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Tracking the Draft

Frayed Knot May 08 2008 11:39 AM

One month to go until draft time. Baseball America published their [url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-dish/2008/266044.html]latest tracking poll[/url]. I make no claims of knowing anything about these guys except for what's written here. Note also that this list makes no attempt to try to match a player's slot to the particular needs and tendencies of the teams and their drafting order, it's merely trying to note whose stock is rising or falling in the eyes of scouts as the HS & college seasons wind towards a conclusion. Mets own the 18th, 22nd, and 33rd picks this year. Their 2nd rounder would then be around #70 somewhere and then approx every 30 picks after that.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 08 2008 11:50 AM

Let's get oone of them kollege first basemen and put 'em on the Super Fast Track. I could get behind a hitter called Justin Smoak, or Yonder Alonso, that's for sure. Rickie Weeks' little brother, also a 2B. And a pitcher from Ga. named Zeke. Wonder if he winds up on the Braves...

AG/DC May 08 2008 11:50 AM

That's a nice crop of new names. Two Beckhams from Georgia, both shortstops, but are not related. Watch Atlanta get them both.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2008 11:52 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Let's get oone of them kollege first basemen and put 'em on the Super Fast Track. I like that idea.

Farmer Ted May 08 2008 11:55 AM

We need Shooter Hunt NOW!!

TheOldMole May 08 2008 12:15 PM

]That's a nice crop of new names. Two Beckhams from Georgia, both shortstops, but are not related. I'd draft one of them if he'd bring Posh Spice along with him.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 08 2008 12:18 PM

I'm always excited to see these lists of ballplayer names I'd never imagined before and know that somewhere on that list are a few that will be household names in a matter of years; names you won't ever imagine not knowing.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2008 12:19 PM

Is Casey Hodges in the draft this year?

bmfc1 May 08 2008 12:23 PM

I heard a 20 minute interview with Tim Beckham on XM's Baseball Channel. I was with my son, a JV freshman player, and three of his teammates. It was amazing to think that they are only three years younger than Beckham who is on the verge of becoming a pro. The host asked him about going to college and he said "12 years of school is enough."

Willets Point May 08 2008 12:25 PM

bmfc1 wrote: 12 years of school is enough." Kid's got a point there.

metirish May 08 2008 12:27 PM

TheOldMole wrote: ]That's a nice crop of new names. Two Beckhams from Georgia, both shortstops, but are not related. I'd draft one of them if he'd bring Posh Spice along with him. They are sure to be overrated .

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 08 2008 12:43 PM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Is Casey Hodges in the draft this year? He's a senior so I think he's eligible. And he's a senior so he has no leverage. I'd say he's got an excellent chance to be drafted in the 54th round.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2008 12:44 PM

Well then the Mets, for sentimental reasons, should snap him up in the 53rd round!

Valadius May 08 2008 02:15 PM

And I have no doubt that they will.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2008 02:17 PM

I still have to build up some faith in your Nanny and the Professor skills.

Frayed Knot May 08 2008 02:47 PM

The problem with drafting 1st basemen is that if they don't turn into mashers they've generally got few secondary skills to fall back on making them even more hit-or-miss than your usual draft pick. From the little I've heard on these guys none of them are athletic enough to play elsewhere. And, as usual, you need to resist the temptation of drafting for immediate need. The rep of this year's crop is that it's lacking in can't-miss blue-chippers but is reasonably deep otherwise which, theoretically at least, is good for a team with 3 picks in the mid/late 1st round.

Benjamin Grimm May 08 2008 03:26 PM

One of those guys was a 1b/3b.

Willets Point May 08 2008 08:52 PM

Is Casey Hodges related to Gil or do we just like him because he's has the names of two Mets managers?

Triple Dee May 09 2008 04:43 AM Re: Tracking the Draft

Frayed Knot wrote: Mets own the 18th, 22nd, and 33rd picks this year. I presume the 22nd is the sandwich pick for Glavine. I'd like to see the Mets abandon their "machine gun" approach of drafting exclusively pitchers in early rounds. Pity there aren't any good catchers available. The farm system is pretty much devoid of any catching prospects, especially after the loss of Jesus Flores.

Benjamin Grimm May 09 2008 05:23 AM

Willets Point wrote: Is Casey Hodges related to Gil or do we just like him because he's has the names of two Mets managers? Not related to Gil, but the son of Ron.

