With the MLB draft set to take place on June 10th, we asked the writers here on MMN to tell us who they would like to see the Mets take with their first round pick which is at number 19 overall.

Sam Lebowitz – Austin Hendrick 

In a normal year, Austin Hendrick might be a top-10 pick. But this year’s class is so loaded with talent that the prep outfielder will fall into the teens at least. There’s also signability concerns because he’d be a draft eligible sophomore if he honors his commitment to Mississippi State. That could force him to slide even further, and maybe even let the Mets snag a top talent with the 19th selection.

The Mets have gone with a top high school bat each of the last two years, and indication seems to be that they want to go in that direction again. Hendrick would be a steal if the Mets could swing for him. Scouts rave about his elite bat speed and monstrous raw power. His swing from the left side is violent but beautiful, with a bat path somewhat reminiscent of Cody Bellinger’s.

Though the raw power is his best tool and the violent swing will lend itself to some strikeouts, Hendrick’s athleticism and other tools are worth noting. The hit tool will lag behind the pop, but it’s not without its merits and certainly should develop respectably. He’s a solid runner with good defensive reviews in the corner outfield spots, profiling best as a right fielder because of his strong arm. Hendrick makes a ton of sense for the Mets if he slides well past the first dozen picks, and they would be hard-pressed to find someone with more upside with the 19th selection.

Christopher Soto – Jared Kelley

With this year’s significantly shortened draft format and the fact that high school players haven’t had the chance to showcase themselves much, if at all, this spring…..its very likely possible that we see a pretty heavy college oriented lean for selections this year. On the flip side, this could also present opportunities for teams like the Mets if a High School player who could have been a Top 10 pick talent falls to them cause of a lack of games.

With this in mind, a player I would like to see the Mets take a chance on if they get the opportunity is RHP Jared Kelley.

Kelley feels like a near perfect pitching prospect. He generates mid-90s velocity naturally without needing to exert himself which limits potential injury risk. He has an advanced feel for a change-up already that as two-plane movement plus a promising breaking ball just needs some refinement. Add that to his solid ideal 6’3″ pitching frame and you have yourself a chance to develop a potential future front-line SP.

Ted Klein – Center Fielder with Upside

I would like the Mets to draft Garrett Mitchell or Pete Crow-Armstrong, or even Isaiah Greene, three true potential center fielders with athleticism in a system that has not much in the way of outfield prospects.
All three can be questioned due to limited view, but are definitely high-upside potential. If not then, Dillon Dingler, the catcher with some upside.

Alex Farinacci – Slade Cecconi

With the 19th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, I would like to see the Mets take RHP, Slade Cecconi out of the University of Miami. Ranked as the No. 31 prospect in the country by MLB Pipeline, Cecconi appears to be a pitcher with exciting potential. Cecconi has been impressive over the last two seasons, posting a 4.09 ERA between 2019 and the shortened 2020 season, with 119 strikeouts and only 25 BB over 101.1 IP. While he gave up 94 hits, only 46 ER were credited to Cecconi over the last two seasons.

Another statistic that makes Cecconi stand-out in this draft class is his fastball, which according to Baseball America, has reached 98 mph. Analysts from ESPN say Cecconi has the potential to be a starter. Coming out of the University of Miami, Cecconi would be an exciting addition to the Mets’ rotation upon working his way up to the big leagues.

Jacob Resnick – Nick Bitsko

If the Mets were picking in the top half of the first round, I would be all in on a safe bat, similar to the Jarred Kelenic/Brett Baty approach the organization has taken the past two years. Given where they are selecting, however, I would be totally comfortable with a roll of the dice on a high-upside pitcher. Luckily, this year’s class features a plethora of that demographic.

The pick for me is prep arm Nick Bitsko, if he is available (and it’s certainly possible he won’t be). He would be an extremely tantalizing arm to put next to Matthew Allan and Josh Wolf in a rotation-of-the-future exercise, and I would be completely trusting of Ricky Meinhold and the rest of the Port St. Lucie staff’s ability to harness his potential.

Should Bitsko not fall to 19, Cade Cavalli, Cole Wilcox, or Garrett Crochet should, and any of them would make a similarly solid selection.

Steve Schaeffler – Austin Wells

Drafting in the middle of the first round can leave a team trying to decide whether or not to draft for upside or known commodity. With the Mets using their top three picks last year on high upside high school players, I would like to see the Mets go with the opposite this year and take a player who has shown an above average ability to succeed at one aspect of the game. That particular skill for me this year is hitting and the player is Austin Wells.

While there are many questions about Wells defensively, such as can he play catcher as he moves up through the system or where exactly he will have to be moved to, there are no questions about his ability to hit. The left-handed swinging Wells has power to all fields, a steady , level swing that stays in the zone and allows him to make hard contact with the barrel. He has to cut down on his strikeouts, yet shows an encouraging ability to draw walks as well.

As far as where he would fit in defensively, if he is unable to stay behind the plate, he could always slide to first base or left field ,much like the player he is often compared to Kyle Schwarber and with the talk about the designated hitter possibly coming to the National League, having a player who can stroke the ball is always a need at the MLB level.

Matt Mancuso – Cole Wilcox

In a vacuum, this is an easy question. Gimme Spencer Torkelson. Raw power, terrific hit tool, and a stud in the making. But, it’s a pity we don’t live in a vacuum. There’s no doubt Torkelson’s going way before the Mets first-round pick at 19. In a real life scenario, there’s a bunch of different directions the Mets could pivot with their first-round selection. They’ve been connected to virtually every mid-to-late first rounder, so there’s no shortage of ways they could go.

Over the last month I’ve spent reviewing potential draftees, I’ve fallen in love with a couple of guys. One is Georgia RHP Cole Wilcox. Wilcox, who was drafted in the 37th round by the Nationals last year, has a quality three-pitch mix. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and both his offspeed pitches, a slider and a changeup, show impressive life. He could rise quickly in the system as a nice mid-of-the-rotation arm. If the Mets opt to pick a position player, I’d recommend UCLA OF Garrett Mitchell.

With the draft just days away, we won’t have to wait long to find out just who the Mets to end up taking with that first round pick. You can watch the draft live on ESPN or MLB Network Wednesday June 10th at 7 p.m.