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The Mets selected right-handed pitcher Carson Wiggins with the 27th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Wiggins, 21, did not pitch this past collegiate season after he underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in May 2025, which ended his freshman year at Arkansas.
"Thank y'all for taking a chance on me. I appreciate the Mets very much," Wiggins said in a Zoom with members of the New York media Saturday. "Excited to get things rolling for sure."
Before the season-ending elbow injury, he pitched 14 innings in 14 games out of the bullpen for the Razorbacks, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and nine walks with 20 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-5 righty is a hard-thrower, averaging 98.7 mph on his fastball and topping out at 102 mph during his lone collegiate year. Wiggins threw 15 pitches at the MLB Draft Combine in late June, with his fastball peaking at 97.4 mph and a slider averaging 85 mph. He's also featuring a curveball and a changeup.
"Velocity is back up to where it should be, no issues there," Wiggins said when asked about his rehab. "Got rid of a lot of the big misses, haven't had any hiccups, so I'm excited to just get things rolling."
Wiggins said he thought the combine appearance was "very helpful" for him, not only showing his velocity, but also "showing that I'm healthy, my stuff is good, I've added pitches, and I'm a different pitcher than I was two years ago."
He added that he improved by "thinking more like a pitcher and not just like a thrower" now than he did during his injury-shortened time in college.
Coming out of high school in Oklahoma, he was rated the No. 35 prospect by Perfect Game and the No. 10 righty prospect of the 2024 high school class.
The pick carries a slot value of $3,466,500.
"The Mets took a home run swing in drafting Arkansas right-hander Carson Wiggins with the No. 27 pick of the 2026 MLB Draft," SNY prospects writer Joe DeMayo says. "After 14 innings in the 2025 season, he underwent internal brace surgery and missed all of the 2026 season. When he is right, he has some of the best pure stuff in the entire class, headlined by two elite offerings in the best fastball in the entire class that averaged 99 mph and touched 102 and an upper-80s slider that is almost untouchable. He has also thrown a curveball, splitter and cutter.
"He is healthy now, having thrown at last month’s MLB Combine, touching 97 mph in his bullpen session there. There are some real questions with his command, as he walked 15.3 percent of the batters he faced as a freshman for the Razorbacks. If the Mets can find a way to get him to average command, he has at least No. 3 starter upside; if not, he has the type of stuff to be an elite reliever at the next level. Assuming he signs, Wiggins will be the first pitcher the Mets drafted and signed in the first round since David Peterson in 2017."
The Mets' first-round selection came at No. 27 as they received a 10-pick penalty for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax, meaning their first selection came amid the Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks round.
"As we pick 27, we'll just cast a wider net, have multiple plans -- Plan A, B, C and D -- in case certain players are there, numerous options to pivot to," Kris Gross, Mets’ vice president, amateur scouting, said before the draft about not getting a shot until late in the first round. "Throughout the spring, we just kind of sent out our scouts knowing that the crop is very deep this year and we could have a wide range of outcomes. So I feel like we're in a good spot as far as coverage, and we know these players that are going to be in our range very well."
The Mets weren't the only team dinged with the 10-slot penalty, as the Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Phillies were also penalized.
New York has two more picks on the first day of the draft: No. 92 (third round) and No. 120 (fourth round).
With their second pick (No. 92) in the 2026 draft, the Mets selected Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins.
Robbins, 21, had a very strong season with the Longhorns. He slashed .333/.426/.696 with an OPS of 1.122 to go along with his 24 home runs and 64 RBI across 60 games during his third collegiate year.
And in the fourth round, the Mets selected LHP Shane Sdao with their third selection (No. 120) of this year's draft.
Sdao, 22, has played three seasons with Texas A&M, amassing a 13-6 record to go along with his 5.22 ERA across 59 games (20 starts). This past season, he has pitched to a 7.03 ERA, but that's after having Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for the 2025 season.
The season prior to surgery, Sdao pitched to a 2.96 ERA across 20 games (five starts) in 2024.
