We take a look at two players who have re-entered the draft after declining to sign with the Mets in past drafts.
Four of the six prep players selected by the Mets in the 2022 MLB Draft signed with the team. How have those other two done now that they are once again draft eligible?
Jackson Jaha
The Mets selected third baseman Jackson Jaha in the 15th round, the 449th player selected in the 2022 MLB Draft overall. The Clackamas High School graduate had a commitment to Jaha has a commitment to the University of Oregon- which he described as his dream school thanks to its location close to home and its strong baseball and football programs- and did not sign with the Mets.
Jaha was used as a two-way player in his freshman season in 2023 but got very limited playing time as both a batter and a pitcher on a team that would eventually make it one win from going to the College World Series in Omaha. As a batter, he appeared in 9 games and hit .286/.333/.357 in 14 at-bats, logging one double, drawing one walk, and striking out twice. As a pitcher, he appeared in two games and allowed two earned runs in 2.1 innings, a 7.71 ERA, with two hits allowed, two walks, and one strikeout. He supplemented his playing time with the Portland Pickles, a wood bat summer collegiate team in the West Coast League. He appeared in 17 games for them and hit .240/.409/.300 in 50 at-bats, logging 1 double, 1 triple, 1 stolen base in 2 attempts, and 14 walks to 22 strikeouts.
He did not play with the Ducks in 2024 due to health reasons, and in early June as the NCAA Super Regionals were beginning, he announced that he was entering the transfer portal. Jaha eventually transferred to Linn-Benton Community College, a community college in Albany, Omaha. Jaha only appeared in 2 games for the Roadrunners at the beginning of the season, once again missing the majority of the year due to health issues. Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, he once again announced that he would be transferring schools as a medical redshirt.
Jackson Lovich
The Mets selected shortstop Jackson Lovich in the 19th round, the 569th player selected in the 2022 MLB Draft overall. He initially had a commitment to attend the University of Cincinnati after graduating from Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas, but changed it to the University of Missouri, where his older brother Ross was attending. He felt strongly about playing alongside his brother and turned down the Mets to attend Mizzou.
In his freshman year, Lovich appeared in 19 games and hit .217/.321/.370 in 46 at-bats with two doubles, one triple, one home run, one stolen base, and 7 walks to 16 strikeouts. He played for the Pulaski River Turtles of the Appalachian League that summer and put up almost identical numbers, hitting .200/.250/.291 in 15 games with one double, one home run, one stolen base, and 3 walks to 14 strikeouts. Returning to Mizzou in 2024 for his sophomore season, Jackson was without his brother; after playing for the Tigers for three seasons but going undrafted, Ross Lovich transferred to the University of Arkansas for his senior season. Coincidently or not, Jackson had a breakout season, leading the team in RBI and triples and placing second in total hits, home runs, and on-base percentage. Appearing in 46 games, Lovich hit .287/.378/.540 with 6 doubles, 4 triples, 10 home runs, 5 stolen bases in 6 attempts, and 20 walks to 53 strikeouts. For as good as he was, Jackson had an extra gear, and he really turned it on this past season. Appearing in 51 games for the Tigers, the infielder hit .357/.430/.622 with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 12 homers, 7 stolen bases in as many attempts, and 20 walks to 52 strikeouts.