A History of Draft Picks by the New York Mets

With the announcement that ESPN2 is going to cover this year's draft, I thought it would be a good time to look at the history of the New York Mets and their draft. The draft was instituted in 1965 and because one of the stated goals was to reward the bottom teams in the league, the Mets ended up with early picks quite often. Unfortunately, they did not make those picks count often enough. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in the 1966 Draft, when they had the number one overall pick and selected catcher Steve Chilcott, who never played in the Majors. The player selected second that year? Reggie Jackson.

Here's a decade-by-decade overview of the Mets' draft picks. I'll highlight the best picks and the ones that got away.

1960s:
Best Picks - Nolan Ryan (12th round 1965), Ken Singleton (3rd overall pick 1967), Jon Matlack (4th overall pick 1967).
Other Notables - Ken Boswell (fourth round 1965), Jim McAndrew (11th round 1965), Duffy Dyer (first round 1966), Dan Frisella (third round 1966), Gary Gentry (third round 1967), John Milner (14th round 1968), George "The Stork" Theodore (31st round 1969).
The Ones That Got Away - Ron Cey (19th round 1966), Burt Hooton (5th round 1968), Mickey Rivers (8th round 1968).

Mets had the top overall pick in 1966 and 1968. The former year they took Chilcott and the latter year they selected Tim Foli. While Foli went on to a 16-year career in the Majors, they bypassed Thurman Munson, Greg Luzinski and Gary Matthews. The Mets' drafts got better with the inclusion of Whitey Herzog as first Director of Player Development and later as Farm Director. Herzog left the Mets after 1972, when he took over as manager for the Texas Rangers.

1970s:
Best Picks - Craig Swan (third round 1972), Lee Mazzilli (first round 1973), Mike Scott (second round 1976), Hubie Brooks (first round 1978).
Other Notables - Ron Hodges (second round 1972), Neil Allen (11th round 1976), Wally Backman (first round 1977), Mookie Wilson (second round 1977) and current Twins manager Ron Gardenhire (sixth round 1979).
The Ones That Got Away - Charlie Lea (15th round 1975), John Tudor (21st round 1975), Mark Davis (22nd round 1978).

The Mets had acquired a lot of talent in the late 1960s; unfortunately they traded most of it (like Amos Otis, Nolan Ryan and Ken Singleton) away. It's easy to see why the team fell off once the 1969 nucleus got old - there was nobody coming up from the farm system to take their place. Bob Scheffing and Joe McDonald, in their roles as general manager and farm director, deserve to take the fall for the Mets' dismal years in the late 70s and early 80s.

1980s:
Best Picks - Darryl Strawberry (top overall pick 1980), Lenny Dykstra (13th round 1981), Dwight Gooden (fifth overall pick 1982), Randy Myers (ninth overall pick 1982), Rick Aguilera (third round 1983).
Other Notables - Future A's General Manager Billy Beane (first round 1980), Roger McDowell (third round 1982), Gregg Jefferies (first round 1985), Todd Hundley (second round 1987).
The Ones That Got Away - Roger Clemens (12th round 1981), Rafael Palmeiro (eighth round 1982), Matt Williams (27th round 1983), John Wetteland (12th round 1984), John Olerud (27th round 1986), Scott Erickson (36th round 1986), Todd Jones (41st round 1986), Mark Grudzielanek (17th round 1989).

With the addition of Frank Cashen as the team's general manager in 1980, we see a return to productive drafts for the Mets and the foundation for the 1986 championship team. We also see some future Big League stars drafted in the later rounds who did not sign. These were most likely players who announced that they were going to college. But one of the advantages of a big-market team is to draft these guys and hope to change their minds with big bonuses.

1990s:
Best Picks - Jeromy Burnitz (first round 1990), Jason Isringhausen (44th round 1991),
A.J. Burnett (eighth round 1995).
Other Notables - ESPN analyst Fernando Vina (ninth round 1990), Bobby Jones (first round 1991), Bill Pulsipher (second round 1991), Preston Wilson (ninth overall pick 1992), Paul Wilson (top overall pick 1994), Jay Payton (first round 1994).
The Ones That Got Away - Darren Dreifort (11th round 1990), Darin Erstad (13th round 1992), Aaron Rowand (40th round 1995), Garret Atkins (10th round 1997), David DeJesus (40th round 1997).

Injuries really kept the Mets from performing well in the 1990s. With top prospects Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pusipher, and Paul Wilson, the Mets thought they had the beginnings of a dominant pitching rotation. But all three got injured, at least in part due to overuse from then manager Dallas Green, and none of them lived up to their potential while in New York. Of course, trading away Burnitz, Isringhausen, Burnett, Vina and Paul Wilson didn't help matters much. Injuries, trades and the inability to use their big market muscle and offer enough money for future stars to bypass college all hurt the Mets in this decade.

It's too soon to properly evaluate the Mets' drafts in the aughts, but the decade is off to a promising start. Aaron Heilman, David Wright, Scott Kazmir, Lastings Milledge, Phil Humber and Mike Pelfrey have all been drafted by the Mets so far this decade.

In this year's draft, the Mets forfeited their first-round pick to sign free agent Moises Alou but have five picks in the top 100. Their first selection is at number 42 overall, a compensation pick between the first and second rounds for losing free agent Roberto Hernandez. Five picks later they go again, a sandwich pick received for losing free agent Chad Bradford. They pick again at #78, the Indians' pick in the second round, compensation for Hernandez, and again at #94, their pick on the second round. And they pick at #100, the Orioles' pick in the third round, compensation for losing Bradford.

The best way for clubs to build is through the draft. With five picks in the top 100 this year, the Mets have a chance to add to their bounty of young players. And I can't wait to watch the draft for the first time on national television.