Steve Sypa
When the Mets drafted Mark Vientos in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, the case could be made that they were getting a steal. With prospect fatigue setting in after years of being scouted on the showcase circuit, a quad injury that limited his playing time during his senior year at American Heritage High School, and a commitment to the University of Miami that was considered fairly strong, teams passed over the borderline first-round talent, allowing the Mets to select him with the 59th overall pick. He signed with the Mets fairly quickly, receiving a $1,500,000 signing bonus— roughly $400,000 above the MLB-assigned slot value of $1,094,700—and split the rest of the summer with the GCL and Kingsport Mets, with whom the 17-year-old hit a combined .262/.318/.398 with 4 home runs in 51 games. He would spend the entire 2018 season with the Kingsport Mets, hitting .287/.389/.489 with 11 home runs in 60 games, comparing very favorably to some of the best prospects in the game, such as Wander Franco and Nolan Gorman. With expectations high, the 19-year-old hit .255/.300/.411 with 12 home runs in 111 games the following year.