The Mets drafted a Center Fielder.
Let’s talk about it.
With the 19th pick in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft the Mets selected a high school outfielder, Pete-Crow Armstrong.
The slot value for this pick is $3.36 million.
Armstrong attends the prestigious Harvard-Westlake school in California. Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito, and Max Fried all attended the school and were drafted in the first round recently. For the third year in a row, the Mets have drafted a high school position player in the first round of the draft.
- 2018 – Jarred Kelenic OF
- 2019 – Brett Baty 3B
Before we go any further, there’s one very important question.
CAN WE SIGN HIM?
Armstrong is committed to attend Vanderbilt in the fall. Let’s hope that Brodie Van Wagenen and his team have done their due diligence here.
Let’s remember that in the 2019 draft, the Mets pulled off the ultimate heist by drafting Matthew Allan in the third round. He was considered by many to be a first round talent, but was committed to Florida University and had a high asking price of 4 million dollars.
Long story short, Allan did not go to college and currently is in the Mets farm system. So, we can definitely give the Mets the benefit of the doubt here.
Back to Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Armstrong is a center fielder, and is considered by many to be the best defensive high schooler in the draft. He’s been called a “game-changer” in center.
He hits and throws left-handed, and is ranked the 20th best prospect by MLB Pipeline. Furthermore, Fangraphs had Crow-Armstrong 25th on their board, while Baseball Prospectus had him at 22nd.
Juan Lagares won a Gold Glove award for the Mets in 2014, but this has been a position of need for the team for quite some time.
So, what do you think, Pete?
Pete Crow-Armstrong: “I want to be more than just a baseball player. I want to make an impact.”
Love it.
Crow-Armstrong has played for Team USA four times. In 2018 and 2019 he was on the U.S. under 18 National Team. In 2017 he played on the under 15 National Team. And in 2014 he played on the under 12 squad where he actually hit and pitched.
Armstrong led off and played center for Team USA most recently in the 2019 Baseball World Cup.
Mets fans will love this! He hit .364 with four doubles and three triples in nine games and robbed two home runs against Chinese Taipei and Australia! He was named the World Cup’s All-World Center Fielder.
That’s performing on a big stage if you ask me.
Before his senior season was cut short, Armstrong was raking. He struck out just once in 42 at bats posting a .514 average. As a junior, he hit .426 with three home runs and five triples.
His speed and defense are his best attributes right now, reminding some scouts of Grady Sizemore.
It’s no secret that Crow-Armstrong dropped because of concerns about how his power would develop. The Mets’ new lefty has committed himself to strength building exercises and weight gain.
The Corona virus put the world on hold, and Armstrong’s senior season was cut short as a result. If the season had happened, maybe scouts would have seen that his efforts to develop power had paid off, and he wouldn’t have been available for the Mets to draft him at 19.
Everything happens for a reason, right?