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00:00This is Straight Outta Flushing, brought to you by your local Ford stores.
00:04Ford F-150 is the official truck of the New York Mets.
00:09Welcome back to Straight Outta Flushing. It's your boy Dexter Henry.
00:12We have a special episode today.
00:14You can see all the way to my left is my guy Tyler Ward, a.k.a. Wardy.
00:19And in the middle, joining us, Joe DiMaio of the Mets Pod from S&Y with us now.
00:26And why Joe is here, Joe knows why he's here, it's because we're going to talk about what the Mets
00:30did at the 2026 MLB Draft.
00:33Joe, how are you doing?
00:36I'm doing great, Dex. Appreciate you guys having me.
00:38Oh, man, it's good. Wardy, how are you doing?
00:40You don't look as sunburned as you did last weekend.
00:43So after last week, you're doing a lot better.
00:44Yeah, I know. We'll have to change that sometime soon, right, Dex?
00:47Maybe during the little All-Star break going on.
00:49I'm doing great. You know, this is a couple hours removed before I head to Philly for the All-Star
00:54break.
00:54So it will be really entertaining to see how the home run derby and the All-Star game go over
00:57the next day or two.
00:58But the MLB Draft just happened, and it's always a fun time of year.
01:02And I feel like a lot of times with the draft as well, unless you're like really a prospects buff
01:07like Joe is and some others in the community,
01:08it really kind of gets brushed under the rug.
01:10You know, the MLB Draft isn't as, you know, much of a spectacle versus other major sports here in the
01:16U.S.
01:16So I like the layout that they did, and I really am excited to deep dive all that transpired in
01:21this one
01:21because I think out of all the negatives that have been happening for Mets fans this year,
01:25this is yet another positive, which is a good thing because there haven't been too many, I would say, to
01:29this point.
01:30Did you just say a positive for the Mets, Wardy?
01:32I know, Dex. I know. You might need to clear out your ears right now.
01:35I haven't heard – Joe and I were talking before we started recording.
01:37We were talking some positive things, but I haven't heard positive with the Mets in quite some time.
01:42But here we are. Joe, before we get into this with the draft, Wardy kind of just brought that up.
01:47The MLB Draft is different to others. It's not the NFL. It's not the NBA.
01:52It doesn't have all the fanfare around it.
01:54How do you feel about the MLB Draft and the way it's presented? Do you enjoy it?
01:58I know you're somebody who's very deep in the weeds on this stuff with prospects,
02:01but do you enjoy the MLB Draft and the way we are seeing it presented to fans?
02:06It's one of my favorite things. I've been into the MLB Draft since –
02:10the first draft that I remember really, really caring about was when the Mets took Phil Umber in the top
02:16three.
02:17That was 2004?
02:19Yeah.
02:192003 or 2004. I can't remember. One of those two.
02:21And I'll tell you, it's getting better in some ways and worse in some ways.
02:28Like, I think it's getting better that they're increasing the popularity of it
02:33and the event is becoming a bigger thing.
02:35It was on NBC broadcast television this year, at least only the first ten picks,
02:40but at least it was something.
02:41But this year, you have to switch between NBC and Peacock and MLB.com.
02:49They made it kind of difficult for fans to follow and be able to keep watching it,
02:54but I think it's getting better and better.
02:57And they need to improve, I think, the TV product of it.
03:00Not anything about, like, the people that are on talking about it because they're all fantastic.
03:04But the way they present it, I think, is a little more complicated for fans to be able to keep
03:10up with,
03:10how do I watch this thing?
03:12And this year was a little more confusing than ever.
03:15But all in all, the MLB Draft is one of my favorite things.
03:17I obviously cover prospects for SNY, so I love seeing these guys that,
03:22from the day they're drafted, following their journey all the way through the minors to the majors,
03:27like Zach Thornton.
03:28I remember when the Mets drafted him in the fifth round out of Grand Canyon University,
03:32pitchability lefty, throws a bunch of strikes, and now here he's at the Mets
03:36and threw a fantastic game on Sunday.
03:39Didn't get the win, thanks to some defense and such behind him.
03:44But, you know, that's what this is all about, is these kids getting an opportunity.
03:51And, you know, a lot of people will get after it where it's, oh, with the draft,
03:56these guys are years away.
03:57And in some cases, that's obviously the case.
04:00And in some others, it's not.
04:02Carson Benj only had one minor league season before he made his major league debut.
04:06So I think you're seeing, especially college players, move at a quicker pace than ever before.
04:12I'm glad you brought up that point, because I always feel like that's kind of the disconnect for some fans.
04:16They think sometimes they won't see these guys as soon.
04:20Right, Joe?
04:20They think that won't be that.
04:21But when you look at this draft for the Mets and what they did, 12 pitchers, 7 position players,
04:28what does it tell you about the type of organization that the Mets are trying to be
04:32or trying to become through the draft?
04:36The Mets, organizationally, from the player development standpoint, are a pitching-first team.
04:42And I know that if you look down at the minors, Jonah Tong took a step back.
04:46Jack Wenninger hasn't taken the step forward that I think the Mets thought that he would.
04:50A guy like Jonathan Santucci is taking that step forward.
04:53But I think there's a misconception out there now that the Mets' player development is an issue
04:59because they're having a down year in 2026.
05:02But I would just say, look at the big league rotation right now.
05:06Nolan McClain is a product of this player development system.
05:09Zach Thorne, who we just talked about, a product of this player development system.
05:12Christian Scott, an example of this player development system.
05:15And on the pitching side, headed by Eric Jaegers, they're still considered to be
05:20one of the best pitching development organizations in the sport.
05:24I think it's just been a weird year on the minor league side.
05:28And I think going heavy on pitchers, which we'll talk about some of them as we go through this show,
05:33I think going heavy on pitchers just plays to what the organizational strength is.
05:38Wardy, we've talked about this a lot this season.
05:42Where are you on what the Mets did in this draft?
05:44And what did I tell you, personally, as a fan, about where you think they are trying to go forward?
05:49Are you positive with what they did here in the draft?
