- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,200,703
- Reaction score
- 59
The New York Mets selected Carson Wiggins with their top pick in the draft yesterday, as they gambled on the fireballing right-hander who can light up a radar gun at 100 mph but is also coming off Tommy John surgery, according to a report from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Selections like this are common these days, especially for a team like the Mets with lower draft picks due to their high payroll and the competitive balance taxes that come with it. The 21-year old Wiggins tore his UCL last spring as a freshman at Arkansas, and he’s been working his way back ever since.
What drew the attention of the Mets and vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross was a bullpen Wiggins threw in front of their scouts at the SEC Tournament during the spring, according to DiComo.
They followed up when Wiggins showed out at the MLB Draft Combine last month with a fastball that played at 95 mph, the ability to tick the gun at higher velocity, and an expanding repertoire the includes a slider, curve and changeup.
Gross said Wiggins’ stuff “jumps off the page” as he summarized his description.
“The package, the athleticism, the size -- it just screams frontline guy,” Gross said.
Wiggins described himself as “a very powerful pitcher,” but part of the risk is that the sample size is small. In 14 appearances for Arkansas before he hurt his right elbow, Wiggins logged a 3.21 ERA with 20 strikeouts and nine walks over 14 innings, DiComo added.
Wiggins also said he’s “a different pitcher than I was two years ago” with all his offspeed weapons, and the Mets think he can make his debut in pro ball before the end of the summer.
“We’re really excited about the repertoire he’s working with,” Gross said. “We think he’s going to be a really [expletive] good pitcher. Frontline upside. That was a real attraction with Carson.”
The highlight of this story is the race Wiggins has had with his brother, Jaxon, to hit 100 mph. They’ve both done it, and it happened for Carson when he was 17.
“It came out of nowhere,” he said. “I didn’t even know how to explain it. It just kind of happened. And then after that, it just kept going.”
Wiggins was the Mets lone selection in the top 91 picks of the draft this year due to the tax penalties, as they lost two picks, one a first rounder and the other in the second, after signing infielder Bo Bichette.
Continue reading...
Selections like this are common these days, especially for a team like the Mets with lower draft picks due to their high payroll and the competitive balance taxes that come with it. The 21-year old Wiggins tore his UCL last spring as a freshman at Arkansas, and he’s been working his way back ever since.
What drew the attention of the Mets and vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross was a bullpen Wiggins threw in front of their scouts at the SEC Tournament during the spring, according to DiComo.
They followed up when Wiggins showed out at the MLB Draft Combine last month with a fastball that played at 95 mph, the ability to tick the gun at higher velocity, and an expanding repertoire the includes a slider, curve and changeup.
Gross said Wiggins’ stuff “jumps off the page” as he summarized his description.
“The package, the athleticism, the size -- it just screams frontline guy,” Gross said.
Wiggins described himself as “a very powerful pitcher,” but part of the risk is that the sample size is small. In 14 appearances for Arkansas before he hurt his right elbow, Wiggins logged a 3.21 ERA with 20 strikeouts and nine walks over 14 innings, DiComo added.
Wiggins also said he’s “a different pitcher than I was two years ago” with all his offspeed weapons, and the Mets think he can make his debut in pro ball before the end of the summer.
“We’re really excited about the repertoire he’s working with,” Gross said. “We think he’s going to be a really [expletive] good pitcher. Frontline upside. That was a real attraction with Carson.”
The highlight of this story is the race Wiggins has had with his brother, Jaxon, to hit 100 mph. They’ve both done it, and it happened for Carson when he was 17.
“It came out of nowhere,” he said. “I didn’t even know how to explain it. It just kind of happened. And then after that, it just kept going.”
Wiggins was the Mets lone selection in the top 91 picks of the draft this year due to the tax penalties, as they lost two picks, one a first rounder and the other in the second, after signing infielder Bo Bichette.
Continue reading...
