With day 1 of the 2019 MLB Draft over and done with, we can now sit back and take a deep breath, and look at what we have objectively.

While most of the early goings of the first round were about fairly predictable for the first seven picks, the Texas Rangers took us for a spin, and then the whole draft went off from what most mocks expected. Many of our most respected pundits said that tonight could “get weird,” and that it certainly did. If there were a word of the day for today’s draft, it’d be “really?” dutifully exclaimed with a question mark.

Today’s talent pool after the first handful of picks was widely seen as a very shallow body of water with not many good pickings, but some would argue the baseline of the draft has immense talent. While some of the ceilings may not be as high as in years prior, particularly from the top-ranked pitchers, the floors were what dictated placement. Teams went for safe bets today, or at least tried to hedge their bets in places where they thought they could definitely see some sort of return, rather than gamble on a higher ceiling with a dropout floor.

The Mets, however, drafted along the lines of what we consider BPA (best player available). Earlier today, ESPN prospect guru Keith Law, in a chat regarding today’s draft, called the pitching talent “the worst in 18 years he’s worked covering the draft.” Perhaps the Mets agreed with this notion and decided to skip on some of the higher upside arms that were available like Jackson Rutledge, Zack Thompson, or George Kirby.

Enough with the could haves and should haves; lets see how the Mets did today.

First Round: Brett Baty, 3B, Lake Travis HS, Austin

The 6′ 3″ 218 pound third baseman was taken today with the Mets first pick of the draft and 12th overall. While having a commitment to the University of Texas, signing doesn’t seem like it will be much of an issue, as he told Zack Braziller, of the New York Post, that he’s ready to go pro. Baty was absolutely enthralled to have been drafted by the Mets so early on, and set some lofty goals hoping to live up the large shows left vacant by one David Allen Wright, who was the last third baseman taken by the Mets in the first round back in 2001, before Baty was taken yesterday.

Mets vice president of amateur scouing Tommy Tanous had this to say about Baty, “This is a player that we really look for offensively, someone who can control the zone and impact the baseball. So there was a lot to like with him over the last few years.”

Tanous also mentioned that while they believe Baty – played basketball and could’ve been starting quarterback his senior year – has the athleticism to play the outfield but their confident he will stick at third.

One could easily argue that Baty was the best available prep bat in this draft. His swing is recognizably something to admire. Holding a strong backside anchor, and near-perfect balance, he uses his back half to produce what Baseball America referred to as “70-grade raw power.” Baty also has impressive upper body strength to go alongside his swing which helps him produce fantastic bat speeds. According to Perfect Game, Baty’s max acceleration falls within the top 97.55 percentile.

Video Courtesy of 20-80 Baseball

Baty has had a ridiculous season as a high school senior, hitting .615/.736/.1.333 which is heavily weighted by 19 home runs in just 148 plate appearances and 96 at bats. For those keeping up at home, that a home run every 5.05 at bats. Baty has also held an almost unfathomable 44-9 walk-to-strikeout ratio this season.

The concern lies in his glove. Whether or not he stays at third base long-term is going to depend entirely on the amount of effort Baty puts into conditioning and defense. Baty has already shown some improvements, but his trajectory still looks like that of a player destined for either first base or the corner outfield. According to MLB.com, Baty does have a 60-grade arm, so that could play in several different spots.

Baty does turn 20-years-old in November and is one of the oldest prep players in this draft, so that may mean an aggressive placement for Baty. Baty is older than Mets prospects Ronny Mauricio, Shervyen Newton, and Mark Vientos, who are all currently playing in Mets A-Ball affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies. Maybe it’s a stretch to think he ends up there, but it isn’t unreasonable to think he could start his professional career in Brooklyn.

Baty was ranked 15 among Baseball America’s top draft prospects, 17th on MLB.com, and 8th on Fangraphs.

Round Two: Josh Wolf, RHP, St. Thomas H.S., Houston

The Mets decided to pick from the crop where pitchers just seem to grow, the state of Texas. There was no shortage of Texas pitchers on day one. Jackson Rutledge went 17th overall to the Nationals; J.J. Goss went 36th overall to the Tampa Bay rays, and Mathew Thompson went 45th overall to the Chicago White Sox, all three also being Houston-Area products.

Wolf was ranked 54th among draft prospects by Baseball America, 36th by MLB.com, and 60th by Fangraphs. There is some discrepancy as to where Wolf’s ceiling may be. Beyond his ceiling, there are some concerns with his mechanics, as he’s fairly short to the plate, and is mostly arm in producing mid-90’s speed on his fastball that often touches 97. At a glance, one can see where the concerns come from, as he isn’t effective in maximizing his body in his deliver, and is rather straight on his follow through to the plate.

Video Courtesy of Prospect Pipeline

Despite the concerns, Wolf has two very effective pitches in his repertoire: his aforementioned fastball, and a solid curveball with 12-6 break. Wolf also has a change-up that isn’t as effective as his other two pitches, but can cause some swings as misses when it effectively drops out.

Given this already effective repertoire, one can imagine that the Mets will probably waste no time in trying to teach him a slider upon joining the organization, and perhaps refining his change-up, just as they’ve done recently with former Mets prospect Justin Dunn.

Wolf has gotten stronger over the last year, adding about 10 pounds to his previous 6′ 2″ 165 pound frame, and scouts believe that he will put on about another 15 pounds as he continues to fill out.

Wolf currently has a commitment to Texas A&M, but his currently draft slot will likely sway him into going pro.