The New York Mets were one of the teams under the spotlight in Day 2 of the 2023 MLB Draft for having a good amount of picks in between Rounds 3-5.

Out of the 11 picks that the Mets made, seven of them were pitchers, including their third-round pick in Nolan McLean, who was selected as a two-way player.  The Mets also grabbed two young shortstops in A.J. Ewing and Boston Bora and then finished off the day with college hitters that had big seasons in 2023.

Mets Grab a Two-Way Player

Of course, the most intriguing pick of Day 2 is McLean. The Oklahoma State two-way player did cut down his strikeout rate drastically from 2022 (107 in 64 games) to 2023 (57 in 43 games). However, the power numbers came down from 19 home runs in ’22 to 9 this year. The 21-year-old hit .270/.396/.561 with 36 home runs in 616 plate appearances over three seasons.

Nolan McLean, Photo by Nathan J. Fisher of The Oklahoman

On the mound this season, he made three starts, but one of his better appearances of the year came on March 24 against Baylor when he threw four scoreless innings out of the bullpen (seven strikeouts, two walks). It will be interesting to see the plan the Mets have for him to begin his professional career. The former quarterback has a fastball that gets up to 98 mph. He mixes in a slider that has flashed plus, and a curveball and changeup as well.

Lots of Pitching

Kade Morris was the Mets’ other third-round pick (101st overall) out of Nevada. The 21-year-old was taken with the compensation pick the Mets received for not signing pitcher Brandon Sproat last year. Of course, they decided to draft Sproat in the second round this year.

According to MLB.com, Morris’s best pitch is his changeup to go with a curveball he is working on and he does have a repeatable delivery, which is a good thing to start your professional career with.

“His changeup might be his best pitch, sold with good arm speed. With a quick and easy arm, Morris has a delivery he repeats well, which makes for consistent strike-throwing.”

Morris mentioned to Shannon Kelly of Nevada SportsNet that despite a 5.42 ERA at Nevada last year, he hoped that scouts looked beyond the stats and see the improvements he is making.

“What happens in the game, and results, it is what it is, but the way I go about my work, and how I build off each outing and what I see at each outing. I just want to take that into the next week and build off that, so I hope the work and skill talks for itself.”

Wyatt Hudepohl was the Mets’ selection with pick 123 out of Charlotte. Back on March 10 against Old Dominion, the six-foot-four right-hander struck out 17 batters in a complete game win. The 21-year-old actually threw over 110 pitches on four different occasions this year, and he logged over 105 innings (129 strikeouts).

After that start, his coach, Robert Woodard, told Sam Perry of The Niner Times how much hard work Hudepohl puts in and how it stands out on a daily basis, especially on that night when he broke the Conference USA record for most strikeouts in a game.

“I’m a little bit of a loss for words. I’ve been coaching for 13 years, and that’s the most strikeouts I’ve ever witnessed as a coach,” said Woodard. “It could not have come to a better guy or a harder worker. He’s been the hardest worker on our pitching staff since he got here. That’s quite the statement because our entire pitching staff works very hard, but he’s really stood out amongst the rest—in his work ethic, motor and consistency day-to-day.”

With pick 135 as compensation for Chris Bassitt signing with the Blue Jays in the offseason, the Mets went with Missouri right-hander Austin Troesser. Troesser was a walk-on at Missouri and the reliever had 53 strikeouts to 17 walks over the course of 45 2/3 innings. According to Will Hoefer of Prospects Live, his fastball does have movement and velocity in the mid-90s, but he has some work to do with his offspeed pitches. Against Tennessee on March 19, he allowed one run on no hits and struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings.

The only pitcher they selected who is left-handed is Grand Canyon southpaw Zach Thornton, who they selected in the fifth round (159th overall).

Thornton was the third player from Grand Canyon to be drafted so far, joining Jacob Wilson (6th overall by the A’s) and Homer Bush Jr. (128th overall by the Padres). The Mets also drafted LHP Eli Ankeney in the 20th Round a year ago from Grand Canyon, so they are familiar with the Antelopes program.

