2019 Mets draft profile: Cole Kleszcz

Born: Valencia, California

Age: 22 (6/16/97)

Height/Weight: 6’1”/190 lbs.

Position: OF

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, California)

Cole Kleszcz graduated from Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, California, where he played on the varsity baseball team for two years. As a senior, he was named team captain and hit .380 with five home runs, winning First-Team All-League honors. He attended the College of the Canyons, a junior college in his native Valencia. He redshirted his first season, but got back on the field in 2017 and made an impact in a big way. In 42 games, Kleszcz hit .410/.495/.847, slugging a California Western State Conference leading 18 home runs. His performance attracted the attention of the Cleveland Indians, who drafted him with their very last pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, the 1212th player selected overall.

He did not sign and instead transferred to the University of California at Santa Barbara. He struggled there, hitting .000/.067/.000 in 14 at-bats. He transferred to Azusa Pacific University, and had a lot more success in the Div II Pacific West Conference. In 55 games, he hit .374 with 27 home runs.

Kleszcz has below-average tools across the board except for one category: power. He has above-average, borderline plus raw power, but because his hit tool is poor, it is unlikely that he will be able to tap into it. He hit well against lower tier pitching, but struggled against Div I pitching in the limited at-bats he’s had against them. In the field, he is a below-average left fielder, but is passable.