05:52Or are you kind of like, eh, I've got to wait and see?
05:55Yeah, I mean, you always have to wait and see to a degree when it comes to draft results
05:58because unless it's kind of like a Carson Bench product where he makes his major league debut,
06:03you know, two years after being drafted, a lot of these guys, we're not going to see them for a
06:07little bit.
06:07But just on paper, from what we saw, I thought the Mets had a really strong draft.
06:11I know Joe can attest to this, that we'll get into, especially being as pitcher-heavy as they were
06:15because the Mets have been operating more in a pitcher-heavy fashion for the past couple of years,
06:19especially under Stearns and with Chris Gross there and VP of Scouting.
06:23But especially when we look at, as Joe was emphasizing, the difference over the past calendar year.
06:27You know, last year, the Mets had so many high-risers in the minor leagues on the pitching front
06:31that were, you know, scratching the surface of the major league level
06:34with Noah McLean being the biggest standout of them all.
06:36You know, we fast-forward this year.
06:37He talked about Jonathan Santucci.
06:39I actually thought, heading into the season, that Santucci had a greater opportunity
06:42to be that next lefty up in this rotation.
06:45Lo and behold, it's Zach Thornton coming out off of a season where he was injured since last June,
06:49and he's just been absolutely dominant for the most part.
06:51You know, you look at who has been able to take that next step,
06:55everyone in the rotation versus who maybe is kind of teetering
06:57or taking a step back in the minor leagues.
07:00The Mets haven't had a lot of things go right in player development this year,
07:03but it doesn't mean it's going to stay that way
07:05as we move forward for the second half or into next year.
07:08But emphasis on pitching is needed.
07:10The Mets can never have enough pitching,
07:11and it feels like every single time we have this conversation of,
07:14oh, the Mets are actually in a comfortable spot where they're pitching,
07:16whether it's their farm or their actual organization at the MLB level,
07:21that's never the case.
07:22So more pitchers, the merrier, and we know when it comes to position players,
07:26if the Mets can't properly player develop them,
07:29then we know that they're going to at least attempt to buy them.
07:31So I think pitching is really a great thing that the Mets were able to lean into,
07:35as has been the case for them over the past couple years.
07:37So we talked about the numbers with the pitching, right?
07:39Twelve pitchers selected here in this draft,
07:41and we've got to start with the first pick that they had in this draft,
07:44and that was taking Carson Wiggins.
07:46Now, Joe, this looks like a very interesting prospect.
07:51102 on the gun is what this guy can hit.
07:54Didn't have that many competitive innings above high school,
07:57so the Mets really seem like they're betting on the fact that,
08:01look, we like his stuff, we like his upside.
08:03He did have an injury, did deal with surgery, Tommy John surgery,
08:08but do you look at this move as a home run swing,
08:12to keep a baseball term here for the Mets, Joe,
08:15or did they just simply say, hey, we really like this guy's projection
08:21and where we think he can go with the 27th pick?
08:23What did you make of the move of drafting Carson Wiggins?
08:27Maybe both of those things, and I wrote about Carson Wiggins
08:31that you could read at SNY.TV,
08:33and I actually called it a home run swing of a pick,
08:35so I have to be consistent.
08:37I think it's a home run swing of a pick,
08:39and as you mentioned, from a pure stuff standpoint,
08:42Carson Wiggins has as good stuff as anybody in his entire draft class.
08:46It's an elite fastball that will average 99 miles an hour,
08:49as you mentioned, touch 102.
08:51He had a wipeout slider in the mid to upper 80s
08:54that got a 74% swing and miss rate on in college.
08:59Curveball, he shows the ability to really spin it.
09:02It's a little inconsistent, but he's got the natural feel to spin it,
09:05and a changeup is a pitch that he hardly threw and kind of lags behind.
09:10As you mentioned, just 14 innings at Arkansas
09:13underwent Tommy John surgery with the internal brace,
09:17but he is fully healthy right now.
09:20He threw at the MLB Draft Combine last month,
09:23and he wasn't going full bore really in that bullpen session,
09:27but he was up to 97 miles an hour,
09:29and he said in his post-draft availability
09:31that he is ready to pitch right now, rehab's over.
09:35He would get on a mound tomorrow if the Mets wanted him to.
09:38So I think they're drafting a healthy player.
09:40There's obviously some risk given the injury.
09:43Control and command are certainly things that need to take a step forward
09:47if he is to fulfill what is his ultimate potential,
09:50as Chris Gross, who already astutely pointed out earlier,
09:54the VP of Amateur and International Scouting.
09:56He said he could be a frontline starter, and I agree,
10:00but there is that high risk that he could end up a reliever
10:03if the control and command can't get to the level that you need it to be
10:08to sustain as a starter.
10:10So that in itself makes it a home run swing
10:13because you take a big swing, you might hit a fly ball to left field,
10:17or you might hit 450 feet to dead center.
10:21Wardy, do you like the team taking a swing here?
10:23I know some people are different when it comes to drafts in all sports.
10:27Some people may say, ah, I'd rather you go with safe pick with your first pick.
10:30Do you like that the Mets made, to take Joe's term again,
10:33a home run swing here with their first pick in the 2026 MLB draft?
10:39I think what the Mets were able to do following that first pick
10:42is what makes me like this pick so much more, transparently.
10:45Because when we look at the slot bonus for him, he was right around,
10:47I believe, close to $3.5 million, and the Mets got him around two.
10:50So the Mets were able to get him at an appropriate value
10:53as well as bringing someone who, as Joe alluded to, has the pure stuff.
10:57You're not looking at the innings with someone like this.
10:59You know, I understand, even going back to my younger self,
11:02you know, not being as versed with the draft and, you know,
11:04the buildup and kind of what you're looking for in young, talented players.
11:07It's not nearly as much necessarily about the amount of actual playing time
11:12they had, especially in the case of a pitcher, as it is the stuff.
11:14Like, all you need to know is that if you have your entire pitching department
11:17like advocating for this guy in the draft, then clearly there's a reason for it,
11:20as is the case with every other team in Major League Baseball, right?
