but his long-term home is in the bullpen as a LOOGY. Besides his slider, there’s a real lack of stuff here that’s going to limit Smith’s ceiling.

The stats (0.76 ERA, 28 K, 6 BB, in 23.2 IP) are exactly what you’d expect out of a crafty SEC southpaw in short-season ball. Smith’s slider will flash average to above and the delivery is relatively clean, but his fastball was topping out at 90 mph in just a single inning of work. Sounds an awful lot like the Daniel Zamora starter kit, doesn’t it?

I only saw one change at 79, an offering Smith will need to develop heavily to elevate his future projection. For now, he’s got the ceiling of a future LOOGY for me.

LHP Andrew Mitchell

AR: Selected six rounds after Smith this past June, Mitchell showed more velocity in his two innings Wednesday, as he worked with a fastball in the 91-93 mph range. It had some late life and was tough on lefties, as expected. His breaking ball is a little behind Smith’s at present, but it’s a funky curve that shows promise. I’ll take the velo over the present breaker for now and have Mitchell ahead of Smith on my personal pref list. I don’t think either is more than a LOOGY at the major league level, but Mitchell has the better chance to outpace that projection.

C Nick Meyer

TO: The Mets’ 2018 sixth-round selection certainly leaves a lot to be desired offensively.

Against the opposing right-handed starter Miller Hogan, the backstop was first-pitch swinging in front of a 88 mph tailing fastball away from the zone and grounded the ball to the opposing shortstop, who booted and then bobbled the ball. Meyer, who was clocked 4.68 down the line, was barely safe, but should have arrived a minute before he did.  There is a clear lack of comfort at the dish, which was never more evident than in his second at-bat as he looked at 85 for a strike, took an 81 mph-slider for a ball and then reached at a fastball outside the zone before popping it up to first for an out on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. In his third and final turn of the game, Meyer was again swinging at the first pitch and waited on a breaking ball which he lined to center for a single. Despite his one hit, Meyer’s shortcomings were easily recognizable as he lacks no real plate discipline, which is supported by his .282 OBP.

He is a defense first guy and did frame some questionable pitches for strikes. Today, some backup catchers in the majors hit sub-.200, so he has a shot.

AR: Ever heard of Jake Rogers, the glove first and second backstop in the Tigers organization? Well that’s Nick Meyer, except the overall defensive package isn’t nearly as strong, and the bat lags well behind even that of Rogers.

Meyer stole the low strike all night on the home plate umpire and was even surprisingly agile blocking to both sides, but I got two average (2.00+) pop times and his accuracy just wasn’t there. As for the bat, let’s just say it’s not a great sign when your college hitter is OPS’ing .559 in the New York Penn League. He doesn’t strike out (13%), but there’s well below average power and too much weak contact at present.

The offensive bar at catcher is so low that Meyer still projects as a big league backup, but the package here isn’t incredibly enticing.

OF Ross Adolph

AR: When a Day 3 guy flashes potential major league tools in addition to the performance, you’re probably going to hear about him. Adolph earned the rare Jeffrey Paternostro Mets draft pick stamp of approval after his look earlier this month, so naturally I had some expectation of what I was going to see from him on Wednesday. Well, Adolph went hitless in three at-bats, dropped a fly ball in foul territory and was thrown out at third trying to take an extra base. In other words, Adolph played his worst game of the summer. Yet I still thought he was the best player on the Brooklyn roster, and frankly, it isn’t particularly close.

You’re not writing a six anywhere on the card, but there’s enough here to believe Adolph is a future major league contributor in the outfield. He’s got deceptive speed underway and an arm that wouldn’t look entirely out of place in right. At the dish, Adolph has some sneaky pop due to via some strong wrists and subsequent bat speed.

The ceiling’s limited, but Adolph was a terrific find in the 12th round and is arguably a Top 15 prospect in the system right now.

TO: Adolph went 0 for 3, was thrown out at third and took two noticeably bad routes to balls in right field.

All that being said, the hype surrounding him is visible. At 6’1,” 205 pounds, the 21-year old possesses a very athletic build and quick feet. The results were not there on Wednesday, but his swing and approach at the plate are promising. His athleticism appears to be his best trait allowing him to be good (but not great) in each aspect of the game. A  solid find for the Mets nonetheless.

