J.T. Ginn Impresses Mets With Stuff, Makeup

In evaluating J.T. Ginn for this year’s draft, the Mets looked beyond the Mississippi State sophomore’s raw talent.

Area scout Jet Butler had known Ginn since the righthander was in high school, and two players in the Mets organization, Jake Mangum and Cole Gordon, were solicited for opinions.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Ginn’s competitive nature stood out, along with his plus fastball and breaking ball. It led to the Mets drafting Ginn, an eligible sophomore, in the second round with the 52nd overall pick. Ginn was drafted by the Dodgers out of high school as the 30th overall pick in 2018 but went unsigned.

“We felt like J.T. is an extremely tough kid with high confidence and a competitive edge,” scouting director Marc Tramuta said. “I think we have targeted that type of player makeup over the last several drafts.”

Ginn, who signed to an over-slot $2.9 million bonus, had Tommy John surgery this spring. The Mets for a second straight year took a riskier route early in the draft, selecting players who had leverage in negotiations and in the later rounds targeting lower-rated players willing to accept under-slot deals.

Last year that tactic helped the Mets sign high school righthander Matt Allan in the third round. Allan, Ginn and last year’s second-rounder Josh Wolf form the nucleus of the organization’s young starting pitcher corps.

“Our player development staff is very excited about Allan and Wolf, and then with the addition of Ginn, we feel like we have added three potential power arms to our system,” Tramuta said.

In the absence of a minor league season, Ginn isn’t missing much by rehabbing from Tommy John surgery into next year. In addition to a high-90s fastball, Ginn throws a sharp breaking ball.

“We felt comfortable in selecting him due to his current pitch weapons and metrics,” Tramuta said. “And his plus makeup helping him complete the makeup that comes with the Tommy John surgery.”

 

 

 

NEW YORK MINUTES

— Catcher Ali Sanchez has veteran depth ahead of him in the organization, but the 23-year-old’s defensive skills kept him in the conversation late into summer camp as a potential backup to Wilson Ramos and Tomas Nido. The Mets also had veteran Rene Rivera and signed free agent Bruce Maxwell.

— Righthander Franklyn Kilome was among the Mets’ bright spots in summer camp. After missing last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Kilome was added to the team’s 30-man roster as a reliever and made his major league debut on Aug. 1.