Mets' 2026 MLB Draft recap: New York replenishing farm system after 19 players selected

In addition to what likely will be a sell-off at the trade deadline, the 2026 draft was a very important draft to help the Mets replenish a farm system that dropped to the No. 24 ranked system in baseball according to Baseball America.

The final tally for the Mets 2026 draft class:

19 Total Players Selected

17 College Players Selected

2 High School Players Selected

12 Pitchers Selected

7 Position Players Selected

It all starts at the top with the Mets selecting Arkansas right-hander Carson Wiggins with the No. 27 overall pick, who was a home run swing type of pick. While surprising to Mets fans based on public rankings, it wasn’t considered earth shattering in the industry that he went this high.

The Mets are banking on stuff, which Wiggins has an abundance of, as well as their player development system being able to mold him into a potential frontline starting pitcher. If that doesn’t come together, he can be a high leverage reliever that is capable of hitting 102 mph on the radar gun with a wipeout slider. Assuming he signs, he will be the first pitcher the Mets drafted and signed in the first round since David Peterson in 2017.

Day one of the draft for the Mets concluded with two value selections, starting with Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins in the third round, No. 92 overall, who received a ton of first-round buzz leading up to the draft, including being heavily linked to the Mets as an option at No. 27.

Robbins’ college career was a tale of two different players. At Seton Hall he was a hit over power type of player, hitting .422 as a sophomore and slugging just 12 home runs across two seasons for the Pirates.

Robbins then had a breakout performance with a wood bat at the Cape Cod League, where he led the league in average (.307), slugging percentage (.545) and OPS (.936). He transferred to Texas and became more of a power over hit player, doubling his career home run total at Seton Hall, hitting 24 home runs in his one season with Texas. There are some questions about his ability to consistently hit breaking balls as well as his future defensive home, but the Mets were ecstatic to land a player with above average power and a history of a hit tool at No. 92.

In the fourth round at pick No. 120 overall, the Mets selected Texas A&M left-hander Shane Sdao. Sdao had a breakout 2024 that had some believing he would be a top two round selection in the 2025 draft. Sdao ended up missing the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Statistically his 2026 season was not what he expected (7.03 ERA in 71.2 innings), but his stuff continued to tick back up as he continued to get healthier as the spring wore on.

The Mets believe there is some physical maturation still to come on his 6-foot-3, 185-pound build. As part of that, they think there is more in the tank for his fastball that touched 97 mph this year. His best pitch isn’t the fastball, but his low-mid 80s slider that grades out above average.

Sdao may not have the stuff that someone like Wiggins does, but he is a strike thrower who locates a five-pitch mix, all of which look to be at least average offerings. He currently looks like a back-end type of starter, but it’s possible there is a little bit more there.

As day two kicked off, the Mets selected four college pitchers in a row, starting with Florida right-hander Luke McNeillie in the fifth round, who was mostly a reliever at Florida. In 18 appearances, he posted a 3.97 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 34 innings. He primarily throws a fastball that touched 99 mph and a mid-80s slider. He also has a changeup that he used exclusively against left-handed hitters.

I think McNeillie could be the next in a long line of college relievers being converted to professional starters by the Mets. They did similar with Christian Scott, ironically also a fifth-round pick who had a similar repertoire while at Florida.

In the sixth round they selected Auburn right-hander Alex Petrovic. Petrovic has had to persevere through some tough injuries in college. He had two separate stress fractures in his throwing arm that limited him to 14 games his first two years at Auburn. He was fully healthy for the first time in 2026, and things really started to come together when he posted a 3.21 ERA in 17 starts as Auburn’s Sunday starter.

His stuff ticked up without sacrificing command, as Petrovic has always been a strike thrower. His fastball was up to 96 mph with a plus changeup and he also throws a sweeper and cutter. One scout told me: “Petro is a tough kid. I wouldn’t bet against him.”

In the seventh round, the Mets selected right-hander Aidan Keenan from Stanford. He only got into seven games this season for Stanford due to an oblique injury. He posted a 5.82 ERA in 21.2 innings with 25 strikeouts.