AG/DC May 09 2008 06:02 AM

I thik they've had ample time time to move on from Flores. Our best catching prospects look like Jason Jacobs and Jordan Abruzzo (kollege kids) and Francisco Peña (stll quite young)

bmfc1 May 09 2008 06:04 AM

18 is compensation for Glavine. There's a good draft chart within this article. We can use it for our MLB draft parties. http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2159&Itemid=1

Triple Dee May 09 2008 06:23 AM

Willets Point wrote: Is Casey Hodges related to Gil or do we just like him because he's has the names of two Mets managers? Discussed in this [url=http://cranepoolforum.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=8707]thread[/url].

Willets Point May 09 2008 09:10 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ="Willets Point"]Is Casey Hodges related to Gil or do we just like him because he's has the names of two Mets managers? Not related to Gil, but the son of Ron. Ah, wrong Hodges. So he's the son of an English accounting professor.

Frayed Knot May 09 2008 11:26 AM

]I presume the 22nd is the sandwich pick for Glavine #22 was our own pick -- iow, we finished 2007 with the 9th best record #18 was the Braves' 1st round pick (they finished with the 13th best record) which they cede to us for signing Glavine #33 is the so called "sandwich" pick, the name deriving from the fact that they're extra picks stuffed in between the 1st and 2nd rounds. It's an extra pick because Glavine qualified as a 'Type A' FA so it's a pick we gain but the Braves don't lose. There's around 15 sandwich picks so the first pick of round 2 is not #31 overall but somewhere in the mid-40s. There's also a handful of extra picks "sandwiched" between rounds 2 and 3 After that it gets back to normal and your team goes every 30 picks.

Frayed Knot May 12 2008 09:24 AM

For those who want to pick up a 1st basemen, BA takes looks at those near the top of this 1B-heavy draft: ... this year's crop of first basemen is exceptional. Though teams prefer players who offer more well-rounded skills than first basemen usually do, six guys who project to play that position in the majors have a chance to go in the first round: * American Heritage High's (Cooper City, Fla.) Eric Hosmer, * South Carolina's Justin Smoak, * Miami's Yonder Alonso, * Arizona State's Brett Wallace and Ike Davis, * California's David Cooper. Also, Wake Forest's Allan Dykstra (no, not THAT Dykstra) could crack the sandwich round. All of these players owe their draft status to what they can do at the plate, but it's an interesting idea to look at them from the defensive angle. - Smoak isn't an exceptional athlete, but he's a smooth fielder whom scouts hail as a potential Gold Glover. - Both Hosmer and Davis have very strong arms for first basemen—they both pitch in the 90s with their fastballs—and have enough athleticism to possibly warrant a look in the outfield. - Alonso is an average defender at first base. - Wallace and Dykstra both have played third base this spring, and the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Wallace has exceeded expectations at the hot corner. He's still going to be a first baseman, however, and is the fifth-best defender in this group. - Cooper and Dykstra are adequate at best with a first baseman's mitt. - Alonso is the third-best prospect, behind Hosmer and Smoak, but I think he can beat them both to the major leagues [as] Hosmer is a high school player (who may wind up attending Arizona State), and Alonso is more of a polished hitter than Smoak.

bmfc1 May 16 2008 06:01 PM

BA mocks the first round... and, in a surprise, has the Mets drafting Jason Castro, the guy that kept forgetting the lyrics on American Idol! http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/mock-draft/2008/266117.html Wait, not that Jason Castro? Oh, this guy: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/events/draft_report/y2008/index.jsp?mc=castro http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/castro_jason00.html http://stanford.scout.com/a.z?s=18&p=8&c=1&nid=2830843 This season, he's started all 50 games, and is hitting .366 with 11 HR, 52 RBI and 4 SB. Throws righty, hits lefty, big guy.