11:23So knowing that he touches north of 102 and was sitting right around,
11:26you know, getting to 97, most recently coming off of injury.
11:30I also like the fact that the Mets actually are bringing in someone
11:32that just came off of a season-long injury because, you know,
11:35it's better for that to happen then than potentially for it to happen now.
11:38Now that it can't, not that it can't happen moving forward,
11:40we've seen guys, of course, get, you know, Tommy John twice or three times
11:44over like a DeGrom, for example.
11:45But it just feels like there might be a slight less likelihood of that happening.
11:48And if he can kind of take this by storm right away from the Mets
11:52and we see him on the mound sooner than later,
11:53then that's going to be a great thing for them.
11:55So to be determined exactly what the Mets are getting him,
11:58but absolute gas, I'm never complaining.
12:00I'm always complaining about a lot of things with the Mets,
12:03including not having proper flamethrowers.
12:05So I hope that this is a step in the right direction,
12:07both from the right side and then as we get into a little bit later,
12:10maybe some guys they brought in there throwing from the left side.
12:12Yeah, no, we're going to definitely get into that.
12:14I think his potential could be really good here.
12:16I was looking at some of the video too,
12:18and even the session that he had at the draft combine.
12:21And yes, you're right, Joe, he wasn't going full board,
12:23but you could see the stuff was there.
12:25His mechanics looked pretty good.
12:27So hopefully the development, he stays healthy.
12:29We got to all knock on wood for that.
12:31Hopefully he stays healthy.
12:32That'll be fine.
12:32Now the Mets with their next pick, Aiden Robbins.
12:36Very interesting for me, guys,
12:38because MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the number 29 prospect in the class.
12:43The Mets, they get him at 92, right?
12:46So, Joe, when you look at this move, the Mets get him at 92.
12:50Was that the best value that they could have gotten?
12:53Did they get him at great value considering how highly ranked he was
12:56and then they get him at 92?
12:57Did you look at this as a good value pick for the Mets?
13:00I thought it was the best value pick that they had in the draft.
13:02And you mentioned the public rankings.
13:05That's been a big piece of discourse over the last couple of days
13:10because MLB Pipeline said Carson Wiggins was the 88th best player in the class
13:15and Baseball America said he was the 109th best player,
13:18but they both had Aiden Robbins inside the top 30.
13:22So if Mets fans, if you want to just feel better about yourself,
13:25just pretend they took Aiden Robbins.
13:27Just pretend they took Aiden Robbins first and they took Carson Wiggins second
13:31and they just got perfect value.
13:33And when it comes to Wiggins, I'll talk about Robbins here.
13:36But when it comes to Wiggins, something that I want to point out,
13:39I spoke to scouts after the draft or after the first day.
13:43And, like, were you surprised that Wiggins was the pick at 27?
13:46And these are scouts not with the Mets organization.
13:48They were like, eh, not really.
13:51And I was like, well, he was ranked much lower on some of these public things.
13:54And the public rankings don't always line up with what the actual industry believes.
13:59I was told across the board this was a guy that was going to go in the top 40 to
14:0350 picks
14:04because, as one scout told me, 102 with a wipeout slider don't grow on trees.
14:09So this wasn't a guy that was going to last to the third round.
14:13Aiden Robbins, the Mets felt fortunate that he did.
14:16He was a guy that was in the conversation, I would say,
14:19for their first-round pick at number 27.
14:22But they obviously go with Wiggins and Robbins at 92.
14:27This is a unique player that his college career is almost a tale of two separate players entirely.
14:34His first two years, he was at Seton Hall.
14:37He was a hit-over-power guy.
14:39Only hit 12 home runs combined in his two years at Seton Hall.
14:44Hit 422 as a sophomore.
14:47More so just a pure hit guy.
14:49And then he goes to the Cape Cod League, which is with a wood bat,
14:53which is one of the biggest indicators for scouts.
14:56Can a guy hit with wood?
14:57Because obviously the huge difference between aluminum and wood bats.
15:00He leads the Cape Cod League in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.
15:05Transfers to Texas, one of the biggest schools,
15:07in the biggest conference in college baseball in the SEC.
15:10And becomes a power-over-hit guy.
15:13Hits 24 home runs, doubling his career high from Seton Hall in one season at Texas.
15:19The strikeouts took a step forward.
15:21I should say a step backwards.
15:23The strikeouts rose in the SEC.
15:25And there are some questions about him being able to handle breaking stuff at the next level.
15:30But when it comes to fastballs,
15:32he absolutely decimated fastballs this year.
15:36Hit over 450 against them.
15:38And a quote that he had when he was asked for a scouting report on himself,
15:43he refused to give it.
15:45But what he said is, throw me a heater and find out.
15:48So I think it's the guy that...
15:49I like that confidence. I like that.
15:51Yeah.
15:52So he's confident, and we know he crushes fastballs.
15:55Defensively, it's unclear kind of where in the outfield he fits best.
15:58It might be more of a left field profile than a center or a right field profile,
16:03which I guess works fine for the Mets if he fulfills his potential.
16:07But at 92, you get a guy with above average power and a history of showing a hit tool.
16:13I think that's excellent value.
16:14So when I was looking at all the stuff with him, it's kind of what you brought up, Joe.
16:19For me, it was the jump from the Big East to the Cape Cod lead to the SEC.
16:23And he doubles his home run total.
16:24His OPS was like 1.122, which is great.
16:28And I was like, okay, this guy is really hitting.
16:30I was glad you answered what I was going to ask you was, where does he fit positionally in the
16:34outfield?
16:35But it seems like he's more projected to be a corner outfielder here.
16:39The Mets right now, and this is where I'm going to ask Wardy, right now, at this time,
16:43we don't know what the Mets are still going to do by the deadline.
16:46Outfield is one of the places Mets fans feel pretty good right now with AJU and with Carson Bench
16:52with Juan Soto, obviously.
16:54What did you make, Wardy, of the Mets taking another outfielder here?
16:59And did you think this was the right move for them to just add to their outfield arsenal?
17:03I want to start by giving a big shout-out to a friend of mine by the name of Mike.
