NEW YORK -- Heading into his first Draft as the Mets’ vice president of amateur scouting, Kris Gross lauded the deep pool of college players in this year’s event. Then he went and acquired a host of them, from first-rounder Carson Benge to a slew of talented players on Day 2.
Here’s a closer look at whom the Mets selected Monday on Day 2 of the Draft, which runs from Rounds 3-10. The event will conclude on Tuesday with Rounds 11-20.
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Round 3, No. 82 Overall
Nate Dohm, RHP, Mississippi State
Notable Skill: At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, featuring an upper-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider, Dohm is the archetype of a power pitcher. But that doesn’t mean he lacks control. During his junior season at Mississippi State, Dohm walked only four batters over 29 1/3 innings. Had a forearm strain not prevented him from amassing enough innings to qualify, his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 9.25 would have ranked fourth in NCAA baseball.
Fun Fact: Dohm spent both his freshman year at Ball State and his sophomore season at Mississippi State mostly in the bullpen. He didn’t convert to full-time rotation work until this past spring.
Round 4, No. 111 Overall
Eli Serrano III, OF, NC State
Notable Skill: The hit tool stands out here more than the power, which is rare for a player listed at 6-foot-5. Serrano made it shine during NC State’s College World Series Super Regional series win over Georgia earlier this year, batting .429 with six hits, two doubles and two home runs.
Fun Fact: Serrano played high school-level baseball at Pro5 Academy in North Carolina, where he was teammates with Ryan Clifford. The latter became an 11th-round Draft pick of the Astros in 2022 before coming to the Mets in the Justin Verlander trade last summer.
Round 5, No. 144 Overall
Trey Snyder, SS, Liberty North (Mo.) HS
Notable Skill: Scouts view Snyder as more polished than a typical high school hitter, with professional-quality tools on both sides of the ball.
Fun Fact: Snyder is Liberty North’s all-time hits leader, breaking the record earlier this year with a leadoff homer. He was also Gatorade’s Missouri High School Player of the Year.
Quotable: “Trey is one of a kind. If you come out here and watch him play, he just makes everything look easy.” -- Liberty North baseball coach Ryan Stegall, via KSHB Kansas City
Round 6, No. 173 Overall
Corey Collins, 1B, Georgia
Notable Skill: Collins is a classic left-handed slugger who uses his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame to pull baseballs over the fence. The power is real, as is the plate discipline, as Collins led the nation with a .574 on-base percentage this past season. Collins also ranked 25th in the NCAA in slugging percentage. The league leader in that department? That was Rockies No. 3 overall pick Charlie Condon, who regularly hit behind Collins in Georgia’s batting order.
Fun Fact: Collins was a high school catcher who continued to moonlight behind the plate at Georgia. The Mets aren’t ruling out some catching reps for Collins in the pros, but he’s more likely to end up at first base.
Quotable: “We love the power. He had a really good year, breakout season. We think the left-handed power is going to play.” -- Mets director of amateur scouting Drew Toussaint
Round 7, No. 203 Overall
Will Watson, RHP, USC
Notable Skill: Watson spent much of his amateur career as a reliever, bouncing between three colleges. But the Mets envision him as a starting pitcher, continuing a transition that began during the right-hander’s junior season. If Watson can continue developing his off-speed offerings, he might just stick in a professional rotation.
Fun Fact: After Watson spent his sophomore season at a junior college, the Mariners selected him in the 20th round of last year’s Draft, but he chose to transfer to USC instead.
Quotable: “We think his fastball can play as a starter. Developing the slider will be a key for him, but it showed promise at times.” -- Gross
Round 8, No. 233 Overall
Ryan Lambert, RHP, Oklahoma
Notable Skill: A college closer, Lambert won four games in relief and saved another for the Sooners in 2024. His fastball has been clocked in the triple digits, including a 100.7 mph pitch he threw during the MLB Draft League in June that broke his own record for fastest pitch in Draft League history.
Fun Fact: Lambert was college teammates with the Mets’ 10th-round pick, Brendan Girton.
Quotable: “At that spot, we were excited to get 100 [mph] out of the eighth round there.” -- Gross
Round 9, No. 263 Overall
Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Houston
Notable Skill: Like so many pitchers coming out of the Draft these days, Jelkin throws hard. He used that skill set to strike out 46 batters over 34 1/3 innings as a junior at Houston.
Fun Fact: Jelkin made only seven starts at Houston due to injury. He’s considered a potential high-risk, high-reward pick given his excellent velocity but spotty health history.
Round 10, No. 293 Overall
Brendan Girton, RHP, Oklahoma
Notable Skill: One of the older players in this year’s Draft, Girton amassed 129 innings over four years in college. He struck out 47 batters over 35 2/3 innings as a redshirt junior, despite significant control issues.
Fun Fact: Girton played three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma.