Nolan McLean. Photo by Rick Nelson

The New York Mets’ 2023 draft was overall successful with some big-impact names coming out of it.

Nolan McLean, taken in the third round, may be the most impactful player taken. The Mets drafted him as a two-way player with an eye for what he could do on the pitching side. Within a year, he stopped hitting, and a year later he went through a massive overhaul in Triple-A in the summer of 2025, leading to his quick call-up. He has pitched to a 2.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 227 2/3 innings and looks like he could be a potential frontline starter for years to come.

The other player who can claim the most impact is A.J. Ewing, who was taken in the fourth round. Ewing was drafted as a shortstop but quickly moved to the outfield, where he has developed into a plus-defensive center fielder with flex at second base. He dominated Double-A and Triple-A, forcing his way onto the 2026 major league roster in May, and slashed .252/.324/.376 (.700 OPS).

The swing change he made in the minors this year has helped him get to his power better, and his HR/162 pace ended at 15 while his stolen base pace ended at 34. Even if he tops out as a 15 home run player, Ewing looks like he can man center field for the long haul while also providing flexibility in the infield.

The Mets liked Brandon Sproat so much they drafted him twice, this time in the second round. He struggled heavily in 2025 to maintain velocity or command the major league baseball, which led him to change up his pitch mix and try to be a contact-suppression-based pitcher. Following a trade to Milwaukee, he struggled as a Brewer and their manager, Pat Murphy called out his struggles. He did not make the postseason roster. Across 117 2/3 innings between the Mets and Brewers, Sproat has a 5.43 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. He was part of the trade that brought Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to Queens.

Colin Houck, taken in the first round, has unfortunately looked like one of the worst picks the Mets have made in recent history. He has struggled heavily in High-A, slashing .207/.281/.327 (.608 OPS) across 153 games, and it is hard to see him having a path to Double-A, let alone the majors. In a draft where he was drafted five picks before Kevin McGonigle, who the Mets were rumored to be linked to, this only looks worse in hindsight.

Zac Thornton, taken in the fifth round, made adjustments between appearances in the majors leading to a strong rookie season with a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He made some interesting pitch mix changes in that start that could elevate his ceiling a bit and he has said he wants to add velocity in the offseason. As it stands, the Mets would likely prefer he starts the 2027 season in Syracuse because they have five better starters in the majors Opening Day, but he would still likely make at least 15-20 starts in 2027 with injuries

He needs to work on generating more whiff and right now he still projects to be a backend starter, swing man, or up-and-down pitcher, but if he could ever get to that velocity, a decent comparison might be David Peterson. But the Mets are much happier drafting David Peterson in the fifth round than the first round.

Jack Wenninger had top-100 buzz early in the season, but struggled as the season went on, ending with a 4.54 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He struggles to maintain velocity across outings, which may end up making his good outcome future as a back-end reliever, but that is a good outcome for a sixth-round pick. The Mets have to decide if they want to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft and if he is not claimed he will likely at least get some bullpen innings in the majors in 2027.

13th-round pick Ben Simon has looked strong in both Double-A and Triple-A this year flashing multiple plus pitches and pitching to a 3.56 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He is unlikely to be protected or claimed in the Rule 5 Draft but he could be a factor in the majors in 2027.

Third-rounder Kade Morris was traded to the Athletics for Paul Blackburn, who started strong for the Mets, got hurt, and then struggled heavily, leading the Mets to eventually cut him. Morris has had mixed results in Triple-A and the minors in general, pitching to a 4.08 ERA and 1.35 WHIP this year. He got a brief cup of coffee in the majors but it did not go well with a 10.90 ERA and 2.14 WHIP in 17 2/3 innings.

Boston Baro missed most of the 2026 season with injury after struggling in both 2025 and 2024. He has looked fine as of the time of writing showing off plus contact traits in the Arizona Fall League despite slashing .227/.452/.364 (.815 OPS) but he has yet to hit a ball over 95.6 mph. He makes a lot of contact but it is hard to envision a major league future without some level of power.

You can see the full draft here:

• Round 1 – Colin Houck – SS
• Round 2 – Brandon Sproat – P
• Round 3 – Nolan McLean – TWP
• Round 3 – Kade Morris – P
• Round 4 – Wyatt Hudepohl – P
• Round 4 – A.J. Ewing – SS
• Round 4 – Austin Troesser – P
• Round 5 – Zac Thornton – P
• Round 6 – Jack Wenninger – P
• Round 7 – Noah Hall – P
• Round 8 – Boston Baro – SS
• Round 9 – Nick Lorusso – 3B
• Round 10 – Christian Pregent – C
• Round 11 – Brett Banks – P
• Round 12 – Brady Kirtner – P
• Round 13 – Ben Simon – P
• Round 14 – John Valle – P
• Round 15 – Justin Lawson – P
• Round 16 – Jake Zitella – 3B
• Round 17 – Bryce Jenkins – P
• Round 18 – Gavyn Jones – P
• Round 19 – Christian Little – P
• Round 20 – Kellum Clark – OF