17:07He runs an awesome YouTube channel called Stark Raving Sports that you guys may have seen before.
17:11Huge Mets fan.
17:12And he texted me right at the start of the draft and said, you know,
17:15Aiden Robbins are death, basically.
17:17You know?
17:17So for him to land with the New York Mets all the way up.
17:20Well, good thing they took Aiden Robbins.
17:21Yeah.
17:21I know.
17:22I know.
17:23I didn't hear from him for at least an hour.
17:25It was concerning.
17:26So I texted him the pick, and he's like, no way.
17:29Get out.
17:30So, yeah, that was an early indicator that the Mets did well here because he's very versed,
17:34especially when it comes to everything college ball.
17:36And after doing my own homework, it's a great pick for the Mets because not only do you get
17:41someone who, again, was kind of universally valued to be a top first-round pick, but also
17:45the Mets have done really well when it comes to their outfield over the years,
17:48when it comes to their in-house products.
17:50Again, say what you will about everything that's going to ride with this team, but for a number
17:53of years when it comes to drafting, the Mets have really done a strong job on the outfield
17:57front, even if we go all the way back to different regimes of, like, PCA to now, obviously, what
18:01they've done more recently.
18:02And I'm even thinking of, you know, the Nick Morbidos.
18:04I know he's had a fluctuating year, but I still believe in Eli Serrano to a degree.
18:08You know, the Mets have pieces there that they've been doing really well over the past
18:11couple of years in their player development.
18:13AJ Ewing being that pick, thanks to Jacob DeGrom, which is crazy.
18:16Carson Benj being the first pick for David Stearns.
18:19And I see Robin, someone who does not strike me as someone that is going to take overly
18:23long to get to the major league level.
18:25He feels like a player that as long as he trends the way that he has, should be up in
18:29the bigs within the next two, two and a half years, depending on what the Mets team need
18:32is at the time, maybe for their outfield, you know, by that time is Soto going to be
18:36more, not that we want him to be a standalone DH for the dollars that he's making, but one
18:40does have to wonder how many more reps is he going to get there in the coming years.
18:43And in the meantime, Robbins, he comes off really scrappy.
18:46I know a lot of Mets fans are excited because he's a seed in hall product initially as well.
18:50So there's some familiarity there.
18:52So yeah, just an exciting pick for the Mets.
18:55And that really made me look at that and Wiggins and say, okay, this all makes sense now.
19:00You know, I don't know how or why Robbins kind of fell into the Mets lap to be determined
19:04on that front.
19:05Joe, is there anything that you would like to add on that as to maybe, was there anything
19:08that you heard from respective scouts?
19:10Was there a criticism out there or a level of worry as to why he kind of fell where he
19:14did?
19:15Yeah.
19:16I think, like I mentioned the question about hitting the breaking stuff and if he's going
19:20to be able to do that at the next level consistently and that that's something he's going to have
19:24to prove.
19:25And I thought even with that flaw, there was enough pros that he probably should have gone
19:32in the second round at some point.
19:34But these things happen.
19:35And one of the things with the MLB draft is a lot of this is about signability.
19:40And it's very different than the NFL draft, the NHL draft, the NBA draft, where you're picking
19:46number 17.
19:48You're going to try to get whoever the best player is that's available regardless.
19:53MLB, you're taking the best player available that is signable for the amount that you want
19:59to pay for that pick because for better or worse in the current system, which could change
20:04in the next CBA, but in the current system, the draft has become just as much almost a
20:10math equation as it's become talent acquisition because it all has to fit within the bonus pool
20:16that you're allotted.
20:17And the Mets were not allotted a particularly big bonus pool this year.
20:21Obviously, their first pick dropped 10 spots due to how much they spend on the big league
20:25roster.
20:25And they lost their second and fifth highest selection when they signed Bo Bichette, who
20:29had a qualifying offer attached.
20:31So being down picks like they they lost in my estimates a little over three million dollars
20:38in bonus pool space between those couple factors.
20:41So that limits some of your flexibility.
20:44But I think they they navigated it well, considering where they were at.
20:48Yeah.
20:48And that's what you want.
20:49Final thing, Zach.
20:50I just want to squeak this in on the fastball emphasis.
20:53The first thing I thought of was actually the scouting report for one of the Mets for
20:57spreading Tyrone Taylor, because there was a lot of similarity there.
20:59You know, not a guy that was going to be able to necessarily hit off speed or breaking
21:02well, fastball hungry outfielder.
21:04It's kind of ironic considering that, you know, Robbins may very well be stepping in those
21:07shoes within the next couple of years for someone like Tyrone, because I can't imagine
21:11he'll be here too much longer.
21:12Nothing personal, T.T.
21:13I'm just evaluating what's happening with the club right now.
21:16But yeah, Zach, back to you, my friend.
21:18No, no, no.
21:19I just I'm that quote that Joe gave is really going to stick with me right now.
21:23Throw a fastball and find out.
21:24I just like that confidence.
21:25I love that confidence.
21:27If he's going to have that confidence now, he's got to hit the breaking stuff, too.
21:30Right.
21:30You got to see what his discipline is at the plate overall.
21:32But I do like the confidence that we're hearing from the young man there.
21:35Now, the last pick the Mets made on day one, Shane Sadeau.
21:41Very interesting, Joe.
21:43Another pitcher who had Tommy John surgery.
21:46Now, when you look at the numbers, doesn't look great.
21:50Right.
21:50They look at the counting numbers.
21:51Right.
21:52ERA was over seven.
21:54Gave up a bunch of homers here, too.
21:57But it sounds like the Mets still like his stuff.
22:00This is a guy can get in the upper 90s on the gun.
22:02One, what do you make of Sadeau and how do you think the Mets see him and what he can
22:07do?
22:07Because I think if fans just look at the numbers, they're like, why did they pick this guy here?
22:10The numbers weren't that great.
22:12What do you make of Sadeau, Joe?
22:14It's very important to point out in the MLB draft, especially when you get into the fourth and beyond rounds,
22:21these teams are drafting traits and tools.