It is important to note that in the MLB Draft, teams are not drafting for college statistics. They are drafting traits and tools, and Keenan has traits. At the MLB Combine, he sat 96-99 mph with 19 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball and threw a mid-80s slider, low-90s changeup and a cutter. He has not been a consistent strike thrower, likely profiling as a reliever at the next level. The Mets could try him as a starter to begin his pro career just to get innings under his belt.

In the eighth round, the Mets took Ole Miss right-hander Landon Koenig. Koenig is from Mayville, North Dakota, a town with a population under 2,000. He attended North Dakota State before transferring to Ole Miss for his final season where his swing and miss took a big step forward pitching out of the Rebels’ bullpen.

In 2025 at NDSU, Koenig struck out 8.9 batters-per-nine. In 2026 at Ole Miss, that number spiked to 13.1 strikeouts-per-nine. The physical 6-foot-6, 245-pounder is a pure power reliever who sat 95-96 mph on his fastball and touched 98 with a hard slider and splitter.

In the ninth round, the Mets drafted someone who will be catching all these pitchers in Cal Poly catcher Ryan Tayman. Tayman is an offensive minded catcher who was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Los Angeles regionals in Cal Poly’s run to the Super Regionals in 2026.

Tayman hit .357/.447/.672 with 18 home runs in 63 games for the Mustangs. He dominated fastballs, even high velocity ones in 2026. The questions are with handling breaking balls as well as the feasibility to stick behind the plate as a catcher long-term.

The Mets closed out the top 10 rounds with their second Ivy Leaguer drafted in the last two years in Dartmouth right-hander Nate Isler. Last year they took Truman Pauley in the 12th round out of Harvard, who was traded last winter to the Chicago White Sox in the deal for Luis Robert Jr.

Isler posted a 4.85 ERA in 65 innings with 80 strikeouts for the Big Green. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound right-hander has a four-pitch mix, with a fastball up to 96, a curveball, slider and changeup, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.

The MLB Draft as a concept is in a lot of ways a giant dart throw. Rounds 11-20 are the ultimate dart throws. Some of the Mets late picks that stood out to me:

11th rounder, Arkansas outfielder Kuhio Aloy. He is the younger brother of Orioles 2025 first-rounder Wehiwa. Aloy has plus-raw power, it comes with swing and miss, but he hit a 97 mph fastball 469 feet at 117 mph off the bat this year. On a personal note, on his bio on Arkansas’ website, it says he can hit a golf ball 400 yards. I am quite jealous.

12th rounder, UC Santa Barbara right-hander AJ Krodel who has a low-90s fastball that will touch 96 mph with excellent shape. His primary secondaries are a sweeper and changeup that will flash plus at times while mixing in a curveball. Baseball America called him a player development opportunity.

13th rounder, catcher Jacob Madrid from Notre Dame high school in California. Notre Dame high school is the alma mater of Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds and Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees. The Oregon commit is considered a plus-defensive catcher, being lauded as one of the best defensive catchers in the entire class with both a strong and accurate throwing arm.

He has some raw power, and a scout told MLB Pipeline “if he hits at all, he’s a big leaguer”. It remains to be seen if Madrid is signable. The deadline to sign draft picks is July 27 at 5 p.m. ET.

Given the Mets had the third smallest bonus pool in the league this year due to their first pick dropping 10 spots and losing two selections for the signing of Bo Bichette, I think the Mets fared well in this draft. I’d give it a solid B, bordering on B+. They went heavy with college talent, but not just the “they are what they are” type of college players, but ones where there is a vision for squeezing more potential out of.

They drafted some intriguing arms with big power stuff that may need some harnessing that are now in the hands of the player development staff that over the last three years has done an excellent job of developing pitchers. Despite some inconsistent results on the farm in 2026, they are still considered among the best pitching development groups in the sport.

The most exciting part about the MLB Draft is you never know when a prospect can be the next impact player for the Mets. They can come from any round and any signing bonus amount. While what they did in college and high school matters, their professional story begins now.