Christian Scott became the second Gators pitcher to be drafted on Monday afternoon. The New York Mets selected the righty with the 142nd overall pick in the fifth round.
Scott was a valuable member of the bullpen during his time in the Orange and Blue. In 55 appearances spanning 121 innings, he went 12-5 with a 3.72 earned run average.
He led the Gators with 22 appearances as a freshman in 2019, including four starts. He struggled as a starter, posting a 5.34 ERA in his three SEC starts. He was excellent out of the bullpen, though, recording a 2.75 ERA in 18 appearances. He compiled a streak of 9 1/3 scoreless innings at one point.
Scott made seven relief appearances in the shortened 2020 season, and he didn’t give up a run in five of them. He finished the year 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA across 15 innings, the most of any bullpen arm.
He was the most consistent pitcher on the team in 2021 and made 26 appearances, which tied for the ninth most in the SEC. He went 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a .230 batting average against. He established a new career high with 51 strikeouts in 54 innings.
He made his first start since his freshman year in the second game of the Ole Miss series. He struck out a career-high seven batters in five innings and gave up just two runs.
Less than two weeks later, he fired 4 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen with six strikeouts to lead the Gators to a come-from-behind victory at Tennessee.
He also pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn a win against Missouri.
Scott features a fastball in the mid-90s with a slider than can be lethal when he gets depth on it. Locating his slider more consistently and developing a changeup will be keys for him at the next level.
Scott gives the Mets the option to either keep him as a middle reliever or give him a shot as a starter.