​The New York Mets drafted Carson Wiggins with their top selection yesterday, taking a gamble on the fireballing right-hander who can touch 100 mph on the radar gun while still coming off Tommy John surgery, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. In today’s draft landscape, picks like this have become common, particularly for franchises like the Mets that field lower selections due to their substantial payroll and the accompanying competitive-balance taxes. Wiggins, who is 21, tore his UCL last spring during his freshman season at Arkansas and has been on a careful return path ever since.
What drew the Mets, and Kris Gross, their vice president of amateur scouting, to Wiggins was a bullpen session he delivered in front of their scouts at the SEC Tournament in the spring, DiComo reports. The interest intensified once Wiggins performed at the MLB Draft Combine last month, showcasing a fastball that sat at 95 mph, with the ability to reach higher velocities on the gun, and a broadened arsenal that includes a slider, a curve, and a changeup. Gross described Wiggins as someone whose stuff “jumps off the page,” and he added that the overall package—athleticism, physique, and potential—reads as a frontline profile.
Wiggins has consistently described himself as a “very powerful pitcher,” though the risk with his profile partly lies in the relatively limited sample size at the highest levels. In 14 appearances for Arkansas before his elbow injury, he posted a 3.21 ERA with 20 strikeouts and nine walks over 14 innings, according to DiComo. Wiggins also noted that he has transformed himself over the past two years, incorporating offspeed offerings and refining his approach, and the Mets believe he can debut in professional baseball before the close 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 good pitcher with frontline upside. That was a real attraction with Carson.” The Wiggins narrative includes a notable rivalry with his brother, Jaxon, as both youth and now professional arms chased the milestone of 100 mph. Carson achieved that velocity at age 17, a moment he described as “coming out of nowhere” and quickly fueling his ongoing development.
As for the Mets’ draft position this year, Wiggins was their lone selection inside the top 91 picks due to the tax penalties that affect their cap strategy. In signing infielder Bo Bichette, the Mets forfeited two picks—one in the first round and another in the second—reducing their draft capital compared with teams with fewer payroll constraints. This backdrop shaped the Mets’ decision to roll the dice on a high-ceiling, but high-risk, arm like Wiggins, a choice that could pay dividends if his progression remains on track and his elbow rehabilitation continues to advance smoothly.