The New York Mets made a pair of interesting choices in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft Sunday night, selecting Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada with the No. 11 overall pick, and Texas HS shortstop Jett Williams three picks later at No. 14 overall.
Parada, a draft-eligible sophomore, was selected with the pick the Mets got as compensation for not signing last year’s No. 10 overall pick, RHP Kumar Rocker, who went third overall to Texas in 2022. Parada is a righty/righty backstop who was a potential early-round pick out of high school in 2020 but chose to go to Georgia Tech.
He was a consensus Freshman All-American and Third Team All-ACC in 2021, and last season, he was once again a consensus All-American and won both the Buster Posey and Johnny Bench Awards for the top catcher in the nation.
Parada slashed .360/.452/.709 in 2022 with a Tech school record 26 homers, 88 RBI, and 79 runs scored in 2022, and here is a snippet from his MLB.com scouting report:
“His defense drew some mixed reviews during his college debut but his bat earned praise throughout. Parada doesn't try to do too much at the plate, keeping his right-handed swing under control and lashing line drives all over the park. He has good feel for the barrel, makes repeated hard contact against all types of pitching and he's showing increased power to all fields this year. He projects as a potential .280-.300 hitter with 20-25 homers per season who could fit into the middle of a big league batting order. Parada runs well for a catcher but isn't the most agile or physical behind the plate, and he wore down over the course of last spring and summer with Georgia Tech and Team USA. He has looked better as a sophomore and scouts credit him for working diligently on his defense. He earns average to solid grades for his receiving and needs to improve his fringy arm strength and his throwing accuracy after erasing just 12 percent of base stealers as a freshman.”
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He is an interesting choice, of course, because the Mets’ top prospect – and soon to be top prospect in all of MLB – is catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was just promoted to Triple-A recently.
Interesting, too, is the selection of Williams, as the Mets have Francisco Lindor under contract through 2031 and count a shortstop (Ronny Mauricio) and two third basemen (Mark Vientos and Brett Baty) among their Top 5 prospects.
That said, Williams, a diminutive 5-foot-8, is best suited to second base or center field according to some evaluators polled by MLB.com, and he was bothered by a balky shoulder for much of the 2022 season.
Williams hit .411 with seven homers, 43 RBI, and 24 steals for Rockwall-Heath HS in Heath, Texas, just northeast of Dallas, and is committed to Mississippi State. Here’s a snippet of his MLB.com scouting report:
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“At 5-foot-8, Williams might be the smallest player on our Draft Top 250, but he's also a favorite gut-feel guy for a lot of scouts. One crosschecker called him the best hitter on the summer showcase circuit, where he raked despite an injury to his right shoulder. With quick hands, feel for the barrel and a quality right-handed stroke, Williams rarely swings and misses and makes line-drive contact with ease. He has no problem handling premium velocity or quality breaking pitches, and his size belies his power. He should produce at least 15 homers per year with his bat speed and deceptive strength, perhaps more if he gets more aggressive about pulling pitches. Williams has at least plus speed and knows how to use his quickness on the bases and in the field. He has the hands and actions for shortstop, but he didn't throw well during the summer when his shoulder was bothering him. Some evaluators believe he has solid arm strength when healthy and can stay at short, while others think his arm is more fringy to average and he'll wind up at second base or center field.”
The selections come with slot bonuses of $4.78 million and $4.24 million, respectively, and the Mets have two second round picks – No. 52 overall in the second round proper and No. 75 overall in the compensation portion of the round – left on Day 1.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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