One of my favorite parts of the MLB post-draft period is Mets fans getting my X mentions (@PSLToFlushing) and asking immediately after picks are made about where they will land in my top prospect rankings.
After some reflection and review, five of them make my top 30 list as it currently stands. It’s important to note that I will do a comprehensive Top 30 update sometime after the MLB trade deadline passes, as the system could certainly look different than it does today after some changes are made, whether that means customers in potential made a deal to upgrade the big-league team or perhaps some youth added in some kind of creative deal.
Here’s where the 2024 draft picks initially appear on my top 30 list:
8. DE Carson Benge
The Mets’ first-round pick out of Oklahoma State was a two-way player in college, but the expectation as of now is that he will focus strictly on professional hitting. He has strong plate discipline and the contact ability to go with above-average raw power, especially to the opposite field at the moment.
Mets Vice President of Amateur Scouting Kris Gross told us in The Mets capsule that as Benge grows and learns to pull the ball, he could be a bat that hits New York for a long time. Defensively, the plan is to send him as a center fielder, but he can translate better to right field with his strong arm.
11. LHP Jonathan Santucci
The Mets’ second-round pick was recruited to Duke out of high school, where he was primarily a hitter rather than a pitcher. He was a two-way player for most of his college career, with 2024 being the first season he focused entirely on pitching. He comes equipped with a fastball that tops out at 96 mph, a plus slider and a changeup that he feels and flashes more, but it lacks consistency because it’s a new pitch that he’s still learning. He will need some work on his command, but he is athletic on the mound and has a starting build with an easily repeatable delivery. The Mets believe he has middle rotation or better potential.
17. RHP Nate Dohm
Dohm was the Mets’ third-round selection out of Mississippi State. He got off to a strong start as the Bulldogs’ starter on Friday night before suffering a forearm strain that caused him to miss a few months. He was able to return near the end of the season for some abbreviated matches.
Gross told SNY that Dohm is healthy and at the MLB Draft Combine he was back to normal. He throws his fastball in the 90s and will hit 97 mph on a low throw with good extension. It has an above-average slider and an average bend and change to round out its four-tone mix. If he hadn’t gotten injured, he might have found himself in first two round territory. This is a good blueprint for the Mets pitching development system.
29. BY Eli Serrano III
Serrano is someone Gross has had his eye on since high school. He attended the same gym as the current Mets prospect Ryan Clifford in high school, and at the time there were those who thought Serrano was the best prospect. Clifford signed with the Astros, whose scouting department was led by Gross at the time, before being traded to the Mets in the Justin Verlander commerce, while Serrano ended up in college.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, the strength Serrano was expected to have in college didn’t develop as expected. He has more bat-to-ball skills with a good approach at the plate. If he can add some strength and work on throwing the ball more consistently, there’s a chance the power potential he had in high school could become more of a reality in professional football. Defensively he played first, left and even some center field in college. Most scouts believe his future will likely be in left field.
30. SS Trey Snyder
The fifth-round pick, and the only high school player selected in the first 17 rounds, is a player the Mets were very excited to be able to draft. They will have to give him a well above slot bonus to get him out of his commitment to the defending College World Series champion Tennessee Volunteers. He is expected to sign with the Mets in the coming days.
It may not have the loudest tools in the class, currently rating average to above average across the board. He is described as a true baseball player who does the little things well. Snyder attended a Mets practice in Dallas and “put on a show,” as Gross said. He projects as a shortstop who can run and throw and plays with tenacity on the field. He also won over the Mets with the kind of person he is off the field in pre-draft interviews.
