Finding a replacement in the starting rotation was the urgent problem after Jacob deGrom departed the New York Mets after the 2022 season. The Mets made the most apparent change by signing Justin Verlander, but even if it didn’t work out well for the club, there aren’t really any resentments.
Leaving Particularly when they are as well-liked as deGrom, free agents seldom provide much in the way of compensation. However, the team that lost the great player receives draft pick compensation when the free agent earns as much as deGrom did with the Texas Rangers.
The 134th overall pick in the draft went to the Mets. The squad selected high school shortstop A.J. Ewing in the fourth round, their third overall. In a draft dominated by Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean, he was selected sixth overall. He is rapidly gaining the same level of significance as any position player in the minor leagues.
A.J. Ewing is one of the fastest rising Mets prospects and we got him for losing Jacob deGrom
The 20-year-old made 81 plate appearances in St. Lucie and hit.400/.506/.616. Although he only has three doubles and one home run, Ewing is a speedster who hit four triples before to being promoted to Brooklyn. He has taken full advantage of it. Ewing has already tripled, hit three doubles, and hit a home run while slashing in nine games. 316/.381/.526. To catch up to his 14 stolen bases in 16 tries in 18 games for St. Lucie, he has stolen 7 bases in 8 attempts. He will inevitably experience some regression as a left-handed bat in Brooklyn.
When someone plays this well in the minor leagues as a compensatory draft pick, the first thing that comes to mind is David Wright. The tale of how the Mets were able to choose him is by now well known. After a year, Mike Hampton was called by the Denver school system to leave the Mets. Consequently, the Mets were allowed to use an additional draft selection to choose Wright. He would go on to become one of the most significant, gifted, and enduringly adored athletes in the history of New York sports.
Ewing has a lot of pressure to live up to that. He’s not really alone. Plenty of other compensatory choices have gone by the wayside.
Although Ewing has yet to make an impression in the major leagues, his numbers are now starting to reflect his preseason rating. His ongoing success helps supporters who still have a deGrom jersey hanging in the closet feel less sad. He is similar to Jett Williams in many aspects, but he is already more of a center fielder than anything else.