According to Taylor Blake Ward from The Sporting Tribune, the 21-year-old Thornton does not have a lot of velocity on his fastball, but the six-foot-three southpaw can show good location, as evidenced by the 18 walks he had to go with 88 strikeouts (91 innings).

In addition to pitching in college, Thornton has also been in the MLB Draft League each of the last two years. While he only appeared in four games, it gave him some more experience against a different level of competition. He talked about that on MLB Central back in June during the MLB Combine.

Jack Wenninger was the Mets choice in the sixth round out of Illinois. He did not get the chance to face Lorusso this year. However, he threw over 100 pitches in four different starts for the Illini. Against Ohio State on April 29, he threw a complete game one-hitter and struck out seven.

New York did draft Nate Lavender in Round 14 in 2021 out of Illinois, so again, the Mets go with a school that they have scouted in recent years. Back in May, Wenninger was named the Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Pitcher of the Week due to the Ohio State performance. He did make three appearances in the MLB Draft League for Williamsport (4.91 ERA).

Noah Hall was selected in the seventh round out of South Carolina. The 22-year olds 2023 season ended up being cut short due to a back injury. With that being said, Michael Lalanna from The State says that the right-hander has a very strong changeup and it can be a key putaway pitch, which will only help him at the lower levels.

“Hall has a fastball that ranges 90-94 mph, but his changeup is by far his best pitch, with a spin rate comparable to big league changeups. Using it against both lefties and righties, Hall can command his changeup for strikes and also bury below the zone as a strikeout pitch.”

Prep Shortstops Lead Position Players 

If we look at some of the position players, the Mets went with a pair of shortstops on Day 2. They took 18-year-old A.J. Ewing out of Springboro High School in Ohio (pick 134) and 18-year-old Boston Baro out of Capistrano Valley High School (California) as they continued their trend of taking prep school shortstops after picking Colin Houck with their first selection Sunday.

Ewing comes with a lot of fanfare, as he was ranked by Perfect Game as the third-best prospect in Ohio. He has a commitment to Alabama, but if he decides to go pro, he has a strong hit tool, according to Future Stars Series, who had him ranked as the 133rd-best player in the class.

“Ewing has a sweet, violent swing from the left side, and has added some muscle that’s helped him drive balls around the yard. He’s a capable up-the-middle defender with enough bounce and arm strength to play at shortstop. He’s also an advanced bat speed guy that’s performed against higher levels of competition.”

As for Baro, the UCLA commit is more known for his offense than his defense. He told Baseball Prospect Journal back in March that his goal is to put the ball in play and limit the strikeouts when he is at the plate. Baro was ranked 98th by Baseball America coming into the draft.

“I’m always putting the ball in play and rarely striking out,” Baro said. “I also can hit foul pole to foul pole line drives. I can showcase some power when I get that good pitch to hit.”

The other two position players were Maryland third baseman Nick Lorusso (Round 9) and Stetson catcher Christian Pregent (Round 10). Both are 22 years old and were born in New York. This past season, Lorusso was an RBI machine for the Terps as he drove in 105 runs (26 home runs) in 61 games. He became the first player in Division I to drive in over 100 runs since 2003.

Meanwhile, Pregent is a catcher known for his defense, but the Hatters captain showed off some power this year as he hit 12 home runs in 51 games. His coach, Steve Trimper, talked about the changes he made to his swing to Chris Vinel in the Daytona Beach News Journal.

“What happened with him is, he really worked hard with our coaching staff, especially (assistant coach Shane Gierke), and really changed around his swing a little bit and added a lot of power and really added in all kinds of capabilities. The defensive tool was always there. Now, the offensive tool is there.”

The Mets will wrap up their 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday with Day 3 (Rounds 11-20). What late-round gems will the organization be able to find? We shall wait and see.