With the third pick of the 2019 draft (No. 89 overall): The Mets have drafted RHP Matthew Allan. After going with prep players with their first two selections, the Mets opted to stick with the high-school route for their third pick.
Fangraphs ranked him as their No. 20 best prospect while the aforementioned MLB.com remains more bullish on the right-hander, naming him No.13. Baseball America, meanwhile, has him in the 16th spot. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Cubs were extremely close to drafting Allan in the first round last night, but backed out due to signability concerns.
There’s plenty to like about Allan, who was one of the top pitchers available. Although he was projected to go Day 1, he was one of the few prep righties that fell through the cracks. With their selection of Brett Baty and Josh Wolf, the Mets are clearly targeting upside in this draft. Allan wasn’t one of the top pitchers in the class when the season started, but a strong season vaulted him into the top prep pitcher conversation.
Allan’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and he’ll show an ability to touch the upper-90’s at times. He complements the pitch with a 12-6 curveball that Baseball America projects could develop into a 70-grade offering. His arsenal also consists of a changeup that should become an average pitch. His command has improved over the high school season and it’s now considered to be above-average.
Per Perfect Game, his 95 mph fastball was ranked in the 99.79% percentile among all high school pitchers.
Allan has a commitment with the University of Florida and is expected to command a $4 million dollar bonus. If the Mets come to terms with the righty, it’ll a bit of a shock considering the 89th pick slot value is worth $678,600.
