In this series leading up to the MLB Draft on July 17, we’ll look back at the backgrounds of some notable Mets picks prior to their arrival in the big leagues. We began with Darryl Strawberry followed with Pete Alonso, and now this week we continue with arguably the second-best pitcher in franchise history who began in complete obscurity. 

The story of Jacob deGrom going from college shortstop to multiple Cy Young Award winner is well-documented, but well worth repeating—proving that any draft pick can change the fortunes of a franchise.

Neither at Stetson University nor with the Mets was it originally believed deGrom would be a starting pitcher. After one appearance on the mound in his sophomore season, he made 12 more in his junior year when he was eventually converted from a closer. He had a 4.48 ERA with two saves in 2010 and 56 strikeouts over 82 1/3 innings.

He still remained an established regular on the infield. He started 64 games over his freshman and sophomore years and handled 110 chances without making a single error as a junior. He also batted .263 with five doubles and nine RBIs. His only collegiate home run remains a landmark moment. It came in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on May 26 against Florida Gulf Coast. The pitcher who gave it up? A left-hander and future All-Star by the name of Chris Sale.

DeGrom’s arm strength, athletic ability, and pitching potential gained notice by major-league scouts, albeit not enough to get him very high on draft boards. In fact, 271 players were chosen in the 2010 MLB Draft before the Mets made their ninth-round selection and took the 6-foot-4, 185-pound DeLand native and signed him for $95,000.

An SB Nation story evaluated the Mets’ choices. On deGrom specifically: “This one looks like an interesting sleeper pick that needs to be tracked closely.”

Twelve years later, among a class that includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Sale, deGrom has the fourth-highest bWAR.

But getting to the major leagues was a tall order. In its 2011 “Prospect Handbook,” Baseball America ranked 15 right-handed starting pitcher prospects in the Mets system. DeGrom was 15th.

The challenge became even greater when after just six professional starts, he was forced to have Tommy John surgery. That put deGrom out for the entire 2011 season.

His ascent to the majors began again in May 2012 with the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League followed shortly after by a stint with the St. Lucie Mets, where he pitched to a 0.997 WHIP with 96 strikeouts over 111 1.3 innings. In 2013, deGrom jumped from Class-A to Triple-A.

In the hitting-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, deGrom fanned 63 in 75 2/3 innings and was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster after the season.

Baseball America now had him 10th in the organization’s prospect ranking prior to 2014, claiming  “He has a ceiling as a No. 4 starter or better.”

With likes of Zach Wheeler, Mets’ 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey, Rafael Montero, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz touted as the foundation for the major league staff, the 25-year-old deGrom was an afterthought. If he were to make it in the bigs, it was likely to be as a reliever. He had served that role for the Mets in his spring training appearances.

Continuing to impress in the PCL over seven starts, he had a 2.58 ERA with 29 K’s and 10 walks. Then in mid-May, deGrom was called up to the majors, as expected, for bullpen help. On May 15 at Citi Field in the Subway Series, he made his Mets debut. Not as a reliever, but as a starter—an emergency fill-in for the injured Dillon Gee.

Before long, the days of obscurity would be over for good.