Best draft picks in New York Mets history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in New York Mets history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Seth Lugo
- Draft: 1032nd overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 314
- Career stats: 49 wins, 3.34 earned run average, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.7

#24. Jay Payton
- Draft: 29th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,259
- Career stats: 119 home runs, .279 batting average, .748 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.4

#23. Lee Mazzilli
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 1973
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,475
- Career stats: 93 home runs, .259 batting average, .744 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.6

#22. Michael Conforto
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 922
- Career stats: 154 home runs, .253 batting average, .809 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.8

#20. Pete Alonso (tie)
- Draft: 64th overall pick in 2016
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 745
- Career stats: 206 home runs, .250 batting average, .862 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.0

#20. Ángel Pagán (tie)
- Draft: 136th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,124
- Career stats: 64 home runs, .280 batting average, .738 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.0

#19. Jeff McNeil
- Draft: 356th overall pick in 2013
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 729
- Career stats: 59 home runs, .293 batting average, .785 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.1

#18. Gregg Jefferies
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1985
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,465
- Career stats: 126 home runs, .289 batting average, .766 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.4

#17. Jeromy Burnitz
- Draft: 17th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,694
- Career stats: 315 home runs, .253 batting average, .826 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.9

#16. Daniel Murphy
- Draft: 394th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,452
- Career stats: 138 home runs, .296 batting average, .796 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.4

#15. Dave Magadan
- Draft: 32nd overall pick in 1983
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,582
- Career stats: 42 home runs, .288 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.1

#14. Rick Aguilera
- Draft: 58th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 732
- Career stats: 86 wins, 3.57 earned run average, 1.23 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.8

#13. Brandon Nimmo
- Draft: 13th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 818
- Career stats: 94 home runs, .266 batting average, .821 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.1

#11. Scott Kazmir (tie)
- Draft: 15th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 303
- Career stats: 108 wins, 4.02 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#11. Mookie Wilson (tie)
- Draft: 42nd overall pick in 1977
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,403
- Career stats: 67 home runs, .274 batting average, .700 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#10. Mike Scott
- Draft: 37th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 348
- Career stats: 124 wins, 3.54 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.7

#9. Steve Renko
- Draft: 620th overall pick in 1965
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 451
- Career stats: 6 home runs, .215 batting average, .536 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.6

#8. A.J. Burnett
- Draft: 217th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 435
- Career stats: 164 wins, 3.99 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 28.8

#7. Jon Matlack
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 361
- Career stats: 125 wins, 3.18 earned run average, 1.23 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 39.4

#6. Darryl Strawberry
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1980
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,583
- Career stats: 335 home runs, .259 batting average, .862 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.1

#5. Lenny Dykstra
- Draft: 315th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,278
- Career stats: 81 home runs, .285 batting average, .793 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.4

#4. Jacob deGrom
- Draft: 272nd overall pick in 2010
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 215
- Career stats: 84 wins, 2.53 earned run average, 0.99 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 44.8

#3. David Wright
- Draft: 38th overall pick in 2001
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,585
- Career stats: 242 home runs, .296 batting average, .867 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 49.2

#2. Dwight Gooden
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 1982
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 430
- Career stats: 194 wins, 3.51 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 53.0

#1. Nolan Ryan
- Draft: 295th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 807
- Career stats: 324 wins, 3.19 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 81.3

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.