Previewing the Mets’ 2025 MLB Draft

When the MLB draft opens on Monday, the New York Mets will watch 37 picks pass by before they make their first one. For the third time in a row, the Mets’ initial selection was moved back 10 slots for exceeding Major League Baseball’s Competitive Balance Tax Threshold.

This year, they exceeded it by $40 million, and to make matters a bit worse, they had already forfeited their second-round draft pick after signing Juan Soto. Between the Soto signing and exceeding the Competitive Balance Tax Threshold, the Mets were lowered to pick No. 38, which comes in during the Competitive Balance Round A on Sunday.

Speaking with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Vice President of Amateur Scouting Kris Gross didn’t seem too phased with where the Mets stand heading into an important weekend.

“This is a very deep class, we like,” he said. “I feel like college pitching and high school hitting is exceptionally deep this year. So I think what we’re going to be looking at, at 38, is going to be fairly exciting. There’s a lot of talent on the board.”

The Mets are known for targeting versatile infielders and top prospect outfielders. According to predictions by ESPN, Baseball America and MLB.com, the one thing that matches up is they all have the Mets taking just that – either a versatile infielder or outfielder, with all three players having the ability to play the outfield.

ESPN’s final mock draft by draft experts in the company aligns with the Mets taking a high school hitter. They predict the Mets to take third baseman Quentin Young out of Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California.

Perfect Game lists Young, who measures in at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, as having “top of the scale bat speed and raw power, and huge arm strength.” At 18 years old, ESPN.com lauded the raw power of the right-handed hitter, noting that he has hit a ball with an exit velocity of 115.4 mph and has hit five others harder than 110 mph and farther than 420 feet. They compare him to an athlete like Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, in that he is strong for his age, but the mechanics need work. Because of his knowledge, though, scouts predict he should be able to make adjustments well at the plate.

Young is a utility infielder who is strongest at shortstop, but also has the ability to play at second, third or in the outfield as well. This is another trait that the Mets have been attracted to in past drafts – selecting players who can be versatile and spread out in the field.

Along with their preference for versatile infielders, one of the biggest needs the Mets have entering the draft is outfield depth in the upper minor leagues. Currently, this is arguably the Mets’ weakest position across the board. It is also a position in which the Mets tend to select players with a higher floor and who also have a chance of succeeding.

Young fits the bill for being able to slot into an outfield position as well, and he is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 37 prospect in the 2025 draft class for the reasons mentioned above, along with his performances at MLB’s High School All-American Game and USA Baseball’s 18U team in the World Cup qualifier. He is a player who can move well for his size and has strong athleticism offensively and defensively. With the ability to throw the ball 95 mph, some scouts think he would be best suited in the outfield, where a strong arm can make all the difference in the world.

Young is currently committed to LSU.

Considering their need for outfield depth, Baseball America has New York targeting that position as well. Whereas ESPN predicts the Mets to draft a high schooler, BA’s latest mock draft has the Mets going with a college player in Max Belyeu from the University of Texas.

Belyeu is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior from Aledo, Texas. The 21-year old bats left and throws right.

In his 2025 junior season, Belyeu slashed .303/.414/.576. He hit seven doubles, one triple, nine home runs and drove in 29 RBIs while scoring 26 runs.

Over the course of his career at Texas, he has batted .318/.414/.616. In three seasons (106 total games), he recorded 23 doubles, two triples, 27 home runs, 84 RBIs and 79 runs scored. He also draws plenty of walks, doing so 27 times his sophomore year and 21 times in his junior campaign.

He is known for his discipline at the plate and putting the ball in play, as well as accumulating big hits with his explosive power.

In the 2024 season, Belyeu was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team while also earning Perfect Game Second Team All-American, ABCA/ Rawlings Second Team All-American, and Big 12 Player of the Year honors, among with more. He was also awarded a spot on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for his performance in the classroom.

With the Mets being a team that needs outfield depth, along with knowledge and discipline at the plate, Belyeu could be a good fit for the organization.

MLB.com also has the New York Mets taking a top outfielder in left-handed hitter Mason Neville from the Oregon Ducks. A junior from Las Vegas, Nev., who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he is the No. 35 prospect in the class according to MLB.com. Neville used to be a two-way player and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 18th round of the 2022 draft, but decided to take the collegiate route and go to Arkansas.

He transferred to Oregon in 2024 and has played all three outfield positions for them. While he favored center field, he can play all three spots and can make good reads on the ball from any of them.

At the plate, Neville is known for his raw power and athleticism. He has been compared to Cody Bellinger at this point in his development due to the ability to drive the ball through gaps with power, punishing fastballs, and having a bat that can succeed at the next level.

In 2025, Neville batted .290 with 16 doubles, 26 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 67 runs scored.

Gross and staff members in charge of draft operations arrived in Port St. Lucie earlier this week to begin preparations for the draft. David Stearns will join the group this weekend for the draft, which begins Sunday. It is only a two-day event, so it will be fast, but Gross confirmed the team is ready.

“It’s going to be a change, and I think the prep work we put into it will have us prepared and ready to go,” he told DiComo. “But chaos will probably ensue, and it’s going to go fast.”

The first round opens at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday. The Mets will have picks No. 38 and 102 on Day One with a bonus pool allotment of $5,465,900, which ranks No. 29 in the league.

Despite the low bonus pool allotment, the lack of picks might work in the Mets’ favor. This draft is known for its depth over its top talent, and the Mets have the luxury of allotting large sums to high school talents to steal them away from college commits. Very similarly to when they drafted Trey Snyder away from Tennessee by offering him second-round money in the fifth round.

On Day 2 on Monday, the Mets will have picks No. 133 and 163. They’ll also own the No. 28 pick in each of the rounds from the fourth through the rest of the draft.

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