(New York is one of three teams, along with the Yankees and Dodgers, to have their first-round pick dropped 10 spots because they went over the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax.) The Mets’ second pick is at No. 102.

The draft takes place Sunday (Rounds 1-3, 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network/MLB.com/ESPN) and Monday (Rounds 4-20, 11:30 a.m. ET, MLB.com) as part of All-Star Weekend.

Mason Neville. Photo Credit: The Register Guard

MLB Pipeline

Mason Neville, 21, an outfielder for the University of Oregon, slashed .290/.429/.724 with 26 homers and 57 RBIs in 280 plate appearances for the Ducks this year. He stole nine bases in 14 attempts.

He throws left, hits left and smacked 16 homers and posted a 1.033 OPS for Oregon last year before going 4-for-32 in the Cape Cod League, a league for college prospects. The Reds drafted him out of Basic (Henderson, Nev.) HS in the 18th round in 2022, but he opted to start his college career at Arkansas before moving on to Oregon.

Click here to see MLB Pipeline’s mock draft.

ESPN

Devin Taylor is another 21-year-old outfielder who posted an impressive slash line in college this season. He hit .374/.494/.706 with 18 homers and 66 RBIs in 269 plate appearances for Indiana. He was 12-for-16 stealing bases.

While Taylor is a college player, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel suggests that the Mets may target high school players or “high-variance talent” because they have a lot of depth in the minors now that will be reaching the majors in the next year or so, citing position players Jett Williams, Jacob Reimer, Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford and pitchers Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell and Dom Hamel.

Click here for ESPN’s mock draft.

Baseball America

Tate Southisene is a shortstop and outfielder who starred for Basic (Nevada) High School this year, hitting .495 with nine homers in 129 plate appearances, according to MaxPreps. Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo said that his “athleticism and well-rounded game sounds like it could easily be a fit somewhere in the 30-45 range.”

Southisene is committed to USC, where his older brother Tee is a pitcher. Tee’s twin brother Ty was selected in the fourth round by the Cubs last year. (There is also a younger brother, Troy, who is projected to be in the 2026 draft.)

Click here for Baseball America’s draft. (Subscription necessary)

As this post was scheduled, BA came out with a new Mock Draft. It still has the Mets going for offense with them taking Texas outfielder Max Belyeu. 

The post Mock Drafts Have Mets Going for Offense appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Frankie Montas struggled yet again on Wednesday, making his place in the Mets’ rotation a point of contention. The newly acquired Montas had a line of 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K (80 pitches, 47 strikes) in his sixth rehab start since returning from a high grade lat strain. This outing actually lowered his ERA in rehab starts this season to 13.19 as he has given up eight home runs in 18 2/3 innings. Montas must be called up to the big league squad, assuming he’s healthy, but it could be hard to justify any major role given his struggles.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Atlanta continues to be a house of horrors for the Mets as they were shut out by Chris Sale for 8 2/3 innings while the Braves clinched the series win. The Mets turned mental lapses, defensive errors and a poor start from Paul Blackburn into a 3-0 deficit early on and could never climb back, resulting in their fifth straight loss. Click here for the full game recap.

The Mets will look to salvage the last game of this set as Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.87 ERA) will face Spencer Strider (1-5, 4.35 ERA) at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday night. 

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN released his MLB Mock Draft 2.0 and has the Mets taking LF Devin Taylor from Indiana with their first pick.

Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Brett Baty wasn’t available last night and is not sure if he will need an IL stint.

Latest MLB News

Dodgers owner Mark Walter is buying majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Tampa Bay Rays are in advanced talks to sell the club to a group led by Jacksonville home builder Patrick Zalupski, per Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Parties have signed a letter of intent and the price is roughly $1.7B. Click here for more on the potential purchase.

Former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was named Team Puerto Rico’s manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Franmil Reyes, who is now playing in Japan, is being sued for failing to follow through on his earning stake, per Michael McCann of Sportico. When Reyes was a 21-year-old minor league outfielder, he agreed to a player investment contract where he’d give up 10% of annual earnings in exchange for $302K.

Latest On MMO

Francisco Alvarez continues to struggle.

The Rays are in advanced talks about selling the team.

Tyrone Taylor continues to shine!

On This Date in Mets History

2014: Zack Wheeler throws a three-hit complete game shutout, the first shutout of his career.

2004: Mike Cameron tallies his second walk-off hit in as many days.

1989: Dwight Gooden records his 100th career victory, joining Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman in the exclusive Mets club.

Born on This Date: Logan Verrett (1990), Devin Mesoraco (1988), Jacob deGrom (1988), Collin McHugh (1987), Claudio Vargas (1978), Doug Mientkiewicz (1974), Bob Gibson (1957), Bob Aspromonte (1938), Larry Miller (1937).

The post Morning Briefing: Frankie Montas’ Rehab Struggles Continue appeared first on Metsmerized Online.