A look at the Mets’ best draft classes for pitchers

Recently, TexasGus made the following statement in an Open Thread:

The Mets got alot of intriguing arms last year, maybe more than ever in one draft.

It’s going to be awhile before any of us are completely over the loss of Kumar Rocker. But today, the focus isn’t going to be on Rocker, or any of the other intriguing arms that the Mets picked last year. Instead, let’s look back and see some of the top draft classes for pitchers that the Mets have had in their history.

Before we go back in time, it’s important to note that the odds are stacked against a team having multiple impact players in a single draft, much less confining the impact players to just pitchers. If you get one impact pitcher, say someone who puts up a lifetime 10 WAR in his career, you’re doing pretty good. They’re all stars on Draft Day but the reality is that it’s tough just to reach the majors, much less be an impact player if you make it to the top.

One last note – TexasGus said “intriguing,” not impact. Not that they drafted one but an ambidextrous pitcher would be intriguing even if he never reached the majors. It’s impossible to define “intriguing” when we look to the past, at least without doing 1,000 hours of research into every pitcher they ever selected. That’s why this piece will focus on impact, instead.

On to the draft classes. All WAR mentions will be bWAR.

2019 – It’s too soon to talk about impact but certainly the Mets manipulating their draft budget to sign Josh Wolf and Matt Allan is intriguing. It’s doubtful that much more will develop from this class, as there were a lot of college seniors picked for signability, rather than pure talent.

2011 – Michael Fulmer was an impact player, with a lifetime 10.7 WAR thru the 2021 season. But what really stands out about this class was the fact that nine pitchers that the Mets signed reached the majors, including Seth Lugo (8.5 WAR) and John Gant (1.4 WAR.) Two other players that the Mets drafted as pitchers but did not sign also reached the majors, including A.J. Reed, who gave up pitching to become a first baseman.

2010 – Matt Harvey was the first-round pick but the real coup came in the ninth round when they picked Jacob deGrom, who has had a wonderful career despite the TJ surgery he had in the minors. Four other pitchers that the Mets signed from this class made the majors, including Josh Edgin (1.6 WAR) and Erik Goeddel (1.3 WAR.) Additionally, a 36th-round draft pick from Montreal that they did not sign ultimately pitched in the majors.

2008 – Only two pitchers made the majors from this draft class but one of them was Collin McHugh, who’s posted a 10.7 WAR to date.

2006 – Five signed pitchers reached the majors, including Joe Smith with a lifetime 13.6 WAR. A sixth pitcher reached the majors but did not sign with the Mets.

2005 – To show how tough it is to reach 10 WAR, this year’s draft saw two pitchers who logged a lot of innings for the Mets yet failed to reach that plateau. Mike Pelrey (5.8 WAR) and Jon Niese (8.4 WAR) came from this class, as did Bobby Parnell and Jeremy Hefner. The Mets picked Pedro Beato this season, too, but he did not sign this go-round.

2002 – Scott Kazmir had a fine career with 22.4 WAR even if he wasn’t a Hall of Famer. He was backed by Matt Lindstrom with 4.6 WAR. Only one other draft pick from this class, when the draft lasted 50 rounds, made the majors.

1995 – Most of the Mets’ drafts in the 1990s were forgettable but this year they picked up A.J. Burnett, who amassed 28.8 WAR, although none with the Mets, as he was traded in the Al Leiter deal. Three other pitchers the Mets signed reached the majors, including Nelson Figueroa (2.7 WAR.) Another pitcher they did not sign – Scott Proctor – also made it.

1991 – Jason Isringhausen (13.0 WAR) was one of seven pitchers to make the majors, in a class that also included Bobby Jones (7.5 WAR) and Bill Pulsipher (0.5 WAR.) Isringhausen was selected in the 44th round out of Lewis & Clark Community College. Jones was a supplemental first-round pick, 36th overall.

1986 – Each year almost every team takes guys that they don’t sign who reach the majors. Most of the time, this is taking a flyer on a high school guy with a strong commitment to college. And it usually happens with picks outside of the top five selections, so not a lot is lost. The Mets have had a bunch of guys that they drafted and did not sign who had MLB success, most notably Roger Clemens. This year’s draft is significant because the Mets drafted three future impact pitchers that they did not sign. In the 26th round they picked Cal Eldred (15.8 WAR,) the 36th round was Scott Erickson (24.8 WAR) and the 41st round was Todd Jones (10.3 WAR.) And they also picked John Olerud – who I want to say was a P/1B in HS – on the 27th round.

1983 – Rick Aguilera was the team’s third-round pick and he amassed 21.9 WAR in his career. This draft class had five pitchers reach the majors, including Jeff Innis (4.6 WAR,) Calvin Schiraldi (3.5 WAR) and David West (2.8 WAR.)

1982 – Five pitchers that the Mets signed from this class made the majors, including their top three picks. Dwight Gooden led the way with a lifetime 52.9 WAR. On the second round was Floyd Youmans (6.8 WAR) and Roger McDowell (10.1 WAR) was the third-round selection. Two other pitchers who the club did not sign also reached the majors. If only the club had signed its eighth-round pick, a non-pitcher named Rafael Palmeiro – it might have been the team’s best draft ever.

1979 – Tim Leary (12.0 WAR) was the Mets’ first pick and there were five other pitchers the team drafted that reached the majors. Unfortunately, they did not sign three of them, including Walt Terrell, who amassed 10.7 WAR in his career.

1976 – Second-round pick Mike Scott went on to amass 22.7 WAR in his career but the vast majority came after he left the Mets and learned how to doctor the ball. Neil Allen (6.9 WAR) and Dave Von Ohlen (1.8 WAR) also were members of this class.

1975 – The Mets picked two pitchers who did not sign who went on to fine MLB careers. The first was 15th-round pick Charlie Lea (7.4 WAR) and the other was 21st-round pick John Tudor (34.2 WAR.) The Tudor one was a bit unusual by today’s standards, as he was a collegiate pick. Tudor later went on to sign in 1976, in the now-defunct January draft.

1972 – Future NL ERA champ Craig Swan (12.7 WAR) was a third-round pick, the 61st player selected. The Mets drafted three other pitchers who went on to make the majors but did not sign any of them.

1967 – With the fourth overall pick in the draft, the Mets tabbed Jon Matlack, who went on to amass 39.4 WAR. Three other players the Mets drafted as pitchers made the majors, including Dave Schneck, listed by B-R as a LHP, but who played parts of three seasons with the Mets as an OF.

1965 – Six pitchers picked by the Mets in the first-ever draft reached the majors, including second-overall pick Les Rohr. In the 11th round, the Mets nabbed Jim McAndrew (6.0 WAR) and in the 24th round they selected Steve Renko (23.5 WAR.) But the real coup came on the 12th round, when they selected Nolan Ryan (81.3 WAR.)

*****

That’s 16 pitchers that the Mets both drafted and signed who went on to amass 10+ WAR in their MLB career. And 12 of them went on to produce much of their value for clubs besides the Mets. Only deGrom, Gooden, Swan and Matlack gave the Mets most of their value. An honorable mention goes to Harvey, who exceeded a 10-WAR level with the Mets but has seen his total WAR slip underneath that threshold with his performance for other teams.