The Mets signed 18 of their 20 draft picks for the 2024 class, the first under new vice president of amatuer scouting Kris Gross and new president of baseball operations David Stearns. Here is how we graded the draft:

Jorge Eckhardt (@Jorge_Eckardt): A

I know that’s a high grade, and we won’t know one way or another for years, but it feels like a good draft. Benge was, in my opinion, the correct pick at 19. They avoiding falling into the Honeycutt or King trap like many expected and went with a high-floor, high-ceiling guy in Benge.

Santucci is an interesting arm to throw in the pitching lab, which the Mets seemed to lean into for much of the draft. There are a lot of arms throughout this draft who have really interesting tools, and with the way the Mets pitcher development has been lately, it’s an exciting prospect.

Sean (@BlncaFlamaKendo): B+

While the Mets grabbed some solid talent with Benge and Santucci in the first two rounds, they went pitcher-heavy in a system that is lacking in proven offense, specifically in the lower levels. The new regime definitely went all-in on some high-velocity arms with control and health questions but reliever profiles. It is to be seen if they will try and convert some of them a-la Christian Scott and Tyler Stuart but it was still a good draft nonetheless.

With the recent developments in the Mets pitching lab, hopefully they can find some gems out of the picks. Corey Collins, the Mets sixth round pick could be a sleeper to me with power and strong plate discipline already.

Matt Mancuso (@MattyCuso): A

Given the impressive draft history of the Mets’ new VP of amateur scouting director Kris Gross, the Mets were bound to grade out positively. Evaluators have raved about Mets’ selection of Benge, their first-round pick out of Oklahoma State. Benge adds to the group of everyday position players who are slowing to make their way up the Mets’ minor-league ranks.

Despite their selection of Benge, the Mets concentrated on pitching this draft, a decision that could pay major dividends in the future considering the success that several of the minor-league hurlers have been enjoying. In particular, Tanner Witt, their 14th round draftee, is exactly the type of profile that could benefit from extended time in the Mets’ pitching lab given his previous first-round prestige.

Jack Ramsey (@jwr020819): A

It’s hard not to like what the Mets did. Benge is one of the safer, but highest upside selections we saw in the first round this year. Given that he is an advanced college product, and a polished one at that, he could factor into the Mets’ plans in Queens as soon.

If Jonathan Santucci can remain healthy, he could be a strong back-end starter. Eli Serrano III and Trey Snyder both have high upside, especially for fourth and fifth-round selections. With the majority of their remaining selections, the Mets focused on an area in which they’ve had plenty of success lately: college pitching. Highlighted by Brandon Sproat, the Mets have seen immediate success for multiple college arms they selected in the 2023 Draft. They clearly recognize the strength of their player development, and plan to play into their strengths.

The first Mets draft was conducted under VP of scouting Kris Gross and president of baseball operations David Stearns, two head executives who are in tune with and in touch with the strength of their operations.