Levittown's Nick Roselli drafted by the Mets
Binghamton's Nick Roselli. Credit: AP
Binghamton second baseman Nick Roselli rooted for both the Mets and Yankees growing up.
“But my family is Mets fans,” he said.
Well, the Rosellis can start thinking about adding another jersey to their collection.
The Mets selected Roselli, a Levittown native and Division High School alum, with the No. 323 overall pick in the 11th round of the MLB Draft on Tuesday.
“I’m pumped,” Roselli said. “Being able to stay somewhat local during this craziness is definitely a blessing. Hometown team, can’t complain at all.”
Roselli, who finished his junior season, said he will sign with the organization and forgo his remaining eligibility.
“Me, my dad, my whole family, we went to the [2013] Home Run Derby,” he said. “That was kind of my first memory of Citi Field and the Mets itself. That was an awesome experience.”
Roselli, 21, slashed .388/.492/.738 with eight homers, 12 doubles and 21 RBIs in 27 games this spring. He had as many walks (21) as strikeouts. Despite missing seven weeks after suffering an injury in the season-opener, Roselli was an All-America East second-team selection. He batted over .300 in each of his first two collegiate seasons as well, boasting a .357 average in 52 games as a sophomore and a .307 average in 41 games as a freshman.
The 5-10 Roselli, who bats left and throws right, had a 1.051 OPS with 26 homers and 104 RBIs in 120 games in his Binghamton career.
He was a Newsday All-Long Island first-teamer as a senior shortstop in 2021, batting .619 with 12 doubles, four triples, four homers and 33 runs scored.
While the first two days of the draft came and went, Roselli did not have to wait long Tuesday. He was the eighth player selected on the third and final day of the draft.
“Definitely was hoping it was happening early, and I’m very lucky it did,” Roselli said. “Saved a lot of stress and emotion.”
Whether it was at home or school, Roselli was never far from the Mets. Binghamton’s baseball complex and Mirabito Stadium, home of the Mets’ Double-A affiliate, are fewer than five miles apart. About 25 miles separate Division and Citi Field.
“Our local guy [area scout] Will Habib does a great job around the Northeast area there,” said Kris Gross, the Mets vice president of amateur scouting. “So I don’t think anything changes other than you’re scouting a little later in the year because it’s colder. Nick was a guy that came to our workout in Florida [and] impressed the rest of our staff. He’s got really good bat-to-ball skills and some real sock in the bat for a second baseman, so we’re excited [about] what he can do.”
The Mets personnel realized the magnitude of making a hometown dream come true.
“It’s really cool to see a kid that grew up as a big Mets fan and everything lines up for him," said Drew Toussaint, the Mets director of amateur scouting. "And we’re able to . . . draft him and then hopefully sign him here soon and he can kind of live out his dream.”
Said Gross, “He spent a lot of time at Citi Field growing up, he mentioned that. So it’s pretty cool how it works out.”
Local college pick
The Twins used their 13th-rounder (No. 398) on St. John’s righthander Xavier Kolhosser, who had a 3.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings across two seasons.
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
