#30 New York Mets: The Top 3 Pitchers Drafted Since 2013
The New York Mets have experienced a mixed journey over the past decade, showing signs of improvement in 2024 while grappling with a series of inconsistencies. Entering the 2024 season, the Mets ranked 14th in total wins and 5th in total days lost to pitcher injuries. Since 2021, they have relied on an astounding 33 pitchers per season to cover their workload—a testament to the persistent instability in their rotation.
At one point, the Mets were poised to dominate with a rotation featuring some of the most talented arms in the game: Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Steven Matz. The future looked bright, but injuries shattered that potential, leaving an enduring gap that the team's top pitching prospects struggled to fill.
Despite the apparent wealth of talent, the Mets have been plagued by an inability to maintain a consistent and effective rotation. Their top pitching draft picks since 2013 have contributed minimally, revealing deeper issues in player development and sustaining pitching success.
Injury Rate: 33%
Out of the 33 pitchers analyzed in this study, 11 have undergone surgery on their throwing arms, representing an alarming 33% injury rate. The average time to surgery was just 196 innings—a concerning statistic that underscores the struggles these young pitchers face in staying healthy.
Notable surgeries include:
Anthony Kay (2016)
Matt Allan (2019)
Calvin Ziegler (2021)
Both Matt Allan and Calvin Ziegler were drafted out of high school and required Tommy John surgery after throwing fewer than 100 professional innings. This points to a troubling trend of arm injuries among the Mets' most promising prospects before they can make a significant impact.
MLB Pitchers: 3
Only three of the Mets' top pitching draftees since 2013 have made at least one MLB appearance:
Thomas Szapucki
David Peterson
Eric Orze
Among them, David Peterson stands out, accounting for an overwhelming 98% of the 431 MLB innings pitched by the Mets' Top 3 draftees. This statistic highlights how few of these highly touted prospects have managed to translate their potential into significant major league contributions.
Cost Efficiency:$70,000
The Mets' investment in their top draft picks has yielded minimal return at the major league level. The organization has spent nearly $70,000 per MLB inning pitched by their Top 3 drafted pitchers, ranking second only to the Houston Astros in terms of cost inefficiency.
This figure includes nearly $10 million in signing bonuses for pitchers like Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay, Simeon Woods Richardson, Josh Wolf, and Matt Allan, none of whom have thrown a single MLB inning for the Mets. The high cost with little reward underscores the challenges the Mets face in converting potential into performance.
In addition to injury woes and inefficiency, the Mets have actively traded away 12 of their top pitching prospects in recent years. Unfortunately, the lack of returns from these trades further underscores the organization's struggles in producing and sustaining homegrown pitching talent.
Conclusion: Addressing the Root Cause
The New York Mets' inability to cultivate a stable and successful pitching staff is a glaring issue that has held them back from realizing their full potential. High injury rates, minimal contributions from top draft picks, and a lack of cost efficiency all point to systemic problems in their development system.