Frayed Knot May 17 2008 06:48 AM

Matching those projected picks with the thumbnail descriptions posted earlier from BA - Jason Castro - Catcher, Stanford Third-string catcher last summer in Cape Cod, Castro has plenty of bat and enough ability to stay behind the plate - Ethan Martin - RHP/3B, HS Georgia More evidence that Martin's pitching skills have moved to the fore—he threw a complete-game no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a start April 23

Frayed Knot May 23 2008 07:06 AM

More musings about drafting 1st basemen in a recent BA Q&A: Jason from Trumbull, CT asks: Can the Mets pick up one of [1B-men] Eric Hosmer, Justin Smoak or Yonder Alonso with the 18th pick? Also with the 22nd will Andrew Cashner [RHP - Texas Christian] still be available? A: Matt Blood (BA): There is a chance that Alonso would be available at that pick, and if Hosmer slides—due to signing bonus demands—he might be there too. I don't see Smoak lasting that long. With Delgado's production declining, Alonso might be just what the Mets need. He is an advanced hitter with solid defense—it won't take him long to reach the big leagues. Cashner has been a hot-topic as of late, and we have him projected to be taken right around pick 22. Among those 1Bs mentioned, Hosmer is a HS kid who might have the most upside but will probably scare some teams near the top of the draft with threats of high bonus demands and/or taking a college scholarship, meaning he could range anywhere from being long gone by the time we draft to remaining untouched for a while afterward. Alonso and Smoak are college players (U Miami & S. Carolina)

Benjamin Grimm May 23 2008 07:11 AM

I'd like a college guy on the fast track. And if it turns out that the Mets have Teixiera next year, then the kid would be a good trading chip.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 23 2008 07:14 AM

I'd draft that guy just because his name is Yonder

Farmer Ted May 23 2008 10:05 AM

That ball was hit over YONDER past the home run apple. Yeah, that might work.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 03 2008 10:01 AM

This mock first-round has us gobbling up 3B/P Ethan Martin, thereby satisfying Vlad's demand for a pitcher/hitter as well as kollege 3Bman/slugger Conor Gillaspie, who cannot firld. [url]http://tinyurl.com/68hpok[/url] *** And this one has us collecting college catcher Jason Castro & righty Andrew Cashner, with outfielder Ike Davis a supplemental round "steal." Don;t ask me how you can do a mock draft yourself and steal guys. [url]http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/6/2/544313/john-s-mock-draft[/url]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 03 2008 10:16 AM

Bob Klapish quoting "Team Elders" ]Monday, June 2, 2008 With three early picks, Mets have golden opportunity By Bob Klapisch Special to ESPN.com NEW YORK -- Forgive the Mets for thinking they're about to wake up in some alternate universe -- or at least one that allows for instant makeovers. The oldest team in the major leagues has three of the first 33 picks in the upcoming amateur draft; for the Mets, this opportunity is the equivalent of a man dying of thirst enjoying a long, cool drink. It's logical to assume the Mets will target college players, especially since they'll have only three pitchers under their control in 2009: Johan Santana, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey. The trade for Santana cost the Mets three starting pitchers, while three others -- Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez and Orlando Hernandez -- will be eligible for free agency after this season. The real question, however, is whether the Mets will be willing to exceed the slot -- the commissioner's office "suggested" pay scale for blue-chip picks -- in order to restock their system. General manager Omar Minaya is being understandably coy, saying, "we'll see how it goes [on draft day]; we'll see who's available," when asked if the Mets are rethinking their position on slotting. Historically, the Wilpons have been model citizens in Bud Selig's tightly-controlled draft culture, showing no desire to spend freely like the Yankees and Red Sox. However, Minaya dismissed the notion that the Mets are too frugal, pointing to his major league budget of $140 million, the highest in the National League and second overall only to the Yankees. The GM also says slotting has been less of an issue since 2005, the last time the Mets had a first-round pick. That's the surcharge they've had to pay for signing Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner. One Mets senior official flatly said, "we've never lost [a pick] because of slotting. It's been a nonfactor for us because we haven't drafted that high." True or not, Minaya isn't blind to the spending habits of his rivals, including the Yankees. In December, he told Newsday that because the Bombers have been willing to exceed the slot, "they've been able to get Joba Chamberlain and [Ian] Kennedy and those kinds of guys." No doubt, the Mets are in a enviable position now, bestowed with the No. 18 (from the Braves for Tom Glavine), No. 22 (Mets' first-round pick) and No. 33 (sandwich first-rounder for a Type A free agent) selections. Since 2005, the Mets have done relatively well, having drafted current major leaguers Mike Pelfrey and Joe Smith, and John Niese and Eddie Kunz, among others. Only Pelfrey was a first-round pick among those players, however, and Minaya wasn't overstating his case this week when he said, "This is a good position for us to be in. We're going to have choices to make, but they'll be good choices. As a general manager, this is something you look forward to." Minaya says the Mets will abide by only one edict when choosing between college or high school candidates, and deciding whether to pursue pitchers or position players: This time around, the GM said, "we're going after the best available players. That's going to come first." The need to replenish is real enough, and Minaya is quick to concede his system is "depleted" at the Triple-A level. But the Mets say they're better off at the lower level than most talent evaluators think, and they are about to flood their system with prospects groomed through their new academy in the Dominican Republic. Indeed, the international talent pool, which is relatively unpoliced by Major League Baseball, is the logical alternative for the slot-abiding Mets. If they're not going to take a chance on, say, first baseman Eric Hosmer -- a high-school All-American with thunderous power from the left side -- because he's represented by Scott Boras, it's far cheaper to cast a wide net in the Caribbean. Trouble is, drafting conservatively and sticking to the slot is risky business. The international market is replete with unproven players; projecting their ceilings is difficult, often impossible. The last option, of course, is free agency, in which the Mets have flourished in the past four years. Clearly, the Mets will be heavily involved in the courtship of Mark Teixeira next winter, and they could have similar interest in, say, C.C. Sabathia. But with more teams holding on to their young stars, free agency is a dying phenomenon. And despite their previous willingness to spend on older stars, the Mets are ready to let the pendulum swing the other way. One team elder said, "we're really trying to change the business model here. We have to start getting more one-to-three [years of service] players on the major league roster. Everyone else is doing it, and we need to do it, too." In line with that philosophy, Minaya says the Mets are already pushing their young prospects through the system, noting that Fernando Martinez, who was signed as an international free agent at 16 in 2005, "is at [Double-A]," the GM said. And so is Kunz, a 6-foot-5 right-hander the Mets hope to groom into the next Joba Chamberlain. That sets the stage for the draft, in which the next generation of Mets is waiting to be plucked. With Alou, Wagner, Martinez and Carlos Delgado all nearing the end of their careers, the next set of decisions the Mets make will be important, if not critical. Bob Klapisch is a sports columnist for The Record (N.J.) and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

