For the third straight year, the Mets took a high schooler in the first round.
With the No. 19 overall pick, they selected outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong from Harvard-Westlake in California. The slot value is $3.36 million.
Crow-Armstrong hit .515 in 10 games before the season was halted due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Last season, he hit .426 with three home runs and five triples.
He is committed to Vanderbilt, a college baseball power. He has also played on Team USA multiple times.
In the 2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Crow-Armstrong _ batting leadoff _ hit .364 with four doubles and three triples in nine games. He was named the event's All-World Center Fielder for his performance in the field.
Outfield is an organizational need for the Mets, who traded 2018 first-round pick Jarred Kelenic to Seattle in the infamous deal that brought Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York. The Mets, however, do not have any elite outfielders in their farm system.
The Mets have five picks remaining and will use all on Thursday as the draft concludes with rounds 2-5.
Those picks:
No. 52 (second round)
No. 69 (compensatory pick for losing Zack Wheeler in free agency)
No. 91 (third round)
No. 120 (fourth round)
No. 150 (fifth round)
The Mets hope Wednesday's selection continues a positive trend for the organization. Since 2013, its first-round picks have fared well.
Dominic Smith (2013) is now on the big-league roster, and Michael Conforto (2014) is a productive contributor who should receive a nice payday when his contract expires. Justin Dunn (2016) pitched in the bigs for the Mariners last season, while the Mets used Anthony Kay (2016) as a piece to acquire Marcus Stroman last summer.
David Peterson (2017) is one of the organization's top prospects, and could debut sooner than later. Jarred Kelenic (2018), used in a trade that acquired Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, is baseball's No. 11 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
The Mets felt Brett Baty (2019), a prep third baseman, featured the most advanced bat of any high schooler in last year's draft. He's considered to be a top five prospect in the farm system.
