Mets take slugging catcher Parada at No. 11

The Mets selected Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada with the 11th overall selection and Texas high school shortstop Jett Williams at 14th overall in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday. They also have the 52nd and 75th overall picks on Day 1.

One of the top prep hitters ahead of the 2020 Draft, Parada could have been selected in the second or third round. The Pasadena, Calif., native, instead chose to attend Georgia Tech, becoming one of the most high-profile players to go undrafted in the abbreviated, five-round 2020 Draft. Two years later, that decision paid off, as Parada established himself as one of the best prospects this year.

Parada found immediate success with the Yellow Jackets in 2021, batting .318/.379/.550 with nine home runs and 20 doubles en route to consensus freshman All-America honors. He then parlayed that success into a strong summer with the U.S. Collegiate National Team, further solidifying his status as a likely first-round Draft pick.

This spring, Parada emerged as one of college baseball’s most productive hitters, posting a .360/.453/.715 slash line. He finished the regular season ranking sixth nationally with a school record 26 home runs, second in total bases (174), third in RBIs (85), fifth in runs (74) and 35th in hits (85). For his efforts, he earned consensus first-team All-America honors and was named one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, college baseball’s highest individual honor.

Parada’s accomplishments further highlight Georgia Tech’s incredible catching pipeline, which has also produced Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters and Joey Bart. With his selection, he becomes the 16th consecutive Yellow Jacket starting catcher to be drafted, dating back to Varitek in 1994.

“Once I got to school,” Parada told Baseball America, “you start looking up on the boards and you’re like Varitek, Wieters, Joey Bart. You name it, they went here. Now I understand why coach [Danny] Hall has always put such an emphasis on having a good catcher. When you look at the names, it makes sense, a lot of them played in the big leagues for a while, or at least had the chance. It’s a legacy that I really want to continue.”

Williams, a 5-foot-8 infielder out of Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas, was one of the smallest first-round talents in the Draft, but he is a versatile infielder who has received rave reviews from scouts for his defense. He is the third Texas high schooler taken in the first round of the last four Drafts, following Bobby Witt Jr. in 2019 and Jordan Lawlar in ’21.

Williams also has the tools to hit, with what MLB Pipeline’s report described as “quick hands, feel for the barrel and a quality right-handed stroke” capable of producing at least 15 homers per season at the highest level.