Mets Bet on Texas Slugger Aiden Robbins After His 24-Homer Breakout

The New York Mets took a major swing on Texas Longhorns outfielder Aiden Robbins in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft, landing one of college baseball’s most productive power hitters later than many analysts expected.

Robbins needed only one season in Austin to transform himself into a legitimate professional prospect.

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The former Seton Hall standout punished SEC pitching throughout his junior campaign, batting .333 across 60 games while launching a career-high 24 home runs.

He also drove in 64 runs and scored 68 times, providing Texas with a dangerous middle-of-the-order presence capable of changing a game with one swing.

That production wasn’t some one-year illusion, either.

Robbins finished his college career with a .355 batting average over 156 games between Seton Hall and Texas.

He also hit .328 against high-level summer competition in the Cape Cod Baseball League, strengthening the argument that his offensive success can translate beyond the college game.

The Mets are betting that combination of power, contact and experience will outweigh the questions that pushed Robbins out of the first round.

Baseball America reportedly projected him as the No. 28 overall selection entering the draft.

Concerns about how his swing will respond to professional velocity and sharper breaking pitches likely contributed to his slide into Round 3.

That’s now the challenge waiting for Robbins.

Minor-league pitchers will attack him with harder fastballs at the top of the strike zone and breaking balls designed to expose holes in his approach.

If Robbins controls the strike zone and prevents his strikeout rate from ballooning, his bat could move him quickly through New York’s farm system.

He won’t be the only former Longhorn beginning that climb.

Catcher Carson Tinney was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Twins, while the Philadelphia Phillies drafted pitcher Ruger Riojas eight picks after Robbins came off the board.

Their selections gave Texas three early-round picks from a roster loaded with professional talent.

Robbins, however, may offer the most intriguing upside.

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The Mets didn’t draft him because they need another player who simply puts the ball in play. They drafted him because 24-home-run power is difficult to ignore.

Now Robbins must prove his thunderous season in Austin wasn’t his ceiling. It was only the opening act.