New York Mets 2024 MLB Draft Report Card

Best Pure Hitter: Oklahoma State OF Carson Benge (1) topped a .300 average and 1.000 OPS in both his Big 12 Conference seasons after redshirting as a freshman. He may need to quiet his noisy lefthanded swing in pro ball, but his bat-to-ball skills and impact are real. Benge hit .273/.420/.436 with two homers in a 15-game pro debut with Low-A St. Lucie.

Best Power Hitter: Georgia 1B Corey Collins (6) had never hit more than 11 home runs in a season before nearly doubling that total as a senior. His 20 bombs finished well off the SEC pace, but he led the circuit with a .574 on-base percentage and slugged .772 to rank fourth. In a small pro sample, Collins’ 90th percentile exit velocity of 108 mph was strong. He hit one home run in nine games for Low-A St. Lucie and will have to mash as a 23-year-old first baseman. 

Fastest Runner: The Mets drafted 13 pitchers in 20 picks and did not emphasize pure speed with their position player draftees. Miami OF Jacoby Long (17) stole 10 bases as a college senior and is a legitimate plus runner who turns in consistent 4.15- to 4.2-second times to first base out of the righthanded batter’s box.

Best Defensive Player: North Carolina State OF Eli Serrano (4) moved from first base as a freshman to center field as a draft-eligible sophomore. The lanky, 6-foot-5 Serrano adapted to the position, but as his body fills out he may shift to a corner. 

Best Fastball: Oklahoma RHP Ryan Lambert (8) topped out at 100 mph with top-end riding life for High-A Brooklyn, where struck out four of 12 batters faced. The Minnesota prep went on to pitch at three colleges in three seasons and struggled to throw strikes out of the bullpen. If Lambert can harness his stuff, he has the potential to move quickly in a one-inning role. 

Best Secondary Pitch: Duke LHP Jonathan Santucci (2) played both ways as a freshman before settling in as a 6-foot-2 power lefthander and Friday night starter. Control inhibited his overall effectiveness in the ACC, but Santucci struck out 35% of batters in college and comes equipped with a mid-80s slider that has at least plus potential. The Mets are excited about the platoon-neutrality of his slider.

Best Pro Debut: 2B Nick Roselli (11) is one of the most accomplished players in Binghamton University history—he hit .349 with a 1.051 OPS in three seasons—and became the program’s highest-drafted position player in 34 years. Roselli has a chance to hit his way to the Mets’ Double-A Binghamton affiliate next season after he hit .309/.433/.436 in 18 games for Low-A St. Lucie in his pro debut. The lefthanded hitter is a Long Island native.

Best Athlete: The Mets went nearly three times over slot to sign Kansas City-area high school shortstop Trey Snyder for $1,322,500 in the fifth round. Snyder was regarded as one of the most athletic players in the 2024 draft, with a chance to hit and stick at shortstop as his 6-foot-1, 197-pound frame matures. He got into four pro games for Low-A St. Lucie as an 18-year-old.

Most Intriguing Background: RHP Tanner Witt (14) was a top 100 draft prospect as a two-way player in 2020 coming out of high school in the Houston area. Undrafted, he made it to campus at Texas and shined as a reliever as a freshman. Expected to lead the Longhorns’ rotation in 2022, Witt instead had Tommy John surgery and missed the better part of two seasons. The Orioles drafted him in the 18th round in 2023, but he didn’t sign and returned for a fourth college season. Witt scuffled through the 2024 season, throwing nine innings, and then signed with the Mets in the 14th round. As if Witt’s history as a two-way player and his trajectory at Texas weren’t interesting enough, he is also the son of Kevin Witt, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick in 1994 who reached the majors for parts of five seasons and then served as a minor league hitting coach.

Closest To The Majors: If everything clicks, Benge may not require much more than a season in the minor leagues before getting an MLB look. He could be reminiscent of Michael Conforto or Drew Gilbert as an athletic, lefthanded-hitting college outfielder with all-around ability. Mets scouting director Kris Gross, in the same role for the Astros, drafted Gilbert, who like Benge worked as a two-way player in college.

Best Day-Three Pick (Or UDFA): Kansas RHP Ethan Lanthier (12) missed bats in the Jayhawks’ bullpen and then made two appearances for Low-A St. Lucie, where he struck out five of 10 batters faced, allowing one walk and one hit. In a brief pro debut, Lanthier sat near 96 mph and topped out near 99. His mid-80s slider and low-90s cutter have swing-and-miss potential.