The Mets officially signed and announced the signing of their first-round pick, catcher Kevin Parada, on Sunday afternoon after he was taken 11th overall at the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17.
“I’m elated to be part of the Mets organization,” Parada said after putting on his Mets hat and jersey. “I’m super excited that they believe in me and I’m ready for the next steps.”
Parada shot up draft boards after a monstrous 2022 season at Georgia Tech in which he batted .360 with a program record of 26 home runs and 88 RBI. He led the ACC in runs and RBI while his round-trippers ranked sixth in all of Division I.
He’s shown plenty of discipline at the plate to pair with his big bat. He struck out just 32 times with 30 walks in 253 at-bats. Over 112 career games at Georgia Tech, he batted .330 with 35 home runs and 130 RBI.
“Kevin had a historic college year offensively at Georgia Tech,” Mets vice president of international and amateur scouting, Tommy Tanous, said. “We couldn’t be more pleased he fell to us at Pick 11.”
Parada won the Buster Posey Award, given to the top collegiate catcher, was a unanimous All-American, and a member of the All-ACC First Team. He also was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Houser Trophy.
The 20-year-old will be heading to Florida for onboarding workouts where the Mets will ramp him up and prepare him for live at-bats. After a few weeks, the organization’s player development department will decide which team and at what level of the minor leagues he’ll be sent to.
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