22:24They're not drafting off of baseball reference pages.
22:27So I completely understand.
22:29But with Shane Sadeau, that's how you say it, help you out there.
22:33Yep.
22:33No, you're good.
22:34Honestly, I had to double check when they were drafted that I was saying it right.
22:39It's not the easiest name out there.
22:40But Sadeau had a huge 2024 at Texas A&M.
22:44And there was thoughts heading into the 2025 draft that he was a first or second round type of pick.
22:51And then, as you mentioned, underwent Tommy John surgery, missed the 2025 season, and comes back here in 2026.
22:58And the performance wasn't there.
23:01ERA, just over seven, struggled on the mound statistically.
23:06But as the spring wore on, you saw him just becoming more and more of himself as a pitcher.
23:12As you mentioned, it's a fastball that will get up to 97 miles an hour.
23:16It's a five-pitch mix that he can really control.
23:18So unlike Carson Wiggins, who you have to navigate some control and some command questions,
23:25I have little question that Shane Sadeau is going to throw strikes at the next level.
23:30And the Mets believe, too, that there's more in the tank for him from maybe a velocity standpoint,
23:35as he's listed at 6'3", 185.
23:38And they think there's an opportunity to add maybe 10, 15 pounds of muscle there.
23:43So I think there's still some more projectability on there.
23:46So I think there's more to come from Sadeau.
23:49And the slider is his best secondary pitch.
23:51It's a well-above-average offering.
23:53But this is, in a way, I guess, to give some perspective to Mets fans,
23:59it's almost in a way like Zach Thornton, but throws harder.
24:04Like, where it's not supreme stuff, but it's pretty good stuff.
24:08And he can locate a wide arsenal of pitches.
24:10So I look at Sadeau, who also, like Wiggins, is currently healthy pitch this season.
24:16So as far as we know, the Tommy John and everything is behind him.
24:20And now he'll be in his second year post-Tommy John.
24:22I think this is a guy that looks like a high-probability starter.
24:26Maybe it's more on the back end type of the rotation.
24:29But as I mentioned, there's still some projectability left.
24:32So maybe there is more in the tank here.
24:34All right, we'll see if there's more in the tank there.
24:36We kind of touched on this a little bit already, guys, but we talked about how the Mets took 12
24:41pitchers in this draft of their 19 selections.
24:45We know that, as Wardy said earlier, the Mets could always use some more pitchers.
24:50We know that.
24:51But, Joe, for you, why do you think they focused on that in this draft?
24:56Were they just looking at what they've had in the farm system and maybe some of the slight regression they
25:01saw this year from certain pitchers and said,
25:02hey, we need to stock up more there?
25:04Why do you think they took so many pitchers in this draft?
25:07I think on average, pitchers do dominate the MLB draft, not just the Mets, just across the landscape.
25:13At the end of the day, every single game that's played at every single minor leaguer,
25:18there needs to be somebody standing on the rubber throwing the baseball to a catcher.
25:21So you need a bunch of pitchers to get through the minor league season.
25:26And then, obviously, nowadays, there's just so much data and information on pitchers that you could get excited about guys
25:33that aren't even high draft picks, that just have some super good stuff.
25:37So I think it's one of those things that you just always draft a lot of pitchers.
25:41Honestly, I thought the Mets were going to draft more pitchers than they did.
25:44It was 12 pitchers, 7 position players.
25:46I thought that might be more 13 or 14 on the pitcher side.
25:51But, yeah, I think it's just one of those things.
25:53They like a lot of pitchers.
25:54They trust their pitching development system.
25:56And there's just always a need for pitchers, not just eventually at the major league level, but to play minor
26:02league baseball games.
26:03Yeah, going to need those pitchers there, too.
26:05Now, this is one of my favorite things when it comes to talking about drafts.
26:10I need to know, who are your sleepers?
26:13Who do you like that maybe the fans are not talking about, particularly on day two?
26:17Because day one is going to get all the headlines.
26:19The Mets made three picks on day one, but the rest of the drafting was done on day two.
26:23This is for both Wardy, you and Joe.
26:25Do you have any sleepers that you like that the Mets selected on day two?
26:29Who do you have?
26:31I'll let Wardy go first.
26:33I want to hear his.
26:33So I don't want to copy him.
26:35All right, fair.
26:37One thing I'll say, just to piggyback off of what Joe was saying for a second, about being excited about
26:41picks that aren't necessarily the top ones on the front of pitchers.
26:45You know, Sadeo is actually my favorite pick out of everyone the Mets have drafted from a pitching standpoint.
26:50And it's because of everything that Joe just said.
26:52I think he's far more likely to be like a polished option as a starter, just from what we're currently
26:57seeing.
26:57I don't care about the numbers of what he did this past year nearly as much.
27:00I look at the stuff and the Mets have literally little to no one in their farm currently.
27:05That is a size of six, three or higher throwing from the left side and actually can touch 97.
27:10Like they don't really have much of that.
27:11You know, Zach Thornton is great, but he's more of a soft tosser.
27:14Could they tap into more velocity with him as he gets older?
27:16Sure, it's possible.
27:17But I don't know if that's necessarily going to be something that is going to be built around his game.
27:21So I'm just really excited about that.
27:23I'm glad that Joe leaned into all the key points on him because he's the one that I think out
27:27of everyone the Mets got from a pitching standpoint is one that we're going to clean more onto as year
27:31goes on.
27:31But Marcus Ward, because I have to stick with my last name.
27:35So we're going to have that be my favorite selection of day two and just my sleeper one, especially because
27:40Marcus, what does he have in common with what I've been liking the trend of?
27:43It's outfield picks by the New York Mets.
27:44So there really isn't too much more to deep dive on it beyond that.
27:47You know, he's obviously very young and raw.
27:49He's also someone that we've seen pitch as well because he's only in high school right now.
27:53So he's kind of playing all over the place to see what's going to get him adjusted more as he
27:57continues and really builds up rather now, hopefully what's going to be prosperous pro career.
28:01But the Mets have had some success in recent years going after guys and later rounds in the outfield, too.
