Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG
For a second straight year, the New York Mets’ draft strategy was to infuse their system with high-end, high-impact talent that included taking risks on players with signability questions.
And while teams prioritize talent over need, the Mets were able to add two exciting players within their first three picks of the 2020 MLB Draft that fills a major void in their system: high-upside outfielders.
With their first pick (19th overall), the Mets selected Pete Crow-Armstrong, an outfielder from Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles. That’s the same high school that has seen a trio of starting pitchers get drafted in the first round in recent years in Max Fried (2012), Lucas Giolito (2012), and Jack Flaherty (2014).
After drafting Mississippi State right-hander J.T. Ginn with the 52nd overall pick in the second round, the Mets selected another outfielder with the compensatory pick they received when Zack Wheeler signed with the Phillies last offseason in Isaiah Greene, a California prep outfielder.
Greene, 18, is a speedy, left-handed hitter who can impact a game with his speed both on defense and on the basepaths and is generally lauded for his great contact-oriented approach at the plate.
Tommy Tanous, the Mets’ vice president of amateur scouting, summed up what the club felt about their selection of Greene with the 69th overall pick: “He does NOT belong where we took him.”
Greene grew up idolizing Ken Griffey Jr., mainly watching YouTube clips of the Hall of Fame centerfielder as Greene was born in 2001 when Junior was already in his 13th big league season.
His father and older brother, Elijah, introduced Greene to the game of baseball, as Greene looked up to his brother on the diamond.
“I used to always watch my brother play when he was younger, and I always just followed in his footsteps,” Greene said.
The first sport Greene played as a youth was soccer, though he admits that was just so he could get out of the house. Greene played basketball for one year as well, but baseball soon became his passion.
One of Greene’s best tools is his speed. His 6.48-second 60-yard dash time ranked in the 99th percentile among potential 2020 draftees recorded by Perfect Game. Speed has been an element of Greene’s game that he’s worked on at a high-end level since he was 14-years-old.
He started working with a personal trainer, Kyle Hatton, at former NFL running back Toby Gerhart’s house.
“It first started off with my brother and cousin working out there, and then I started to go along with them. And ever since then that’s when I started working out and just running with him on treadmills either once or twice a week.”
Greene attended Corona High School in California, where he thrived as a sophomore, slashing .389/.494/.597 in 89 plate appearances, while a perfect nine-for-nine in stolen base attempts. His batting average and on-base percentage took a dip in his junior season in 2019, with his batting average falling 62 points (.327) and his OBP 103 points (.391).
Greene bounced back during the Area Code Games that summer, posting a slash line of .429/.438/.714, which impressed scouts.
What aided Greene in his summer turnaround? Hunting the fastball.
“I just focused on fastballs and being ready to hit those,” Greene said. “At showcases like that, that’s pretty much all they’re going to throw to just light up the radar guns.”
Greene realizes what that summer showcase did for his value heading into his senior season and the 2020 Draft.
“It was very important for me because honestly, I didn’t have that big of a name before that. Once I did good there that’s when my name started blowing up.”
Following his strong performance in the Area Code Games, Greene once again stood out as part of a scout team that played against USA Baseball’s 18-and-under team, which Crow-Armstrong was on. Greene’s performance against top competition over the summer and fall helped boost his draft stock back up.
Greene played in only five games in his senior year of high school before COVID-19 prevented the speedy outfielder from building off his rising stature. With his season cancelled, Greene continued to train and utilized the opportunities he had around him.
“Lucky for me, I have a batting cage in my backyard. I usually hit back there with my dad pretty much every day,” Greene said. “Then on the weekends I have a key to the baseball field to my high school, so I’d go hit on the field on the weekends. I have a workout place called Winner Circle and I’m there four times a week.”
As the Draft approached, Greene was excited, yet nervous about what to expect. He knew the Mets had interest but felt a sense of relief with his family and some friends by his side once he finally heard his name called on the second day of the Draft.
“It was stressful a little bit because you never know where you’re going to end up, but once I finally heard my name called it was like a weight off my shoulder.”
With no Minor League Baseball season this year, organizations are holding their players responsible for staying in shape and performing baseball activities without the watchful eye of coaches and instructors around.
“All they want me to do pretty much is send them videos of me hitting and all that,” Greene said about what the Mets have asked him to do to stay fit. “That’s pretty much all they want me to do.”
At six-foot-one and 180 pounds, Greene already has an athletic build with room to add muscle to increase his power production. That’s a specific area of focus for Greene, who did hit four home runs in his junior season after not hitting any during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
The Mets signed Greene for $850,000, an under slot deal which ended up saving the Mets around $80,000 (the slot value for the pick was $929,800). Greene had been committed to the University of Missouri but decided the time was right to go pro.
“Playing in the SEC was my dream, so it was kind of hard for me to turn it down,” Greene said. “But honestly, playing pro ball was also my dream. So once I saw everything was right and everything was right for me and my family, that’s when I made the decision to go sign my contract.”
The California native is excited to embark on his professional career and is eager to visit the Big Apple for the very first time. As a kid, the only part of New York Greene visited was Cooperstown, though when asked what he’s most looking forward to seeing in New York, Greene’s a young man that knows what he wants.
“I just want to play in the Big Apple.”
Follow Isaiah Greene on Twitter: @Isaiah24greene
