NEW YORK -- Preparing for their first Draft under general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, longtime Mets amateur scouting bosses Tommy Tanous and Marc Tramuta did not notice many tangible differences. It was not until the 89th overall pick, when Van Wagenen -- a former agent, lest anyone forget -- grabbed his cell phone to try to consummate a deal with consensus first-round talent Matthew Allan, that things took a different tone from previous years.
With Allan on board, the Mets capped what Tanous and Tramuta considered one of their most productive Drafts ever. Their first three picks -- third baseman Brett Baty and right-handed pitchers Josh Wolf and Allan -- all ranked among the top 36 players on MLB Pipeline’s Draft board.
“We’ve been excited before,” Tramuta said. “We were very excited last year, years’ past. This year was really a rush in how this felt for us. I really mean that. This was super, super exciting to start the Draft with those three players.”
In Baty, the Mets took a player many scouts considered the most powerful prep hitter in the Draft, and one with a particular affinity for New York. A Texas native, Baty earned the nickname “Brett the Met” as a child while playing on a T-ball team called the Mets.
“I love New York,” Baty said. “The city, the atmosphere around it, it’s just an awesome city and I can’t wait to get here.”
Last summer, Baty played in various tournaments around Texas with Wolf, getting to know the Mets’ second-round pick. When the Mets called Wolf’s name shortly after Baty’s, the pitcher texted Baty “right away, even though I’m sure he was bombarded with many other texts.”
“He got back to me pretty quickly,” Wolf said. “I’m excited to build a relationship with him, and hopefully throughout the big leagues.”
Wolf will climb up the Minor League ladder alongside Allan, whom the Mets are confident they can sign away from his commitment to the University of Florida. If they do, they will have achieved a rare feat, infusing their system with three players all boasting first- and second-round talent.
It happened at an opportune time. In his first year as GM, Van Wagenen has absorbed criticism for trading away last year’s top pick, Jarred Kelenic, in the deal for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Much of the farm system’s remaining depth is still at the lower levels, setting this up to be a critical Draft for Van Wagenen, Tanous, Tramuta and their staff.
With Baty, Wolf, Allan and others in house, they feel they’ve filled the talent vacuum.
“What we’ve tried to do the last couple of years is take ceiling players, players that we believe have a chance to have impact,” Tramuta said. “These are players that are young, that are somewhat advanced, they already bring those tools to the table with performance as well. So we feel very good.”