The New York Mets have selected 23-year-old Mississippi State center fielder Jake Mangum with the 118th overall selection of the 2019 MLB Draft (11th pick, fourth round).
Mangum is a switch-hitting, left-handed thrower and was drafted by the Mets in the 32nd round of the 2018 draft (950th overall), deciding to return to Mississippi State for his senior season (he was drafted by the Yankees in 2017, as well; 30th round).
The 5’11” Jackson native slashed .375/.427/.490 with identical 6.45% walk and strikeout rates over 253 at-bats with the Bulldogs this season. Over his four years with Mississippi State, Mangum hit .361/.422/.462 with 69 doubles, five homers, and 126 RBIs.
Baseball America had this to say about the Mets’ newest prospect, their 338th-ranked draftee.
Mangum is much the same player who won the conference batting title with a .408 mark as a freshman. He’s never hit over .400 again, but he sprays the ball all around the field with excellent bat control. He’s a plus runner who can turn in a plus-plus time at his best. And he’s a solid defensive center fielder with an above-average arm. What keeps pro scouts from getting too excited is his complete lack of power—some scouts say it’s a 20, others say he may eventually have 30 power on the 20-to-80 scout scale.
BA also ranked Mangum third among college players in the Best Speed category of their Best Tools awards.
MLB.com ranked Mangum as their 171st best draft prospect, and detailed the developmental changes he’s undertaken during his four years at Mississippi State.
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 20 | Run: 65 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45
The scouting report on Mangum has changed little during his college career. A switch-hitter, he has an extreme contact approach that results in a lot of opposite-field singles but few walks and little in the way of power. His best tool is his well above-average speed and he’s doing a better job of translating it into stolen bases as a senior.
Mangum also has improved as a center fielder during his time with the Bulldogs, showing better reads and routes instead of just relying on his quickness to track down balls. He has a stronger arm than most at his position and touched 93 mph with his fastball when he started five games on the mound as a sophomore. One scout likened him to a faster version of Sam Fuld.
Here’s Jake’s prospect video from last May, via The Prospect Pipeline.
The alotted bonus pool slot for this pick is $487,900.
