Brett Banks, Photo by Tom Hanna of UNCWsports
With their rounds 11, 12, 13, and 14 picks, the Mets stayed consistent and went with all right-handed pitchers. They selected RHP Brett Banks from UNC WIlmington at No. 336, RHP Brady Kirtner from Virginia Tech with pick No. 366, RHP Ben Simon from Elon University (NC) with pick No. 396, and RHP John Valle Vera from Jefferson High School in Tampa, Florida.
RHP Brett Banks – Round 11, Pick No. 336
Brett Banks is a 6’3”, 205lb right-handed relief pitcher from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He was ranked as the No. 378 prospect coming into the draft by ProspectsLive.com. Banks, a redshirt junior from North Carolina, committed to transferring to North Carolina State, will now decide if he heads to minor leagues or goes back to NC State for his senior year.
Banks, per Joe Doyle of FSS is known for having “some of the most intriguing stuff” in college baseball. He has a fastball that touches up to 98 mph and averages 94-96 with “enormous carry.”
He also has a slider and a great breaking ball that sits in the mid-80s and touches 87 mph with a “steep angle and some sweeping action.”
While his stuff is strong, he has some length and timing inconsistencies on the backside of his arm, which affects his command as well.
Per Dani Wexelman of ESPN, Banks stated in an interview that he struggled in 2022, but became a reliever last fast and credited his pitching coach Kelly Secrest with helping him improve. He now says he has a “killer mentality & now loves coming out of the pen.”
Looking back at 2022, he was 0-1 with a 7.34 ERA in 11 appearances and six games started. He walked 24, gave up 25 earned runs and struck out 35.
In 2023, you can see the improvement in his numbers. He was 1-3 in 2023 with a 3.99 ERA, a much lower ERA than in 2022. He appeared in 40 games and pitched 38 1/3 innings. He gave up just 21 walks last season, 17 earned runs, and struck out 44. Batters had just a low .211 batting average against the righty this season.
As Banks said in an interview with ESPN’s Wexelman, coming out of the bullpen was a good change for him in comparison to starting. His ERA, walks, and earned runs allowed were down, and his strikeout numbers were elevated. It is likely he will pitch as a reliever in the pros.
Banks was ranked 10th nationally with 202 stuff+ this year.
RHP Brady Kirtner – Round 12, Pick No. 366
Brady Kirtner is a right-handed pitcher from Virginia Tech. Per Taylor Blake Ward of the Sporting Tribune, Kirtner is an undersized (5’11”, 170lbs), two-pitch reliever with a mid-90s fastball with ride and a sweeping high-spin power slider. He has some command issues and predicts to be a power reliever.
The redshirt Sophomore, Kirtner in 2023, struck out 30 batters in 25 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up just 13 earned runs and walked 15.
With their 12th round pick, the Mets selected right-handed reliever Brady Kirtner from Virginia Tech.
Struck out 36 in 25 1/3 innings this year. Mid-90s with big slider.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 11, 2023
On April 14 against Georgia Tech, he struck out five in two scoreless innings of work.
Kirtner was ranked as the No. 428 prospect by ProspectsLive.com coming into this year’s draft. He spent the last two seasons pitching for Virginia Tech. He produces swings and misses, but issues a lot of walks as well. His fastball reaches 97 mph, but his slider is his strongest pitch. Per prospectslive.com, it has “elite-level spin rates” and can also force batters to swing and miss.
RHP Ben Simon – Round 13, Pick. No. 396
With pick No. 396 in round 13 of the draft, the Mets once again went to a right-handed pitcher. They select the righty Ben Simon from Elon University in North Carolina.
Simon is a 5’11”, 197 lb junior from East Windsor, New Jersey. Simon had a 3.20 ERA, seven saves, and a 11.4 K/9 this season for Elon.
Prior to going to college for baseball, Simon was a four-year varsity starter in both baseball and basketball.
With their 13th round pick the Mets have taken RHP Ben Simon from Elon.
The 21-year-old had a 3.20 ERA, 7 saves, and 11.4 K/9 this year. He was born in Princeton, NJ.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 11, 2023
In 2022, he was a much-improved pitcher, going 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA. He had a 1.19 WHIP and got two saves in 31 innings over 23 relief appearances. He led Elon University that season with 17 games finished and averaged 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He held opponents to just a .232 batting average that season as well.
In 2023, Simon once again continued to show improvement. He was 1-3 with a 3.20 ERA and seven saves. He struck out 32 and walked just eight batters this season, giving up nine earned runs over the course of 25 1/3 innings pitched for Elon University. The 21-year-old averaged 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
RHP John Valle Vera – Round 14, Pick No. 426
https://twitter.com/C_Hatcher_PBR/status/1641144536826105856?s=20
John Valle Vera pitched for Jefferson High School in Tampa, Florida, this past year.
