The Mets' 5 Best MLB Draft Picks in Franchise History

The MLB Draft is around the corner and the New York Mets have had a strong track record of success over the years. The past few decades have seen the Mets routinely produce big league regulars, with the likes of David Wright, Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith going on to have long careers.

David Stearns has started to see some of his own draft success stories as well, with Carson Benge becoming a cornerstone piece for the Mets while his player development program has helped make Nolan McLean and A.J. Ewing into building blocks as well. Time will tell if those guys, or whoever the Mets draft this year, emerge onto this list among the five greatest draft picks in Mets' history.

The 5 best Mets' draft picks in Mets' history

5. Nolan Ryan

It is a bit of a surprise to see Ryan on this list considering most of his success came elsewhere but few players ever drafted by the Mets ever had as pronounced a big league impact. Ryan was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets as a middle of the rotation starter before infamously being traded to the Los Angeles Angels in 1971 in the Jim Fregrosi trade.

The change of scenery did wonders for Ryan, who went from an underwhelming pitcher in New York to a Hall of Famer after decades of strong work with the Angels, Astros and Rangers. Ryan's only ring came in New York, which helps him beat out the likes of Alonso and Nimmo for now, but there is no doubt that Ryan is one of the most impactful players the Mets ever drafted.

4. Jacob deGrom

This is a case where the book isn't quite written with deGrom, who is still active, but he is unquestionably the best developmental draft story the Mets have ever had. A college conversion from shortstop to pitching left deGrom behind in the developmental world, but the Mets took him in the ninth round and watch him become one of the best pitchers in baseball.

deGrom was at his absolute peak from 2018-2021, winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards and flirting with Bob Gibson's single-season ERA title in the modern era before injuries cut down his 2021 campaign in July. The Mets' offense didn't do enough to help deGrom get wins early in his tenure, leading him to get his 100th career victory with Texas this season, but his dominance should make him an interesting Hall of Fame case when his career is over.

3. David Wright

Perhaps the best compensatory pick in Mets' history came in 2001, when the Mets took a selection they got from Mike Hampton's appreciation for the Colorado educational system and turned it into David Wright. A clear cornerstone from the moment he arrived, Wright was a perennial All Star in New York and one of the few Mets' homegrown position players to spend his entire career in Flushing.

A debilitating back injury cut Wright's career short, denying him the opportunity to own all of the Mets' offensive franchise records. There is still a shot Wright makes the Hall of Fame as he has slowly crept up the ballot since he first appeared on it in 2024.

2. Dwight Gooden

The top two on the list go hand in hand to the point that the Mets retired their numbers together in 2024. We'll begin with Gooden, who was the Mets' top pick in 1982 and was dominating in the majors just two years later, running away with Rookie of the Year honors in 1984 and the Cy Young in 1985 before becoming the ace of the 1986 Mets.

Gooden was the mainstay of the Mets' rotation until 1995 but his own Hall of Fame prospects were curtailed by a series of drug problems. In the end, Gooden put up the kinds of ridiculous numbers no pitcher in franchise history besides deGrom and Tom Seaver ever approached, with his longer tenure in Queens pushing him up the list.

1. Darryl Strawberry

The best pick in Mets' history remains Strawberry, who was the top selection in the 1980 draft. Once he arrived in 1983 Strawberry become the anchor of the Mets' lineup, making the All Star team every year between 1984 and 1990 while winning two Silver Slugger awards and helping them win the 1986 World Series.

Like Gooden, drug problems led to an early end to Strawberry's Mets' career as Frank Cashen let him walk to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1990 season. Strawberry left Flushing as the franchise's all-time home run king, a record that stood until Alonso broke it last summer after 35 years, and he remains one of the most dynamic position players to ever wear a Mets' uniform.

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