Mets Minors: Jack Leiter and the 2021 Amateur Draft

July 11th is a long way away but as major league play gets rolling and we await the May 4th launch of the minor league season. Mets360 will be taking the opportunity to look at some of the prospects in the upcoming amateur draft. With the Mets top three selections landing 10th overall, 46th overall and 81st, we’ll be taking a look at some of the top names the Mets might be considering on selection day.

Round 1:

The consensus number one-pick is Kumar Rocker out of Vanderbilt. The big college right grades out as a potential Ace with a ton of power. Drafting 10th overall, Rocker will be long off the board but other promising players may not be.

Jack Leiter, RHP (Vanderbilt) – The son of former Met, Al Leiter is ranked 6th overall and most scouts predict he will not linger to the 10th pick. Being only 6’0”, no overpowering fastball and a lack of a track record all suggest that teams might look elsewhere with their first picks and allow the Mets to bring in a player with a lot of positive storylines. The Mets and Yankees might find themselves more willing to take a chance on a curveball first pitcher whose lineage will make fans happy. Scouts often compare him to another Vanderbilt product, Sonny Gray, when making their comparisons. All of this being said, Leiter is off to another strong start at Vanderbilt and his draft stock may rise to the point of him being invariably out of reach.

Ty Madden, RHP (Texas) – With the Mets selecting 10th overall it never hurts to look at the player that MLB.com ranks 10th in their analysis. Madden fits the mold that the Mets have been looking for since they drafted Matt Harvey. He’s got a solid build, a strong fastball and the ability to throw strikes. It doesn’t hurt that Madden already profiles as having a mix of four usable major league pitches at his disposal.

Marcello Mayer, SS (Eastlake High School) – With Ronny Mauricio sitting as the number one prospect and Francisco Lindor locked up long term it makes less sense for the Mets to look at a player like Mayer. Ranked 7th overall, Mayer might find himself lingering on the board since he’s ranked beneath Jordan Lawler and Matt McLain. Should he fall to the Mets at #10 they could consider his raw hitting profile as the best available talent on the board and ignore his position. Mayer profiles as having a excellent skills in hitting, power and arm strength which may allow the Mets to select him regardless.

Andrew Painter, RHP (Calvary Christian High School) – With urgency to produce a new crop of viable starters the Mets seem more likely to look for a college pitcher in the first round. If they are hoping to get a player talented enough to eventually be a Number 1 overall, Painter might be their man. The enormous (6’6”) righty has time and frame to add power and is already throwing 96 MPH with his fastball. He also boasts a four pitch repertoire and a changeup that could develop into a “Plus” pitch.

Round 2:

When the dust settles after Round 1, the Compensatory pick for Cincinnati and the Competitive Balance picks, the Mets sit on the 46th pick with a wide field of options available.

Anthony Solometo, LHP (Bishop Eustace Prep) – This New Jersey native draws some pretty aggressive comparisons with MacKenzie Gore and Madison Bumgarner. A powerful pitcher with an odd delivery is something of risk regardless and that may allow him to fall to the Mets despite being ranked 35th overall. Currently committed to North Carolina the Mets may take a chance on hitting the lottery with this Southpaw.

Christian Franklin, OF (Arkansas) – There is a lot to like about the player ranked into the Mets’ draft slot. Franklin is a “Plus” defender with solid speed who profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter centerfielder. The Mets may already have Pete Crow-Armstrong but the team needs to realize the perennial waist of having to sign free agents to cover the 4th and 5th outfielder slots.

Will Bednar, RHP (Mississippi State) – There are three pitchers from Mississippi State who are all likely to go in the first and second rounds. Will Bednar is the most projectable of them. He’s got a solid build, he boasts strong velocity and he has multiple pitches that could become “Plus” rated offerings. Ranked 41st overall the Mets would be very happy to see his name still on the boards for their second pick.

Eric Cerantola, RHP (Mississippi State) – If Bednar is no longer around the Mets may be just as happy to see Cerantola’s name.  The 6’5” tall Canadian pitcher has the bigger fastball and a phenomenal RPM on his curve. The reason he ranks ten spots lower than Bednar (and Christian McLeod) is that his control and delivery has some scouts concerned that he might wind up a reliever.

Round 3:

After a final round of Competitive Balance picks the Mets will be looking to nab, at least, one more quality prospect in their 2021 class.

Will Taylor, OF (Dutch Fork High School) – It may be absurd to think that a player ranked 67th overall could fall to the third round of the draft. The reason Taylor might see that happen has to do with the fact that he’s a three sport athlete and teams might be worried which sport he’ll choose. The extremely fast outfielder also profiles as a slot receiver and is a Champion wrestler. If the Mets draft and sign Taylor there is some pretty excited speculation about how good he could become if he were to focus on only baseball.

Nick Nastrini, RHP (UCLA) – Sitting as the 81st ranked player, Nastrini fits pretty exceptionally well into the Mets, and almost any team’s plans. The starter projects as a #3 stater and has the pitching tools to make that happen in a fairly short amount of time. Looking at other talent at this level I think Nastrini’s lack of obvious flaws will actually see him drafted far earlier.

Caedmon Parker, RHP (The Woodlands Christian Prep) – If the Mets prefer to have the dream of an Ace coming out of their third round selection, Caedmon Parker might be their ticket. He’s already throwing in the 90-95 MPH range and should be projectable enough to improve on that. His biggest flaw is that his two breaking pitches don’t really stand out from one another.

Glenn Albanese, RHP (Louisville) – A reliever turned starter Albanese has a 98 MPH fastball, which doesn’t seem to jive with being ranked 87th overall. He has the obvious control concerns that likely pushed him into the bullpen to begin with and is already 22 years old. Offering a two-seamer and a power curve he certainly would give the Mets something to dream on.

Of the 12 players profiled above, half of them are collegiate pitchers and most of them boast high velocity fastballs. The Mets have part of their future with Jacob deGrom and Carlos Carrasco on board but need to begin to build the next crop of pitching talent quickly as pitchers like Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard move onto new opportunities.  It is possible the Mets will go in another direction come July but these are a few names for fans to sit on and dream a little bit.