The Mets had the 10th pick in the 2021 Draft and selected Kumar Rocker. It seemed like a steal at the time yet once the club got a look at his medicals, they were scared of what they found and never even offered Rocker a contract. The following season, Rocker played Independent League ball in the Frontier League before being drafted third overall by the Texas Rangers in 2022.
I like to see these types of thought pieces laid out. I don’t think I really thought too long or hard about Rocker. Much like how it seems like people try to make PCA being successful as a sellers remorse. Sometimes deals can be neutral in that respect. I’ve said often that the way this FO treats prospects is a going long on futures proposition. Yet the interesting thing with prospects is future valuation (which if anyone in finance knows isn’t an exact science). I have to think having a heavy farm system is good for valuation and blue chips for the future
I think it's a topic worth discussing if the possibility of TJ surgery is an automatic disqualifier for a potential top draft pick. The Mets passed on Lucas Giolito - though that had as much to do with his salary demands as his injury concerns - and Rocker. And both Giolito and Rocker made the majors after having surgery. In their place they picked Gavin Cecchini and Parada instead of Giolito and Rocker. I'd say that was a loss.
As for PCA, people forget that he was injured at the time of the deal and it wasn't a slam dunk how he would turn out. And if the rest of the club in 2021 performed as well as Baez did, they would have made the playoffs and who knows what would have happened.
I wanted Kris Bryant rather than Baez but I wasn't ranting and raving (like with Kazmir and Kelenic) when the deal was made. You have to judge trades at least somewhat - if not majorly - by what was thought at the time. It was a defensible roll of the dice that didn't work out. You try to play the odds, knowing that they're never 100% in your favor.
Sometimes you lose. Hopefully the Mets learn from these losses and act accordingly going forward.
I don't have a problem with that years draft. The Mets had a concern about Rocker's medicals. The next year's draft they picked a catcher before a shortstop. Parada seems to be a washout but Williams is progressing nicely. Now the Mets have to move him to CF when he gets promoted to Syracuse because CF is the greatest need in 2026. A good second half this year could be his opportunity for 2026.
I think it is important to note that prospects are simply that: prospects. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don’t. In the case of Rocker, stepping away from that selection can still be considered a good move, even if after surgery, he turns out to be the pitcher that everybody thought he would be. Jared Kelenic and Pete Crow-Armstrong are two players most Mets fans rue the team trading away. Think about how long it has taken for these players to reach the major leagues and how the fan base would feel if it took four more years for a prospect to reach the big club.
Still waiting for a Mets prospect to explode on the scene like a Strawberry or Gooden did in the 80s, moving up through the ranks quickly, and making an immediate impact at the MLB level. This just shows how hard it is to accomplish that, even if your baseball minds are strong ones like the current Mets leadership has.
I'm not sure how you can talk about how long it took Kelenic and PCA to make the majors. Both players made their major league debut during their age-21 season, the same time Strawberry did. To expect them to make it before then isn't realistic.
I guess what I didn’t consider was how young they were when they were traded as prospects. May have made their MLB debut, but it’s taken a while for them to be considered solid MLB players.
I like to see these types of thought pieces laid out. I don’t think I really thought too long or hard about Rocker. Much like how it seems like people try to make PCA being successful as a sellers remorse. Sometimes deals can be neutral in that respect. I’ve said often that the way this FO treats prospects is a going long on futures proposition. Yet the interesting thing with prospects is future valuation (which if anyone in finance knows isn’t an exact science). I have to think having a heavy farm system is good for valuation and blue chips for the future
Thanks Taryn!
I think it's a topic worth discussing if the possibility of TJ surgery is an automatic disqualifier for a potential top draft pick. The Mets passed on Lucas Giolito - though that had as much to do with his salary demands as his injury concerns - and Rocker. And both Giolito and Rocker made the majors after having surgery. In their place they picked Gavin Cecchini and Parada instead of Giolito and Rocker. I'd say that was a loss.
As for PCA, people forget that he was injured at the time of the deal and it wasn't a slam dunk how he would turn out. And if the rest of the club in 2021 performed as well as Baez did, they would have made the playoffs and who knows what would have happened.
I wanted Kris Bryant rather than Baez but I wasn't ranting and raving (like with Kazmir and Kelenic) when the deal was made. You have to judge trades at least somewhat - if not majorly - by what was thought at the time. It was a defensible roll of the dice that didn't work out. You try to play the odds, knowing that they're never 100% in your favor.
Sometimes you lose. Hopefully the Mets learn from these losses and act accordingly going forward.
I don't have a problem with that years draft. The Mets had a concern about Rocker's medicals. The next year's draft they picked a catcher before a shortstop. Parada seems to be a washout but Williams is progressing nicely. Now the Mets have to move him to CF when he gets promoted to Syracuse because CF is the greatest need in 2026. A good second half this year could be his opportunity for 2026.
I love Williams,.......as a center fielder. Should really get him out there and start getting reps.
I think it is important to note that prospects are simply that: prospects. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don’t. In the case of Rocker, stepping away from that selection can still be considered a good move, even if after surgery, he turns out to be the pitcher that everybody thought he would be. Jared Kelenic and Pete Crow-Armstrong are two players most Mets fans rue the team trading away. Think about how long it has taken for these players to reach the major leagues and how the fan base would feel if it took four more years for a prospect to reach the big club.
Still waiting for a Mets prospect to explode on the scene like a Strawberry or Gooden did in the 80s, moving up through the ranks quickly, and making an immediate impact at the MLB level. This just shows how hard it is to accomplish that, even if your baseball minds are strong ones like the current Mets leadership has.
I'm not sure how you can talk about how long it took Kelenic and PCA to make the majors. Both players made their major league debut during their age-21 season, the same time Strawberry did. To expect them to make it before then isn't realistic.
I guess what I didn’t consider was how young they were when they were traded as prospects. May have made their MLB debut, but it’s taken a while for them to be considered solid MLB players.