Photo by Ed Delany, MMO
No. 10 Josh Wolf, RHP
B/T: R/R Age: 19 (9/1/2000)
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 170 lbs
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft
ETA: 2023 Previous Rank: 9
2019 Stats: 3.38 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 1.13 BB/9, 13.50 K/9, 0.88 FIP
The 2019 draft class for the Mets was one that got them high marks for their early-round picks, particularly them getting a first-round talent Matthew Allan in the third round. Given that, it seems to have lead to second-rounder Josh Wolf to be somewhat overlooked. While Wolf may not be the big-body starter that is customary of early-round picks, his overall game led to him being a high-upside pick.
Coming out of St. Thomas High School in Houston Texas, Wolf drew some attention to himself as a junior averaging 89-92 with his fastball in showcases and a heavy breaking curveball.
Baseball Savant notes that Wolf dropped his arm slot from high three-quarters to three-quarters. This change led to him improving his average fastball velocity to mid-90s, and often hitting 97. His fastball has arm-side run against opposite-handed hitters, and his curveball has solid break while traveling 79-83, changing both speeds and look on hitters with these two noted plus pitches. Wolf also has a changeup that has an average projection, with some upwards potential.
Wolf didn’t just increase his average velocity, he also improved his ability to consistently throw strikes. In-turn, the Mets decided to draft Wolf in the second round (53rd overall), and go over slot from the $1,370,400 slot value, to a $2.15 million dollar signing bonus.
Wolf has drawn comparisons to Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, particularly from the Mets’ Director of Amateur Scouting, Marc Tramuta. Tramuta told Baseball America that both pitchers are “very athletic, and very twitchy and loose” […] “he kind of reminded of me of how I saw Buehler in high school.” Wolf and Buehler were both 6′ 2″ with similar light frames, and quick arm motions. Wolf could potentially learn how to adjust his delivery to add the sort of torque that Buehler learned to add on, and it wouldn’t be a far stretch of the imagination.
Wolf had a superb senior year at St. Thomas High School holding a 1.52 ERA with 126 strikeouts in a very nice 69 innings (16.4 K/9). Wolf also maintained his excellence throughout the playoffs, opening the run for the Eagles with an 11-strike out no-hitter against Austin St. Dominic Savio. Even followed that performance with a two-hit shutout of Concordia Lutheran.
Assigned to the Gulf Coast League Mets, Wolf continued to show his stuff pitching scoreless outings in four out of five appearances. His one blemish was a four-run (three earned) one-inning outing against the GCL Astros. Pitching just eight innings, he held a 12:1 K:BB ratio. One walk over five appearances, a nice showcase of his control.
Wolf is likely to open the season with the Class A Columbia Fireflies. The test will be in having longer outings with tougher talent. The Mets have customarily worked within strict parameters with their young pitchers, so expect Wolf to be on a strict innings limit in 2020.
Drawing some concerns that his frame and mechanics will not allow him to be a starter in the long-term, Wolf will have a tough road ahead of him to show that he is a proper starter, and will pitch to that upside. We will be looking for how his third pitch develops, and how he changes looks deeper into games. We’ll also be keeping an eye out for mechanical changes, as well as how he maintains his velocity throughout the season.
Having such great disparity between one’s floor and ceiling can lead to many disagreeing on what the realistic expectation can be for a player. The Mets scouting department bet on the ceiling with Wolf, and we’ll be watching enthusiastically.
Previous Rankings
12 Franklyn Kilome – RHP
13 Jordan Humphreys – RHP
14 Junior Santos – RHP
16 Freddy Valdez – OF
17 Adrian Hernandez – CF
18 Dedniel Nunez – RHP
19 Alexander Ramirez – OF
20 Ali Sanchez – C