Frayed Knot Jun 03 2008 10:51 AM

]The real question, however, is whether the Mets will be willing to exceed the slot -- the commissioner's office "suggested" pay scale for blue-chip picks -- in order to restock their system ... Historically, the Wilpons have been model citizens in Bud Selig's tightly-controlled draft culture, showing no desire to spend freely like the Yankees and Red Sox. BA continues to dwell on this as well, noting in their last chat that "word is" the Mets are planning to stick with the slotting system and go ahead with "another conservative draft". But I don't see where that's been an issue with 1st round picks. All of the recent 1st rounders: Heilman, Kazmir, Pelfrey, Humber, Milledge, were guys going pretty much where they were supposed to - even to the point where some of them fell to the Mets on account of other clubs balking at perceived bonus demands. Peop-le can talk about the recent rash of college relievers picked but those picks were in the 40s thru 70s and I've yet to hear the name mentioned who the Mets supposedly should have drafted but failed to on account of Selig's unofficial boundries. Where this "slotting" stuff really comes up is in mid/later rounds where some teams will throw a bunch of money at an athletic 'toolsy' HS kid in hopes of talking him out of his college ride and maybe finding a diamond in the rough in the process. That is something the Mets haven't done even though their overall budget would allow them to go this route every now and then.

Valadius Jun 03 2008 10:52 AM

Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports has us selecting: ]18. New York Mets – Ethan Martin, RHP/3B (Toccoa, Ga., Stephens County HS): Here we go again, another player whose future could be as a pitcher or as a position player. Martin’s best asset is his power – as a pitcher who touches 95 mph and as a hitter who blasts tape-measure home runs. Scouts love his passion for the game, and he appears willing to go forward either as a pitcher or an everyday player. 22. New York Mets – Conor Gillaspie, 3B (Wichita State): The reigning most valuable player of the Cape Cod League, the left-handed hitting Gillaspie has tremendous makeup as well as a power stroke. There are questions about his defense, and although he might be ready to hit in the big leagues within a year or so, he might be better off with an American League team. Martin would satisfy my desire to have a Micah Owings-type player.

