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Mets Take Five College Pitchers in Rounds 5-10

By Joseph Hill

July 12, 2026 No comments

The Mets have been heavy on college pitchers in this draft.

They took five college pitchers in a row at one point. With five college pitchers out of their six picks in rounds 5-10 on Sunday, they’ve now taken seven in their first nine picks of the 2026 MLB Draft.

Recap of rounds 5-10:

Fifth Round (152nd Pick): Luke McNeillie, RHP

Approximate Pick Value: $472.50k

The Mets took McNeillie, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Florida, with their first pick on Day 2.

McNeillie was mostly a reliever with the Gators, appearing in 72 games (seven starts) over three years while accumulating 122 innings. He posted a 5.24 ERA over his college career, but a better 3.97 this past spring. He averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings, with a mark above 12 in each of the last two seasons.

D1Baseball noted in a February podcast that McNeillie sits 93-97 mph with his fastball and has a high-spin slider. They considered him a top-40 pick at the time, while acknowledging that the industry had him in the top 75 or so. Per Rockies baseball analytics associate Timothy Chen, McNeillie entered the season with a 111 Stuff+, which ranked seventh in all of college baseball, among names like Liam Peterson and Jackson Flora.

McNeillie struck out 48 batters in 34 innings across 18 games this season. He also walked 17 (a 4.5 BB/9). He came into the draft ranked No. 185 by MLB Pipeline.

The scouting report from MLB Pipeline said his fastball sat 96-99 this year, with his slider at 86-88. His slider is considered his best pitch.

The write-up went on to say: “There is a changeup in there, but he doesn’t use it often. McNeillie’s command in and out of the zone has been spotty at Florida and that, along with a lack of extension or deception, makes it tougher to project what he might be at the next level. He can get caught between trying to be a complete pitcher and attacking with his power stuff. There will be teams interested in his arm strength, with one good at pitching development perhaps working with him on starting long-term.”

Photo Credit: Lee Ann Anderson/WRUF

Sixth Round (181st Pick): Alex Petrovic, RHP

Approximate Pick Value: $364.60k

The Mets took another right-handed college pitcher with their sixth-round pick, this time from Auburn University.

They also took another pitcher with an injury history. But Petrovic, after limited innings over his first two college seasons, came into his own during a healthy 2026. He posted a 3.21 ERA in 17 starts for the Tigers.

His SO/9, which had been 12.7 in 29 2/3 innings over those two injury-beleaguered years, regressed to 8.9 in a larger sample of 92 2/3 innings this spring. But he has consistently low walk numbers, at 2.3 per nine for his college career.

He was unranked by MLB Pipeline but 346th by Baseball America. MLB’s scouting report says he throws in the low 90s but can reach 96. It notes his “quality” low-80s changeup that has “fade and sink.”

Seventh Round (210th Pick): Aidan Keenan, RHP

Approximate Pick Value: $287.80k

The Mets selected their fourth college pitcher in a row, this time a right-hander from Stanford.

He missed a significant portion of 2026 with an oblique injury. He appeared in seven games (six starts) with a 5.82 ERA. He struck out 25 and walked 21 in 21 2/3 innings.

Per MLB’s scouting report, he can run his fastball up to 99 mph. He has “a short and clean delivery while showing an average sweeper, fringy cutter and developing changeup. He might be better off in a multi-inning relief role as he tended to lose steam, and command, past his second or third inning.”

Keenan was strictly a reliever in 2025, posting a 5.59 ERA in 37 innings with a 10.5 SO/9.

He was unranked by MLB Pipeline. He came in at No. 313 by Baseball America.

Eighth Round (240th Pick): Landon Koenig, RHP

Approximate Pick Value: $232.10k

The Mets’ fifth consecutive college pitcher comes from Ole Miss. His ERA was not very pretty at 6.35, but he throws 94-98 and had a 13.1 SO/9 compared to only 2.8 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings as a reliever.

Koenig is an interesting story, hailing from the small May-Port CG High School in North Dakota. He started his college career at North Dakota State, where he was a starter as a freshman before finding better success as a reliever. After North Dakota State made the NCAA tournament in 2025, Koenig got more exposure and transferred to Ole Miss for his junior year.

MLB Pipeline’s scouting report notes that Koenig is “raw” and “his heater gets whacked because it lacks command and life.”

He was unranked by MLB Pipeline. Baseball America had him 328th.

Ninth Round (270th Pick): Ryan Tayman, C

Approximate Pick Value: $207.20k

Breaking the streak of college pitchers, the Mets took a college catcher. Tayman comes from Cal Poly.

After two good years for Cal Berkeley, with an OPS in the .800s, Tayman transferred to Cal Poly and put up a 1.119 OPS, batting .357/.447/.672 in 63 games. He hit 18 home runs and 19 doubles. He struck out 50 times and had 31 walks.

MLB Pipeline’s scouting report read: “He can punish fastballs and recognizes spin decently, showing the ability to loft the baseball, especially to his pull side. He does struggle against offspeed stuff and is prone to chase, while the jury is still out whether he can catch long-term.”

 

10th Round (300th Pick): Nate Isler, RHP

Approximate Pick Value: $195.20k

The Mets went back to the college pitcher route for their 10th-round pick. Isler spent three years at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

He started 11 games this past season, posting a 4.98 ERA. He struck out 11.1 per nine innings and walked 3.5. Notably, he allowed just one home run in 65 innings.

Per Over-Slot Baseball, Isler is “big-bodied” with a fastball up to 96 mph. He stands at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds.

Here’s a scouting report:

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Written by JHill

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