28:06So I'm curious to see how Chris Gross fares this time around with someone rocking the best last name possible.
28:13So, Joe, let's pan it to you.
28:15I thought you I thought you were going to say what you had in common with Marcus were is that
28:19you're incredibly fast because Mark is quick.
28:24I don't know.
28:25That's true.
28:27That's a good one.
28:28I like that.
28:29Marcus Ward, just to give you a little bit on him.
28:32I mean, this is a plus runner should be able to handle center field at the next level offensively.
28:37There's not really much thumping that bad at all.
28:39It's kind of a slap line drive type of approach trying to just play the balls into the gaps and
28:44run.
28:45So, like you said, an interesting late pick with a really cool name.
28:50I'll give you that one, Wardy.
28:52But two picks on day two.
28:54I'm going to highlight for maybe two different reasons.
28:56In the fifth round, they took Luke McNeely, a right-handed pitcher of the University of Florida.
29:00This was a college reliever.
29:03It's a mid-80s slider as his primary offering, a fastball that will get up to 99 miles an hour.
29:09Also mixes in a changeup but throws it exclusively to left-handed hitters.
29:14Doesn't throw it at all to righties.
29:15So, I think there's the potential here to increase his pitch repertoire.
29:21From my understanding, the Mets are going to look to convert him to a starting pitcher and see how that
29:26goes at the minor league level.
29:28And in a lot of ways, I'm not comparing the players, but in a lot of ways, the similarities are
29:33eerie to Christian Scott,
29:35who the Mets drafted in the fifth round out of Florida, who was a college reliever, being turned into a
29:41pro starter,
29:42who was slider, fastball up to 98, occasional changeup, just freaky, like way too similar.
29:49But McNeely, I think, is a guy that I think has a chance to be a starter at the next
29:55level,
29:55and the Mets will give him every opportunity to do that.
29:58And then the fun one, in the 11th round, they took an outfielder from Arkansas.
30:02Mets actually took three Razorbacks in this draft.
30:05Carson Wiggins in the first, Kuhio Aloy in the 11th, and Cooper DeSette, a right-handed pitcher, down in the
30:1017th round.
30:11But Aloy is the younger brother of Weihaiwa Aloy, who was the Orioles' first-round pick last year.
30:18They both went to Arkansas together.
30:21Aloy, there's plenty of swing and miss in his game, but it is crazy raw power.
30:26In a game against Ole Miss this year, he was facing one of Ole Miss' relievers,
30:32takes a 97-mile-an-hour fastball up in the zone, out to left field, 117 off the bat, 469
30:39feet.
30:40So it's crazy bat speed, there's power, like I said, lots of swing and miss in the game.
30:46And then when I looked at his bio on Arkansas' website, one of the things that made me just incredibly
30:52jealous
30:53is he said he can hit a golf ball 400 yards.
30:57So that power is real.
30:59Yeah.
31:00I'm jealous of that too.
31:02He could impact the baseball, just a matter of getting him to consistently make contact at the professional level.
31:08And I think in the 11th round, that's the exact time to take a shot on a guy that maybe
31:13the hit tool is a big question.
31:15But if you can get that hit tool to get closer to average, the power is really going to play
31:20at the next level.
31:21I almost wish you never read that on the bio, Joe, because the next time you hit the golf course,
31:25it's going to be in the back of your head and be like, man, I can't do that.
31:28I can't, I can't drop the ball that far.
31:30I can't, I can't, I can't do that.
31:33This past weekend, I hit one of the better drives in my life.
31:36I popped it just over 270.
31:38Just think, he was more than a football field further than me, which is stupid.
31:43That'll humble you, my friend.
31:44That'll humble you.
31:45Yeah, no doubt.
31:46Real quick.
31:47Joe, you kind of touched on this a little bit too, with the limited draft capital that the Mets had
31:55in this draft.
31:56I didn't have a second round pick, pick one down, first round pick one down a couple of slots.
32:01Do you feel like they maximized the limited draft capital they had in this draft?
32:06Not just how you feel about all the selections and their players you can be excited about and sleepers we
32:10just talked about,
32:11but did they actually maximize the limited draft capital that they had here in the 2026 draft?
32:17I think they did about as good as they could do.
32:20There's only so much flexibility.
32:22Like, you'll see a team like the White Sox, for example.
32:24They had a bonus pool over $20 million.
32:27The Mets bonus pool was under $7 million.
32:30So, obviously, a stark difference in what you're able to do.
32:33And that's why you saw the White Sox be able to pull off getting Landon Tomey and taking a couple
32:38other really high upside high school kids.
32:40What it comes down to is when you have a smaller bonus pool, it's much harder to manipulate it to
32:46sign those high upside high school kids early in the draft.
32:50Because those guys are typically looking for first round money.
32:53And if you only have $6.8 million or so in your bonus pool, it's pretty hard to fit two
33:01first round bonuses in there and actually have a draft beyond that.
33:07So, I think it limits their flexibility.
33:09But all things considered, I think they grabbed a bunch of guys with upside, which is not overly common on
33:16the collegiate side of things.
33:18More often than not, college players, the way it's described, they are what they are.
33:22You know what you're getting.
33:23Maybe you can make some small tweaks to make things a little bit better.
33:26But largely, they are what they are.
33:28I think they drafted a bunch of pitchers, especially in the top 10 rounds, that have untapped potential.
33:33We're talking about what Carson Wiggins could be.
33:35We talked about what Shane Sadeo could be.
33:37We talked about what Luke McNeely could be.
33:39They drafted a couple other power arms.
33:41Aiden Keenan from Stanford.
33:43Landon Koenig from Ole Miss.
33:45So, like, they grabbed some guys that can pump mid to upper 90 stuff.
33:49Now it's just a matter of getting them into a player development system and refining everything and trying to put
33:55the whole package together.
33:56So, I think they did about the best they could do.
33:59And, you know, maybe next year the bonus pool will look a lot different because I think the Mets are
34:04certainly trending towards a very high draft pick, which will help out that bonus pool.
34:08Yeah.
34:08They are trending that way.
34:11Warty, do you like what they did?
34:12Just same question to you, too.
34:14Just with the limited draft capital they had, not just how you feel about the players, but just considering the
34:19amount of bonus pool money they had, do you think they did a good job in hitting what they needed
34:23to do in this draft?
34:25I do.
34:25You know, I've been pretty steady on my belief of Chris Gross since he came in of scouting for the
34:29Mets a couple years ago with David Stearns, and I really haven't had a reason for that to waiver.
34:34I understand that the Mets player development hasn't went as great as we would hope this year, but that's less
34:38on Chris and I think just more on either individual player production or obviously everyone else that we have in
34:43those respective sectors.
34:44I really do believe that one takeaway that I had from the Mets doing what they did in this limited
34:49sample size is honestly starting to lean into more of what Joe's always raving about, and that's, you know, just
34:54being a big prospect guy in the sense of I kind of hope that there's a world in the somewhat
34:59near future over the next year or two that the Mets maybe spend less and are able to really maximize
35:05the draft a bit more.
35:06You know, the penalties that they have to deal with currently just because they're spending when it doesn't equate to
35:11results or success is crazy to me.
35:14You know, I would understand this rule 10 times more if you say spent this amount of dollars and oh
35:20yeah, because you have the amount of success.
35:22That is what would warrant you maybe why your draft is impacted the way it is, but that's not how
35:26it works for the Mets.
35:27They just get penalized because they like to spend money.
35:29So I'm curious to see as the years go on and potentially the new structure of the CBA how that
35:34positively versus negatively impacts the Mets and drafts moving forward.
35:38But for what they had going this time around, I can't complain and they did what I want them to
35:42do, which is just maximize pitching to the best of their ability and they did that.
35:45They absolutely did that in this draft.
35:47I guess we could close here guys.
35:49This is the major question with every draft.
35:52What would make this draft a success?
35:55When we look back in this draft, you got to give draft some time, right?
35:58You got to give it a couple of years, whether three, four years down the road.
36:02Is it Carson Wiggins becoming a top end of the rotation starter?
36:07Is it Robbins becoming an everyday outfielder?
36:10Is it just a multiple of these guys, a couple of pitchers, three or four pitchers making it to the
36:16majors?
36:16What would make this 2026 draft a success in your eyes?
36:20Joe, I'll start with you on this one.
36:22Yeah, for me, it's major leaguers.
36:25Get multiple major leaguers.
36:27I know that the dream is, as you mentioned, Carson Wiggins fulfilling his absolute ceiling.
36:33Like, that's a dream.
36:34But that may not be the most realistic outcome.
36:37If Carson Wiggins ends up being a eighth inning reliever or closer type of guy, it may not be the
36:44optimal value pick in the first round.
36:46But that's not a bust of a pick.
36:49That's just not reaching his full potential.
36:51As you mentioned, could Aiden Robbins be an everyday outfielder?
36:54I think that's possible.
36:55Could Shane Cedeo be a long-term cog at the middle to back end of a rotation?
37:02I think that's a possibility.
37:03They drafted enough of those power arms within the top ten rounds that I mentioned.
37:08Could one or two of them become major league relievers at the next level?
37:13And to me, I think what people that just generally don't follow the draft and don't follow the minor leagues,
37:20I get it.
37:21When these guys eventually get here, you have the expectation that they're going to be impact players.
37:25But the whole goal of the draft and player development is to produce major league baseball players.
37:31If you produce all-stars, that's awesome.
37:34That's a massive win and feather in your cap.
37:36But the whole objective here is to draft guys that are future major leaguers either A, for the Mets, or
37:43B, use as pieces to help upgrade the Mets outside the organization, which we saw them do.
37:49And there's a reason why the Mets farm system is where it is right now.
37:52Baseball America ranked it number 24 in the sport, and I wouldn't really disagree with that.
37:58And it's a combination of this year, there hasn't been, as Wardy mentioned, many big success stories on the farm
38:05system.
38:06But also, you graduated three elite prospects in Nolan McLean, Carson Benjen, A.J. Ewing.
38:13Last deadline, they traded 10 prospects to try to win in the second half of 2025.
38:18This past winter, they traded two top 100 prospects to try to get Freddie Peralta to front this staff for
38:242026.
38:25It's tough to subtract that much high-level talent and also sustain a really big farm system.
38:31But this draft, I think, is the first step in replenishing that farm system.
38:36And I think sometime in the next three weeks or so, the Mets will be replenishing it a little bit
38:41more with some of their veterans on the big league roster.
38:43They better, Joe.
38:44They better.
38:45That's all I'm going to say to that.
38:46They better do that.
38:47That better be the case.
38:50Wardy, what would make this draft a success in your eyes when you look back on it?
38:55I mean, going back to what Joe said, I keep beating the drum of Chris Gross, but it just becomes
39:00more and more relevant.
39:00Because when the Mets first hired him, one of the key standouts as to why they hired him was because
39:05of all teams in Major League Baseball.
39:07The route Chris Gross' tenure in Houston, you know, north of a decade.
39:10He had the best turnaround of drafted product to actually get to the Major League level.
39:15The Astros were first in all Major League Baseball during his tenure there in scouting.
39:19The Mets were bottom last.
39:21So you could see why they quickly went and hired him.
39:23I'm excited to see what Gross can continue to do with the picks that he's made.
39:27And I really hope that the Mets can have a draft, you know, of somewhat similarity to what we saw
39:31in 2023.
39:32That was the final year of Billy Epler.
39:34And while the Mets didn't necessarily have a home run swing with their first pick, they most certainly did with
39:39multiple pitchers.
39:40Whether it's guys like Brandon Sprout, who they use in the Freddy Peralta trade.
39:43Or if it's Noel McClain.
39:44Or obviously if you go to Zach Thornton, who's doing what he's doing now.
39:48A.J. Ewing was in that draft for the New York Mets.
39:50Cade Morris on the pitching end, who the Mets have obviously dealt away since then.
39:53But he was an asset for them to utilize.
39:56The list goes on.
39:56So for me, I'm looking to see how much the Mets can actually get in these guys in a two
40:01to three and a half year interval to that Major League level.
40:04And especially in the pitching end.
40:05You know, I just listed three pitchers.
40:07Brandon Sprout, if he wasn't traded, would either be in this rotation or competing for a rotation spot right now.
40:12So you can see that there has been that quick turnaround once they've been able to properly develop these guys,
40:17once again, the organization here.
40:18So very much of similar ilk to what Joe was saying, just get these guys in the big.
40:22That's going to be the best way to show that this is a way of things trending upward for the
40:26Mets in the draft versus in previous years.
40:29And especially in the Walponsian regime, it was just a lot of times, night and day.
40:33It took a while to get guys to the big league level.
40:36And if they did get to the bigs, were they really making a difference?
40:39It certainly depended on the individual player that we're talking about.
40:42Yeah, I'd agree with both you guys on this.
40:45I think this has got to be about the Mets getting players to that level.
40:49And then when, hopefully I'm going to give some positivity here, people, when we see the next good Mets team,
40:57that there's a good amount of these guys that are part of it.
40:59Or as Joe said, the ability to then trade some of these guys to either add pieces from other teams,
41:06other organizations that you want to bring into the next good Mets team.
41:09Joe, I got one last thing for you before we get out of here.
41:12That is not exactly related to the draft, but you talked a little bit about it.
41:17We talked about progress.
41:18Progress isn't always linear.
41:20And so some people may look at the Mets farm system sometimes and say, okay, there's been a regression this
41:24year.
41:24And that can happen.
41:26That does happen from time to time.
41:28Are there any prospects in the farm system right now that you still are high on despite things maybe not
41:36going so well this year?
41:38Are there anybody that, you know, you think fans, you should say to them, hey, you guys should still keep
41:43the faith with this guy that he can come up and have an impact on a major league level for
41:47the Mets?
41:48I'll go down with the Jonah Tong ship until, until that ship sinks.
41:52I'm, I'm hanging on like it's the Titanic.
41:54I think, I think he's, I think the stuff is just too tantalizing.
41:59He's such a smart kid.
42:00He really gets this.
42:01And I think there is something there.
42:04I wonder if long-term he may end up a reliever.
42:07Like, I think that's certainly a distinct possibility as he hasn't quite been able to round out his repertoire maybe
42:12to the way he and the Mets hoped that he would.
42:15But I'll go down that Jonah Tong is going to be a useful, impactful major league player in, in one
42:21form or another.
42:22I think a guy like Jacob Reimer had a huge 2025, got off to a real slow start in 2026,
42:29started to pick it up and then he got injured.
42:31So when he comes back, if he could continue on kind of the path he was going, I think he'll
42:36regain some of that prospect value.
42:38And then guys that are doing well, Jonathan Santucci, as I mentioned earlier, having a really, really good year at
42:44AA.
42:44I got to imagine his call to AAA is not too far out.
42:48Elion Pena has had some ups and downs as an 18 year old in full season ball, but he's one
42:53of the youngest players in the league.
42:54And you see some really good things there.
42:57A guy like Wandia Segan just made his debut professionally.
43:02He was the Mets big international signing this past January.
43:05I think last week he made his debut.
43:07He was dealing with a hamstring injury.
43:09So there are still some guys I think to be excited about.
43:12But look, this is a system that it definitely needs an influx of talent.
43:17And we're going to see that between however many of these 19 draft picks that they're able to sign and
43:23get under contract.
43:23And then the trade deadline here in the next three weeks.
43:27Well, trade deadline is coming up.
43:28We've been very positive.
43:30You guys have been very positive throughout the show.
43:33We'll see for that positive in three weeks.
43:36Joe, man, we appreciate you coming on and rocking with us and giving us some fantastic insight on all the
43:42picks that the Mets made and what's going on down in the farm system.
43:45Anything you want to let people know about what you got coming out or coming up soon?
43:49Let people know.
43:51For sure.
43:52Yeah.
43:52Go to SNY.TV.
43:53I wrote a profile on Carson Wiggins individually.
43:56And then it just came out on Sunday night, my complete draft recap.
44:00So if you want to hear, I broke down every pick in the top 10 rounds and then threw in
44:05a couple guys outside the top 10, including our guy, Kuhio Aloy, that we talked about.
44:10So I broke down the whole draft class.
44:12So make sure you go check that out.
44:13Also, check out the Mets pod wherever you get your podcasts.
44:16You can watch it on SNY's YouTube channel if you want to see this face and my normal co-host,
44:21Connor, with the much better looking face.
44:24It's a podcast that I think I would highly recommend everybody listening to.
44:28So appreciate you guys having me.
44:30Love talking ball with you guys.
44:32And I'll come back anytime.
44:33Just let me know.
44:34Oh, anytime, man.
44:35We also love the work that you and Connor do.
44:37Shout out to Connor.
44:39Great stuff.
44:40Connor's been on me many times before.
44:41Warty and I appreciate it, man.
44:43Everybody, please go give Joe a follow.
44:46Go give the Mets pod a follow.
44:48Go check them out there.
44:49That is going to do it for this edition of Straight Out Flushing.
44:52Please let us know in the comments, what did you think of the Mets draft?
44:55Did they nail it?
44:56Did they nail it like Warty said?
44:58Warty thinks they nailed it.
44:59Joe was very high on what the Mets did.
45:02And listen, I'm going to say this to all the Mets fans out there.
45:04You got to be at least positive about this draft.
45:06You have to be.
45:07What else do you have to be positive about this season?
45:08Until the trade deadline.
45:09So you want to be positive about something?
45:11Get excited about the 2026 draft.
45:13What the Mets did.
45:14For Tyler Ward, I'm Dexter Henry.
45:16We'll catch you next time on Straight Out Flushing.
45:18Peace.
45:19Peace.
45:19Peace.
45:19Peace.
45:19Peace.
45:20Peace.
45:20Peace.
45:21Peace.
45:21Peace.
45:22Peace.
45:22Peace.
45:22Peace.
45:23Peace.
45:23You
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