July 17th, 2024
Anthony DiComo
@AnthonyDiComoNEW YORK -- In the 11th round of this year’s Draft, the Mets took one of their own.
Hailing from about 20 miles east of Citi Field in Levittown, N.Y., Nick Roselli played his high school ball at Division Avenue, before heading upstate for college at Binghamton University. There, he developed into enough of a star to become the highest-drafted Binghamton player in more than a decade.
And yes, to address the elephant in the room: Roselli is a Mets fan.
“He spent a lot of time at Citi Field growing up,” Mets vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross said. “It’s pretty cool how that works out.”
2024 Draft presented by Nike:
Draft Tracker | First-round signings | All-time biggest bonuses
Pick-by-pick analysis: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Bazzana goes No. 1 | Wake Forest makes history | Mariners nab switch-pitcher | Top 7 Day 1 storylines | Best hauls | Our favorite picks | Famous family ties | Biggest steals | These picks could be new club No. 1's | Picks who could be quickest to bigs | Sons of Manny, Big Papi selected | Complete coverage
Over three years at Binghamton, Roselli slashed .349/.442/.608 with 26 homers, showcasing what Gross called “a real sock in the bat for a second baseman.”
“It’s really cool to see a kid that grew up a big Mets fan, and everything lines up for him, and we’re able to draft him and then hopefully sign him here coming soon,” Mets director of amateur scouting Drew Toussaint said. “He’s kind of living out his dream.”
Blue Devil upside
The Mets’ second-round pick back on Day 1 of the Draft, Jonathan Santucci, is a left-handed pitcher who spent much of his collegiate career looking like a possible first-rounder. The problem was mostly that Santucci fractured his elbow early in his sophom*ore season at Duke, knocking him out for the remainder of the spring.
- Mets draft Oklahoma State two-way star Benge at No. 19
That, combined with the fact that Santucci was a high school outfielder who only pitched about 10 career innings before arriving in Durham, gave scouts precious little data with which to work.
What talent evaluators did see when Santucci pitched, however, was a left-handed arm capable of reaching the upper 90s, plus an intriguing slider and an improving changeup. As he’s learned how to pitch, Santucci has referenced videos of Blake Snell, Carlos Rodón and other power lefties who have had success in the Majors.
“This is what I’ve worked my entire life to get to,” Santucci said in a telephone interview. “It’s just a testament to all the hard work I’ve put in and all the support staff and my family that I have around me. I couldn’t do it without them. … They helped me get in the position I’m in today, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”
A Massachusetts native, the 21-year-old Santucci grew up a Red Sox fan too young to remember not only that team’s curse-busting 2004 title, but also the follow-up in ’07. It’s partially Santucci’s youth that has the Mets excited about what he can become on the mound, now that he’s healed from injury and committed to pitching full time.
- Righty flamethrower tops list of Mets' Day 2 Draft picks
“At the end of the day, I’m just really excited that the Mets drafted me and really excited with everything I’ve heard so far about how they develop pitchers,” Santucci said. “I’m happy with the decision [to become a pitcher]. I think it was best for me, obviously, and just really excited to continue building on it. Because I know I’m nowhere near where I’m going to be in the future.”
Taking a risk
The Mets closed out their Draft with a lottery-ticket type pick, selecting Cedar Park Christian High School (Wash.) shortstop Adam Haight, the 187th-ranked player on MLB Pipeline’s Draft board, at No. 593 overall in the 20th round. Haight has a strong commitment to Oregon State University, meaning the Mets will likely need to offer something well over slot value to sign him. Realistically, it’s a long shot, but one the Mets felt worthwhile.
“He’s a tremendous kid,” Gross said, noting the Mets haven’t received any indications that they’ll be able to lure Haight away from Oregon State. “We were impressed by the maturity he showed. He’s got real sock in the bat as well. … He also pitches and will flash mid-90s on the bump. So from a two-way perspective, we were very intrigued.”
Big picture
This was the inaugural Mets Draft for Gross, one of president of baseball operations David Stearns’ first front-office hires last offseason. The two had previously worked together in Houston.
The total haul: 13 pitchers, seven position players, 17 collegiate players, three high schoolers and one notable two-way player in first-round pick Carson Benge. The Mets hope it will be the beginning of a sustainable run of pipeline talent under this regime.
- Did the Mets just draft their own unicorn?
“Sustainability is a big, key point for Steve [Cohen] and David, and the Draft is a huge part of this process,” Toussaint said. “Our goal is to continue to build processes around our amateur Draft that will help us get good players for David to make good decisions at the big league level to build a World Series champion."