2B/OF Carlos Cortes

TO: Along with Adolph, Cortes clearly has one of the more advanced approaches to hitting on the Cyclone roster. Though he finished without a hit, the Mets’ ambidextrous throwing second baseman/outfielder has a clean, compact swing and waits for his pitch. The University of South Carolina alum is a clear pull side hitter and may have to balance out a bit as he rises the ranks. He didn’t barrel up any balls in Wednesday’s showing, but does show a potential for solid power.

Cortes’ second at-bat showed his poorest tool – his run. On a slow ground ball on which he was doubled up, Cortes ran an abysmal 4.7 out of the left-handed batter’s box. At just 5’8”, 200 pounds, his strides are short and clunky. He could potentially stick at second base with decent range and did flash some potential there. Nonetheless, I would not trust the fleet-of-foot Cortes in the outfield as he has a natural inability to cover ground.

AR: Cortes is a stocky 5’8” with some seriously slow feet that impact his range out at second. I had Meyer, a catcher, 4.68 out of the right-handed box and then got Cortes 4.7 flat out of the left-handed box. He didn’t look too smooth out at second, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, as he’s played a ton of outfield as an amateur.

Nevertheless, the bat is what you’re buying here, and there’s already an advanced approach with some bat speed. Hudson Valley had the shift on him even with a runner on first – not out of the ordinary for an affiliate of the Rays – but his pull heavy approach could get him into trouble if the power never develops as expected.

I didn’t love what I saw, but Cortes is an SEC performer and I’m simply unwilling to jump to an early conclusion. He’s a prime “check back next year” candidate for me.

1B Chase Chambers

AR: Large adult sons like Chase Chambers can absolutely rake in college (.395/.500/.652, 17 HRs) and still drop to the 18th round. It’s of this writer’s opinion that the Mets could’ve done far worse than grab Chambers and his power potential that late.

The swing’s long and I have my doubts about how the power will play in Double-A, but he’s actually a pretty decent defender at first and isn’t as slow as I’d been led to believe. I’m intrigued and of the belief that there’s a non-zero chance Chambers has a major league future ahead of him. I’m willing to admit it’s highly unlikely, but this was an underrated grab late in the draft.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

The Mets have thus far employed a draft strategy extremely similar to the one they’ve followed in recent drafts, which clearly hasn’t worked at producing even average major leaguers. After taking two prep players in the top fifty overall Monday, the Mets selected only college players on Tuesday. The Mets have shown an affinity in recent years for college performers with no major league tools, and it’s worked about as well as one would expect. While other organizations are looking for college players who might’ve been stuck behind a better player, or a catcher who could be converted to the mound, the Mets like to play it safe and take big school guys that performed well. That strategy hasn’t worked well for them and its predominantly why Jeffrey and the BP Prospect Team ranked the system as one of the worst in baseball earlier this season.

While the strategy was the same, did the Mets grab any interesting prospects?  Before we get into that, realize that these prospects are still young and the Mets player development staff will be given a ton of time to work with these players. Drawing any meaningful conclusions at this point would be a worthless exercise. That being said, let’s take a closer look at who they selected on Day Two and what kind of players they may potentially become.

Round 3, 83rd Overall: Carlos Cortes, 2B, University of South Carolina

Find you someone that looks at you the way the Mets look at Carlos Cortes’ scouting report.

— Jeffrey Paternostro (@jeffpaternostro) June 5, 2018

The Mets LOVE Carlos Cortes. They previously selected him in the 20th round of the 2016 draft, when Cortes was a prep infielder from Florida, and while they were very interested in signing him and reportedly made a very competitive offer, he decided to head to South Carolina. Cortes was a draft-eligible sophomore and will turn 21 at the end of the month. He enjoyed a terrific freshman season at the dish for the Gamecocks, hitting .286/.368/.565 with 12 home runs, but instead of building on that positive momentum, an early-season slump this year torpedoed his batting line below last year’s campaign. Through 42 games this season, he’s hitting just .260/.379/.507 with 15 home runs while splitting time between left field and second base.

