Height: 6’2″

Weight: 184

Throws/Bats: R/S

Previous Draft History: 2013, Los Angeles Dodgers (37th Round)

Twitter @Dunn_Deal19

With the Mets first pick in the 2016 draft they selected right-hander Justin Dunn with the 19th overall pick from Boston College. He was ranked as the number 24 draft prospect according to Baseball America. It’s a somewhat surprising pick in the fact that they passed on 3B/1B Will Craig who many experts believed they would pick if available.

The Freeport, NY native was mocked as high as the Tigers at 9, and heavily rumored to be on the Red Sox radar at 12. He started the season as the Boston College closer, but finished in the rotation. He has a four pitch arsenal, with two grading out as plus. His four seamer sits mid 90’s and touches 97, and a  slider that sits high 80s. His curveball has graded as below average and a changeup that has flashed plus but he didn’t need or use it much in the pen. His stuff has been comped to Yordano Ventura.

Here is what Jonathan Mayo has to say about Dunn –

Dunn has always had a plus fastball and he maintained it in his early starts, lighting radar guns up to 98-99 mph and sitting in the 92-95 mph range. He utilizes two breaking balls, both of which are Major League average: a three-quarters curve and a solid hard slider. His changeup will also flash average, though he didn’t need it much as a reliever. His command is fringy at present, but his outstanding stuff helps make up for it.

Here is what Baseball America has to say about Dunn –

In 2015, Chris Shaw became the fifth first-rounder drafted out of Boston College. This year, Dunn could be the sixth. The athletic righthander began the season pitching out of the bullpen, but his lightning quick arm and promising offspeed pitches forced him into the Eagles’ rotation. Dunn is slight in stature, with some scouts questioning his listed 6-foot-2, 184-pound frame. While he is short physically, his stuff isn’t. He pitches consistently at 92-95 and touching as high as 97 at times with his fastball. His best secondary pitch is his slider, thrown with tight spin, vertical shape and mid-80s velocity. He throws a curveball that has similar shape to his slider, but breaks more loosely and grades out as a below-average pitch, though its presence can disrupt hitters’ timing. Dunn has shown feel for a changeup at times, showing the ability to locate the pitch at hitters’ knees. His performance as a starter has encouraged teams that he can start long term, as he has held velocity well deep into his outings.

 

A story his coach Mike Gambino shared a story with the Boston Globe has me liking the pick.

“He called me and said, ‘Hey coach, I touched 96 for the first time last night.’ I said, ‘That’s awesome.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, and a kid from Mississippi State hit it over the scoreboard.’ I said, ‘That’s even better.’

“He said: ‘I get it now. I see it now. The velocity doesn’t matter. When I get up there and just try to throw, I’m not very good. I’ve got to learn how to pitch.’ That was a big ‘Aha!’ moment for his development.”