Mets Dial Up Power Pitching In Latest Two-Round Mock Draft

The New York Mets may have a chance to add an arm to their farm system during next month’s MLB Draft.

Brody Brecht (14) of Iowa throws strikes as the Florida International University Panthers play the Iowa Hawks in a three-game series at Principal Park in Des Moines on Thursday, May 16, 2024. / Lee Navin/For the Register / USA TODAY

The New York Mets have just two pitchers among their Top 10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline. One of them, Christian Scott, is up with the Mets after he was called up last month.

The Mets may be looking to replenish their stock of high-end pitching prospects when they head into the MLB Draft on July 14 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Mets will select No. 19 in the first round that night and then No. 46 overall in the second round. Recently, ESPN put together a two-round mock draft after the MLB Scouting Combine and the Men’s College World Series, which ends next week.

In the mock, the Mets selected Iowa right-handed pitcher Brody Brecht.

The Virginia native has spent all three college seasons with the Hawkeyes and he’s coming off a 2024 in which he went 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 15 games. He struck out 128 and walked 49 in 78.1 innings.

In 2023 he was a starter and went 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 17 games (16 starts). He pitched practically the same amount of innings — 77 — and struck out 109 against 69 walks.

So, he improved his command from his sophomore season to his junior season, which will certainly interest scouts.

He was an All-Big Ten selection all three seasons, including an All-Freshman selection in 2022.

Brecht helped Iowa go 31-23 in 2024, with a 14-10 record in Big Ten action. The Hawkeyes lost both of their games in the Big Ten Tournament and was not selected to the NCAA Tournament.

The Mets haven’t spent their first-round pick on a pitcher since 2021 when they selected Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker at No. 10 overall. Rocker and the Mets didn’t agree to terms, in part because the Mets had concerns with Rocker’s medicals.

He was selected a year later by the Texas Rangers at No. 3 overall and he is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Before that, the last pitcher the Mets selected was left-hander David Peterson in 2017. He is still with the organization and made his MLB debut in 2020.

In the second round the Mets were projected to select a prep player — Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.) center field Slade Caldwell. In 2023 he was the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year and was named to the MLB High School All-American Game. He has been committed to Ole Miss for baseball since his freshman year.