It’s not completely out of the ordinary for a player to spend time in both the infield and outfield, especially in college, but it is out of the ordinary for a player to throw with a different hand depending on his position. Cortes is naturally a left-handed thrower, but he learned how to throw with his right hand in order to play second base. Cortes is just 5’7” and while he’s not a plus defender at either spot, his future home is at second.

The Mets didn’t draft him for his fielding ability though. Cortes is a stomp-and-pull guy from the left side with above-average raw power. He uses a hefty leg kick that allows his raw power to play effectively, but it severely impacts his contact ability, especially against good off-speed. I think there’s going to be a potentially lengthy adjustment period for Cortes against major league quality breaking balls in the minors.

Cortes should get slot value, which is $705,300, but it’s possible the Mets give him a little over-slot considering their deep infatuation with him, and Cortes’ ability to return to South Carolina.

Round 4, 110th Overall: Adam Hill, RHP, University of South Carolina

The Mets went right back to the University of South Carolina in the fourth round, selecting the 6’5” Hill after taking his teammate Cortes in round three. He’s started 14 games for the Gamecocks this season, with a 4.08 ERA, 46 walks and 92 strikeouts in 75 innings.

Hill works with a fastball that typically sits in the low- to mid-90s, but his velocity drops to the high-80s as he gets deeper into starts. The dip in velocity also impacts his arm slot, which drops lower as Hill gets tired. He also throws a changeup and a slider, of which the changeup is presently better but the slider projects as the better future offering. It’s not your typical Mets Warthen slider — it sits in the low-80s — but Hill gets enough break that it should be above-average at peak. He’ll need to work on developing the changeup if he wants to remain a starter, as the fastball and slider won’t be enough against lefties. While his delivery is repeatable, Hill has a tendency to plant his left leg toward the third base line instead of home, which causes command issues. While this helps Hill generate more movement, particularly on his fastball, you don’t see many deliveries like this in the majors.

His inability thus far to hold his velocity over multiple innings and a lack of polished secondary stuff might spell a future in middle relief for Hill, especially if he can’t clean up his delivery.

Round 5, 140th Overall: Ryley Gilliam, RHP, Clemson University

The Mets chose to spend their fifth-round pick on a college closer with no future as a starter. Gilliam has a future as an impact reliever, but do with that first sentence what you will. After starting some games for Clemson as a freshman, Gilliam made a permanent move to the bullpen in his sophomore season. A fastball/curveball reliever, Gilliam was incredible for the Tigers this season, striking out 53 to go with a 0.99 ERA in 36 innings.

Although he’s now a reliever, Gilliam still chooses to pitch out of the windup with nobody on base. It’s a quick and funky delivery that adds some deception while simultaneously causing Gilliam to miss more than he does out of the stretch. Once Gilliam signs, the Mets will have to work with him and decide how they’d like him to proceed. I think they’ll let him keep the windup until he proves it doesn’t work.

Gilliam is just 5’10,” but he’s a great athlete and sits in the mid-90s with his fastball. It’s a plus offering, as is his high-70s 12-6 curveball that routinely keeps hitters off balance. Gilliam also throws a changeup, which he’s all but scrapped since his days as a starter, and a cutter, which he introduced but sparingly used this season.

There are always going to be durability concerns with a 5’10” power reliever, but I think Gilliam’s arm action is clean enough and his athleticism should help him avoid injury problems in the future. He should move quickly through the system and has a shot at becoming more than a middle reliever should he add some ticks to the fastball or develop an above-average third pitch.

Round 6, 170th Overall: Nick Meyer, C, California Polytechnic State University

Meyer is a defensive whiz behind the plate but projects as a backup because of his offensive inefficiencies. While he’s incredibly tough to strikeout, Meyer has only hit three career home runs in over 600 collegiate at-bats. He recorded the highest slugging percentage of his career this season, .428, without hitting a single home run. He did have 14 doubles, but Cal Poly plays in the Big Sky, which is not exactly the SEC.

Here’s where the Mets’ draft strategy really starts to become a problem. Meyer might be a plus defender at one of the games toughest positions, but he doesn’t project as anything more than a defense-first catcher, and that’s even if the Mets work successfully with him on his bat. He’s more than likely never going to hit, so why cap your upside in the sixth round? While other teams are looking for untapped upside and potential regulars in these rounds, the Mets are looking for performers that don’t project to have any major league-quality tools. Combine that with the fact that they presumably went under-slot with their first two picks and it becomes all the more puzzling.

Round 7, 200th Overall: Kevin Smith, LHP, University of Georgia

Smith’s a low-arm slot left-hander who has performed in the SEC and on the Cape. He’s tall (6’5”), athletic and his low-slot allows him to carve up lefties, but I think he’s a potential LOOGY because of it. His fastball sits in the low-90s but Smith reportedly hit 94 down on the Cape. Smith’s best pitch is a sweeping slider, atypical for the Mets, that sits in the 78-82 mph range. He’s able to command it well and it’s a potential above-average pitch, especially away from left-handers. There’s also a changeup that’s far behind the other two offerings but has shown some signs of developing.

Smith has been a starter for Georgia over his collegiate career and while the Mets giving him a shot as a starter cannot be ruled out, his future is likely in the bullpen. He’s struggled with his command, a problem that can be better addressed in the bullpen, so look for the Mets to develop him as a LOOGY.

Round 8, 230th Overall: Tylor Megill, RHP, University of Arizona

Megill’s another big dude, 6’7 230-pounds to be exact, who battled inconsistency issues at the University of Arizona the past two seasons. A senior sign likely to get well under-slot, Megill is at least a worthy flier, albeit maybe not in the eighth round. Tall and athletic, he pairs a relatively clean delivery with a low-90s fastball and a curve. While his delivery is repeatable, it looks very similar to Hill’s, minus the left leg landing spot, and both have battled command issues because of it. There’s some crossfire action here that impacts Megill’s ability to command his pitches, particularly his fastball.

There isn’t enough stuff here presently to project Megill as anything but a potential middle relief arm, but if he signs well under-slot as expected, I suppose that’s not a bad pick. I think there may possibly be something a little more than that if the Mets shift him immediately to the bullpen and have him work out of the stretch, where his command improves and his extension plays up.

Round 9, 260th Overall: Bryce Montes de Oca, RHP, University of Missouri

MDO, as the Missouri faithful call him, was the most interesting Mets pick on Day Two. This is exactly the sort of player and profile the Mets should be betting on if they want to roll the dice on college arms. He has a Tommy John and an ulnar nerve transposition on his lengthy injury history, but he has a plus-plus fastball and a plus hard slider out of the bullpen. The fastball sits in the mid- to high-90s and touches triple-digits with regularity. MDO gets incredible sink and movement on it as well, making it a true plus-plus offering. He sits in the high-80s with his slider and it’s already a plus out pitch.

I’m not a fan of player comps so don’t take this for face value, but I get Dellin Betances vibes watching MDO. Both huge dudes with plus-plus fastballs and a plus off-speed offering that fit best in the bullpen. MDO’s delivery isn’t as violent as Betances, but they’ve both had issues commanding their stuff and it’s probably something MDO will always struggle with. There are a ton of “ifs” here: if he stays healthy, if his command improves, if he develops a useful third pitch, and that’s why he was available in the ninth round. This was a fantastic gamble by the Mets and the upside here is undeniable.

Round 10, 290th Overall: Manny Rodriguez, SS, University of Cincinnati

After finally taking a risk on Day Two, the Mets went back to the well with their 10th selection, selecting Manny Rodriguez. Rodriguez grew up in Brooklyn and is a local kid, but he really underwhelmed at Cincinnati prior to 2018. His 2016 and 2017 seasons left a lot to be desired, a .588 and .628 OPS respectively, but he made a swing change this year and its unlocked some raw power. He hit .292/.374/.589 with 12 home runs this year after hitting just two home runs combined in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Rodriguez is a lean 5’10,” 165 pounds and projects to stay at shortstop in the future. While there are no questions about his future defensive home, Rodriguez will need to prove this power spike was no fluke. I’m skeptical he has the requisite bat-to-ball skills in order to make enough contact and you should be too, but maybe Rodriguez can become a utility infielder capable of playing short.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports