The experts weren’t the only ones surprised Saturday when the Mets took a chance on University of Arkansas pitcher Carson Wiggins with the 27th pick of the draft.

“Did not see this coming at all,” Wiggins told SNY. “So I think the Mets taking a chance on me is very surreal to me and I’ve wanted this since I was a little kid.”

Wiggins, 21, 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, did not pitch for Arkansas this season after internal brace surgery. But he threw as hard as 102 mph before the procedure and was healthy for the draft combine, where he impressed scouts with his fastball and slider, per David Schoenfield of ESPN. Check out an article by Robert Colonna of MMO here, which includes an in-depth review of Wiggins’ four-pitch arsenal.

Wiggins pitched 14 relief innings for Arkansas in 2025, allowing six runs (five earned) for a 3.21 ERA. He struck out 20, walked nine and hit a batter. His 23-year-old brother, Jaxon, who is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2023 draft out of Arkansas. Jaxon Wiggins is the Cubs’ top pitching prospect and the No. 90 MLB prospect overall on MLB Pipeline.

Carson Wiggins.

Keith Law of The Athletic, a Blue Jays front office executive from 2002-2006, labeled Carson Wiggins the “most interesting” pick of the first round.

“I don’t know if I think it’s a good pick, as I had Wiggins at No. 72 on my board, and if he’s only a reliever that’s not an ideal use of a first-round pick, but it is definitely interesting.” Law wrote. He said because Wiggins hasn’t pitched this year, he could be ready to go as soon as he signs, which is unusual for a pitcher selected out of college. He said the Mets could even throw him straight into the fire at the major-league level.

Schoenfield of ESPN, who had Wiggins at No. 90 on his board, wrote: “There’s a lot of unknown here and reliever risk, but the stuff makes him an intriguing selection.”

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo wrote: “This one is super interesting. When healthy, Wiggins arguably has the best fastball in the class, averaging 98.7 mph with late hop and carry.”

The Mets’ next pick was in the third round at No. 92, where they took Aiden Robbins, a 21-year-old outfielder out of the University of Texas who also played two seasons at Seton Hall. Ironically, there was some pre-draft talk of the Mets taking Robbins with their first-round pick.

Robbins slashed .333/.426/.696 (1.122 OPS) with 24 home runs and 64 RBIs in 60 games for the Longhorns this year. He stole 12 bases in 13 attempts. He worked 39 walks and struck out 65 times in 284 plate appearances. He bats and throw right and is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.

For a lot more on Robbins, MMO’s Rafael González has you covered here.

Shane Sdao.

In the fourth round, the Mets took pitcher Shane Sdao from Texas A&M University. The 22-year-old lefty had a tough year with the Aggies, pitching to a 7.03 ERA over 71 2/3 innings and coughing up 16 homers. He struck out 83 and walked 21. Sdao missed 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery and scouts believe he will improve with time. Chris Bello of MMO has more on Sdao here.