Mets Select Seven Pitchers On Day 2 Of MLB Draft
After the Mets got a steal in Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker at No. 10 overall, who signed a $6 million signing bonus, they loaded up on more arms in rounds 2-10 on Monday.
Starting with right-hander Calvin Ziegler in the second round, the Amazins' proceeded to draft six more pitchers, which put their total at eight hurlers in the first two days.
Round 1: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt
Despite being projected to go in the top eight, Rocker fell to the Mets at No. 10 due to his high money demands and a slight dip in velocity this season. Regardless, Rocker has ace-like potential, and was one of the biggest names in all of college baseball this year.
Round 2: Calvin Ziegler, RHP, TNXL Academy
Ziegler was the top ranked prospect out of Canada, before transferring to St. Mary's Catholic High School in the U.S. The 18-year-old's fastball reached the upper-90's this past spring, and consistently sits in the mid-90's. According to scouts, he has an above average breaking ball and was a great value pick at No. 46 overall.
Round 3: Dominic Hamel, RHP, Dallas Baptist
The right-hander set a single-season program record at Dallas Baptist with 13 wins and 136 strikeouts last season. Hamel is considered to be an analytics darling with high spin rate on his slider and a fastball that has above-average vertical movement.
Round 4: JT Schwartz, 1B, UCLA
The Mets took first baseman JT Schwartz out of UCLA in the fourth round. Although Schwartz needs to develop more power to play in the corners in the big-leagues, he slashed .396/.514/.628 for the Bruins last season.
Round 5: Christian Scott, RHP, Florida
In the fifth round, the Mets went with another pitcher in Christian Scott out of the Florida. The right-hander's fastball sits between 93-95 mph and he was a reliable bullpen arm for the Gators last year, where he posted a 3.00 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 53 innings.
Round 6: Carson Seymour, RHP, Kansas State
The Mets took Carson Seymour at No. 172 overall. The 22-year-old is 6"6 and throws in the upper-90's with a 90 mph slider. He struggles with his command, but his stuff is good enough to develop into a solid big-league pitcher if he can find his control.
Round 7: Kevin Kendall, SS, UCLA
The Mets went with Kevin Kendall in the seventh round out of UCLA. The shortstop lacks power, but slashed .356/.413/.498 for the Bruins in 2021. Kendall also had a .911 OPS out of the leadoff spot.
Round 8: Mike Vasil, RHP, Virginia
Mike Vasil was ranked No. 114 on Baseball America's Top 500 list. Vasil consistently throws his fastball between 89-91 mph and his best secondary pitch is his changeup.
Round 9: Levi David, RHP, Northwestern State
The Mets selected Northwestern State right-hander Levi David in the ninth round on Monday. David went 2-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 13 starts last season.
Round 10: Keyshawn Askew, LHP, Clemson
Last but not least, the Mets took Keyshawn Askew out of Clemson in the 10th round. The left-handed pitcher struck out 69 batters in 57 innings for the Tigers last season.
