The Mets selected Central Florida shortstop Antonio Jimenez with the 102nd overall pick (Round 3) in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Jimenez, 21, played 55 games last season for UCF after transferring from Miami. The 6-foot-1 infielder had 14 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, and 51 RBI while slashing .329/.407/.575 with a .982 OPS in 207 at-bats. He was struck out 46 times to 25 walks and added 11 steals on 14 attempts.
Mets director of amateur scouting Drew Toussaint said the club believes Jimenez has the “chance to be an above-average defender” and liked what they saw from his bat this past season.
“He has a couple of pluses,” Toussaint said in a news conference after the third round on Sunday. “Plus power, raw power, plus arm strength. He really improved offensively this year, made a ton of improvements making contact, and had a really good year overall.”
In his lone season with the Knights, the right-handed swinging shortstop had 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games while posting a 24-game on-base streak and a 12-game hitting streak. Jimenez was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team.
The Hialeah native began his college career with the Hurricanes in 2024, appearing in 45 games, but struggled at the plate. Jimenez had just 18 hits in 99 at-bats (.182) with seven doubles and two home runs for a .313 slugging percentage and .613 OPS. That summer, he went to the Cape Cod League and in 39 games had 12 extra-base hits (five home runs) while batting .203 with a .705 OPS while striking out 38 times to 19 walks.
The No. 102 selection carries a slot value of $752,000. The Mets entered the draft with the second-lowest bonus pool in the sport at $5,465,900.
The Mets did not pick between the Competitive Balance Round A and late in the third round due to signing Juan Soto, who was a free agent who received a qualifying offer. (The signing also meant New York forfeited their second-and fifth-highest selections and $1 million from their 2026 international bonus pool.)
Earlier on Sunday, the Mets took another infielder in Michigan second baseman Mitch Voit with their first pick of the draft at No. 38 overall.
Read the full article here