New York Mets: top 5 players drafted that went unsigned

New York Mets: Top 5 Players Drafted That Went Unsigned

5. Matt Williams, 46.6 WAR

In the 27th round of the 1983 amateur draft, the Mets selected third baseman, Matt Williams, out of Carson City High School. Players drafted this low with division-one potential usually do not sign. Williams did not.

He chose to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he would go on to play three years for the Runnin’ Rebels baseball program. While in Las Vegas, Williams batted .327 with 58 home runs and went from a lanky 175 pounds to a more firm 210 pounds. The added muscle turned Williams into a power hitter which intrigued Major League scouts.

Williams entered the draft in 1986 and the San Francisco Giants made him the third pick of the first round.

Williams would kickstart a career that saw him make the All-Star team five times and hit 378 home runs over the course of his seventeen seasons in the majors. Williams won a World Series with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and retired two years later.

From 1985-1993 the Mets had Howard Johnson manning third base and putting up solid power numbers, making it easier to forget Williams could have been at the hot corner in The Big Apple. Having Williams on the roster wouldn’t have hurt, however.