Drake Osborn, C
B/T: R/R Ht: 5’10 Wt: 190 LBS
Age: July 22, 1998 (23 years old)
Acquired: 2021 Mets 19th round draft pick (Louisiana-Lafayette)
2021 Stats (FCL Mets): .178/.296/.222, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Drake Osborn will turn 24 years old next summer, but when thinking about the Mets 19th round pick, it’s good to keep in mind a couple of things about age and developmental timelines.
For one, they are not all linear. Osborn has had moments in his amateur playing time where he showed some promise, such as his 2018 sophomore season when he slashed .293/.345/.488 as the everyday catcher for Texas A&M-Corpus Christie of the Division 1 Southland Conference. After a down 2019 and a pandemic-abridged 2020, Osborn had come to a turning point in his career.
Osborn graduated with his bachelors degree in kinesiology, a very relevant subject to modern player development, but he was also left at a crossroads in his decision to continue his playing career. His decision to play as a graduate student for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin Cajuns in 2021 payed off in a big way, as Osborn produced at the plate in the Division 1 Sunbelt Conference. Here he is showing off some solid gap power.
The second pitch to Drake Osborn (@DrakeOsborn) is leaving the yard! 💪#GeauxCajuns ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/OXG2HZKzNf
— Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® Baseball (@RaginCajunsBSB) May 28, 2021
Osborn would slash .337/.415/.491 with a 19 to 15 walk to strikeout ratio. Mets area scout Jet Butler took notice of the elder-classman, considering the rarity of a catcher who could show such a strong plate approach. In The Advocate, it was noted what the Mets liked about Osborn enough to select him into the organization:
“The Mets told Osborn they liked his catch-and-throw skills, the fact he had more walks (18) than strikeouts (14) and the ability to drive the ball to the gaps.”
While Osborn struggled offensively in his tiny taste of rookie ball after signing, he did show off those catch and throw skills, gunning down four out of eight baserunners.
Quality catching depth within an organization is always good to have, and the Mets have spent as high as a 6th round pick in recent history on backup type profiles (eg. Nick Meyer in 2018).
One of the best value picks the Mets made in recent years was a small program college catcher, Hayden Senger, selected in the 24th round of the same 2018 draft. After taking a couple of seasons to find his footing, Senger put his name on the organizational map in a significant way with a strong season at Double-A. I reference this to illustrate my next and concluding point.
While Osborn will slot in well behind both Meyer and Senger on the catching depth chart in the minor league system, it is important to remember that catchers are especially quirky in their developmental timelines. I’d encourage the reader not to over-emphasize Osborn’s age. Instead, lets keep an open mind and see if these skills can materialize into some quality catching depth for the upper rungs of the system.