Continue reading...
Wiggins, 21, did not pitch this past collegiate season after he underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in May 2025, which ended his freshman year at Arkansas.
"Thank y'all for taking a chance on me. I appreciate the Mets very much," Wiggins said in a Zoom with members of the New York media Saturday. "Excited to get things rolling for sure."
Before the season-ending elbow injury, he pitched 14 innings in 14 games out of the bullpen for the Razorbacks, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and nine walks with 20 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-5 righty is a hard-thrower, averaging 98.7 mph on his fastball and topping out at 102 mph during his lone collegiate year. Wiggins threw 15 pitches at the MLB Draft Combine in late June, with his fastball peaking at 97.4 mph and a slider averaging 85 mph. He's also featuring a curveball and a changeup.
"Velocity is back up to where it should be, no issues there," Wiggins said when asked about his rehab. "Got rid of a lot of the big misses, haven't had any hiccups, so I'm excited to just get things rolling."
Wiggins said he thought the combine appearance was "very helpful" for him, not only showing his velocity, but also "showing that I'm healthy, my stuff is good, I've added pitches, and I'm a different pitcher than I was two years ago."
He added that he improved by "thinking more like a pitcher and not just like a thrower" now than he did during his injury-shortened time in college.
Coming out of high school in Oklahoma, he was rated the No. 35 prospect by Perfect Game and the No. 10 righty prospect of the 2024 high school class.
The pick carries a slot value of $3,466,500.
"The Mets took a home run swing in drafting Arkansas right-hander Carson Wiggins with the No. 27 pick of the 2026 MLB Draft," SNY prospects writer Joe DeMayo says. "After 14 innings in the 2025 season, he underwent internal brace surgery and missed all of the 2026 season. When he is right, he has some of the best pure stuff in the entire class, headlined by two elite offerings in the best fastball in the entire class that averaged 99 mph and touched 102 and an upper-80s slider that is almost untouchable. He has also thrown a curveball, splitter and cutter.
"He is healthy now, having thrown at last month’s MLB Combine, touching 97 mph in his bullpen session there. There are some real questions with his command, as he walked 15.3 percent of the batters he faced as a freshman for the Razorbacks. If the Mets can find a way to get him to average command, he has at least No. 3 starter upside; if not, he has the type of stuff to be an elite reliever at the next level. Assuming he signs, Wiggins will be the first pitcher the Mets drafted and signed in the first round since David Peterson in 2017."
The Mets' first-round selection came at No. 27 as they received a 10-pick penalty for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax, meaning their first selection came amid the Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks round.
"As we pick 27, we'll just cast a wider net, have multiple plans -- Plan A, B, C and D -- in case certain players are there, numerous options to pivot to," Kris Gross, Mets’ vice president, amateur scouting, said before the draft about not getting a shot until late in the first round. "Throughout the spring, we just kind of sent out our scouts knowing that the crop is very deep this year and we could have a wide range of outcomes. So I feel like we're in a good spot as far as coverage, and we know these players that are going to be in our range very well."
The Mets weren't the only team dinged with the 10-slot penalty, as the Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Phillies were also penalized.
New York has two more picks on the first day of the draft: No. 92 (third round) and No. 120 (fourth round).
More Day 1 picks....
With their second pick (No. 92) in the 2026 draft, the Mets selected Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins.
Robbins, 21, had a very strong season with the Longhorns. He slashed .333/.426/.696 with an OPS of 1.122 to go along with his 24 home runs and 64 RBI across 60 games during his third collegiate year.
And in the fourth round, the Mets selected LHP Shane Sdao with their third selection (No. 120) of this year's draft.
Sdao, 22, has played three seasons with Texas A&M, amassing a 13-6 record to go along with his 5.22 ERA across 59 games (20 starts). This past season, he has pitched to a 7.03 ERA, but that's after having Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for the 2025 season.
The season prior to surgery, Sdao pitched to a 2.96 ERA across 20 games (five starts) in 2024.
Continue reading...
