Mets 2023 MLB Draft Day 3 Recap
The 2023 MLB Draft has come and gone as the New York Mets made their selections from Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday. They were hoping to find some late round gems to wrap up this year’s class. Our own Mike Mayer broke down the class that was predominantly right-handed pitchers, but had a decent mix of other positions as well.
Breakdown of Mets 2023 draft:
RHP: 13
SS: 3
LHP: 2
3B: 2
C: 1
OF: 1
2-Way: 1College: 17
High School: 618 years old: 6
20 years old: 1
21 years old: 9
22 years old: 7— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 12, 2023
Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin of New York Post
Day 3 began with the selection of UNC-Wilmington right-hander Brett Banks in Round 11. Banks moved from the rotation to the bullpen in 2023 and ended up recording eight saves over the course of 38 1/3 innings pitched (44 strikeouts to 21 walks). As Taylor Blake Ward of The Sporting Tribune pointed out, the right-hander has two pitches in his arsenal with his fastball producing a high spin rate.
11-336. Mets: Brett Banks, RHP, UNC Wilmington — two-pitch college reliever among Stuff+ national leaders, high-spin mid 90's FB w/ carry is bat-misser, pwr SL w/ short break, physical arm w/ blw-avg command but enough strikes to get to mid-relief projection
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 11, 2023
Banks did struggle in 2022 when he pitched to a 7.34 ERA in 11 appearances (6 starts). ESPN and SNY’s Dani Wexelman pointed out that Banks credits his pitching coach, Kelly Secrest, for helping him make a successful transition to the bullpen.
I covered Brett Banks during regionals. He told me he was a starter his whole life but struggled a ton in 2022. He transformed into a reliever at UNCW last fall and he "owes a lot" to UNCW Pitching Coach Kelly Secrest. He has a killer mentality & now loves coming out of the pen
— Dani Wexelman (@DaniWex) July 11, 2023
The Mets stuck with college relievers in Rounds 12 and 13, drafting Virginia Tech right-hander Brady Kirtner and Elon right-hander Ben Simon. Kirtner was ranked as the 428th-best prospect in this year’s class by Prospects Live and he features a strong slider to go with a mid-90’s fastball.
With their 12th round pick, the Mets selected right-handed reliever Brady Kirtner from Virginia Tech.
Struck out 36 in 25 1/3 innings this year. Mid-90s with big slider.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 11, 2023
Kirtner spoke with Mark Berman of Roanoke.com after his selection and he credited the work he did in the weight room in Blacksburg with helping him get selected. Berman also said his curveball has developed more shape and the velocity has picked up on his fastball.
“This year is when [the draft] really came into play at the start of the year. With some of the progress I had made from the year before, I kind of had it in my mind that it was a possibility now with my [velocity] starting to pick up and with my breaking ball improving.”
Simon is a local pitcher from Princeton, New Jersey who was Elon’s closer in 2023. One of the highlights of his season came on April 4 when Elon upset Wake Forest and he threw a 1-2-3 ninth to finish the game (one strikeout).
The Mets went the prep school route in Round 14 with the section of John Valle Vera, a right-handed pitcher from Jefferson High School in Florida. Vera is an intriguing prospect as he pitches a sweeper to go with a fastball that has a high spin rate. With Jefferson this year, he had 46 strikeouts to 23 walks in 46 innings of work.
With their 14th round pick, the Mets select RHP John Valle Vera from Jefferson High School in Florida.
The Cuban born pitcher has a high spin fastball up to 94. Also throws a sweeper.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 11, 2023
In round 15, the Mets selected NC State right-hander Justin Lawson. Lawson was the Wolfpack closer a season ago and he recorded three saves while increasing his strikeout rate (9.8 per 9 to 11.5) and decreasing his walk rate (4.3 to 2.9).
New York went with a prep player in Round 16 with the choice of third baseman Jake Zitella out of St. Charles East High School in Illinois. According to Perfect Game, Zitella was the number two third baseman in the state this year and ranked 12th in the entire class. Ward projected that he can stay at third base with the arm strength he has to go with the power.
16-486. Mets: Jake Zitella, 3B, St. Charles East HS (IL) — pwr-hungry prep corner, whippy RH swing w/ present strength/intent to get to plus raw pwr w/ ease, some swing refinements needed in dev to get to hit tool, strong arm/feet should keep him at 3B longterm (Illinois commit)
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 11, 2023
The Mets went back to the college pool in Round 17 with Tennessee right-hander Bryce Jenkins (Round 17). Jenkins still has one year of eligibility left at Tennessee after transferring from Cleveland State Community College. He had a 5.51 ERA in 18 games this year and Prep Baseball’s Report from 2019 shows that he has a fastball, curveball, changeup, and slider in his arsenal.
In Round 18, the Mets chose left-hander Gavyn Jones out of White Oak High School in Texas. Jones is committed to Texas Tech. Five Tool notes that can throw the fastball in the mid-90’s to go with a consistent slider.
.@MarucciEliteTX Mayo’s Gavyn Jones (@GavynJones08) brought the good stuff to the @FiveToolTexas @conniemackwsbb Qualifier. The LHP struck out 1️⃣0️⃣ in 4 IP with no hits.
FB: 92-94, 95
SL: 82-83
Pocket Radar Five Tool #90ClubWhite Oak (TX) 2023 • @TTU_Baseball signee
Profile:… pic.twitter.com/dYQEn3dij1
— Five Tool Baseball (@FiveTool) June 7, 2023
“White Oak’s Gavyn Jones, a Texas Tech signee, certainly wasn’t a famous name in late May 2022. That quickly changed,” noted Five Tool. “He was excellent at our AABC Connie Mack qualifier, followed that by turning heads at Area Code tryouts, committing to Texas Tech almost immediately after the tryout, and establishing himself as one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the state during the summer. An easy strike-thrower with multiple pitches, Jones has at times shown a fastball up to 95 MPH, slider, curveball and promising changeup.”
The final two picks that the Mets made Tuesday were both SEC players. In Round 19, they went with LSU right-hander Christian Little, who was a transfer from Vanderbilt. Little has one more year of eligibility left, and was used as both a starter and reliever for Jay Johnson’s club. Here is what Tyler Jennings of Prospects Live had to say about the 181st player on their rankings:
“He primarily utilized an upper-80s cutter, followed by a fastball that has gotten up to 97 MPH with some life. There’s also a curveball and change-up in the arsenal, but they lag behind the first two offerings. Command also comes and goes. There’s deception in the delivery, as well.”
In Round 20, the Mets selected Mississippi State outfielder Kellum Clark. Clark had a slash line of .300/.395/.546 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in 58 games for the Bulldogs. While the outfielder can still return to school, he is expected sign with the Mets, according to a report from Daniel Wexler.
Per @JustinbFrommer @mets 20th round pick OF @kellum_clark is expected to sign with @mets #Mets
— Daniel Wexler (@WexlerRules) July 11, 2023
20-606. Mets: Kellum Clark, OF, Miss State — physical power outfielder, loose/rhythmic LH cut w/ zone coverage, bat spd and phys to regularly tap into plus pwr, notable s/m needs refinements to tap into upside, corner profile w/ fringe spd
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 11, 2023
Now, we await to see which players who have eligibility left go back to school, and which ones choose to begin their professional journeys with the Mets.
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