AG/DC Jun 03 2008 10:54 AM

Klapish can really dumb down a thread.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 03 2008 11:00 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This mock first-round has us gobbling up 3B/P Ethan Martin, thereby satisfying Vlad's demand for a pitcher/hitter ... ="Valadius"] Martin would satisfy my desire to have a Micah Owings-type player.

Frayed Knot Jun 03 2008 09:44 PM

This is the 44th year of June drafts. Our first draft pick Thursday is #18 - so of the 43 prior 18th picks: - 22 never reached the major leagues, although that includes 4 of the last 5, some or all of which certainly still could - the Mets have had 4 of those 18th picks - all in a 10-year span: [u:c341018ff9]1991: Al Shirley[/u:c341018ff9] - an OFer from a Virginia High School, Shirley was a compensation pick for losing Strawberry to the Dodgers and is one of those who never reached the bigs [u:c341018ff9]1992: Chris Roberts[/u:c341018ff9] - a LHP from Fla St, he also never reached ML [u:c341018ff9]1995: Ryan Jaroncyk[/u:c341018ff9] - a high school SS who played one year in the minors before announcing he was no longer interested in playing baseball [u:c341018ff9]2001: Aaron Heilman[/u:c341018ff9] - also a compensation pick (Mike Hampton) - Best 18th picks in history?: Carlos May - 1966 Jamie Quirk - 1972 Willie Wilson - 1974 Glenn Wilson - 1980

AG/DC Jun 03 2008 09:49 PM

Jaroncyk gave it a few years. http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=7174

Frayed Knot Jun 03 2008 10:04 PM

Our next pick is #22 - a pick which has actually been somewhat more successful than the eighteens Only 13 failed to eventually become ML players including the last 3. Prior to those 3, 20 straight had reached. Mets have never had a 22nd pick, but did give one to the Cardinals back in 1991 for signing Vince Coleman, a pick became RHP Brian Barber. They also had #22 in 1999 but ceded it to the ChiSox when they signed Robin Ventura, a pick that turned into (brief) future Met Matt Ginter. 2 possible HoFers came via pick #22: - Rafael Palmiero in 1985 - Craig Biggio in 1987 (Seton Hall Univ via Kings Park HS) Also Chet Lemon (1972); Bruce Hurst (1976); Terry Francona (1980); Rick Helling (1992)

Frayed Knot Jun 03 2008 10:08 PM

AG/DC wrote: Jaroncyk gave it a few years. http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=7174 Yeah, I guess he played the one full season plus two partials - one being the year he was drafted and then the one he walked out in the middle of. He later decided to make a comeback w/other orgs but that didn't go too well either.

Nymr83 Jun 03 2008 11:45 PM

]Martin would satisfy my desire to have a Micah Owings-type player I think if Val ever met Owings he would bend over.

Frayed Knot Jun 05 2008 06:46 AM

The mock draft at [url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7615]Baseball Prospectus[/url] has Mets looking at Missouri High School hurler Tim Melville (I think he'll be a whale of a pick) at #18: - [RHP] Melville began the season as one of the top high school pitchers available, but he disappointed observers throughout much of the season before returning to form down the stretch. He wants to be paid the way his pre-season status dictated, and the Mets have deep pockets. - while hoping that U of Miami 2B Jemile Weeks (brother of Rickie) is still available come pick #22; "one of the top college athletes available" -- with Tulane RHP Shooter Hunt (I'd take him for the name alone) as a fallback - early in the season the Tulane ace looked like he might be one the first ten selections, but he ran out of gas by the end of the year, and was rarely more than ordinary. [but if you] believe in the early-season showings, Shooter would be a steal here NYDN's Adam Rubin quotes MLB writer Jonathan Mayo as thinking the Mets are after Weeks, Arizona State 1B Ike Davis (son of former NYY reliever Ron) or Arizona reliever Ryan Perry - He has more velocity than any of the other college bullpen arms, but some scouts are concerned about the straightness of his pitch, and his overall numbers are hardly dominating I know, another (ugh!) college reliever - although it's hadly just us, 4 or 5 of them are listed in the projected top 30 picks.

MFS62 Jun 05 2008 07:57 AM

MLB.com predicts the Mets will pick: Issac Davis 1B, OF as the 18th pick http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=701984&w=/2008/open/draft/broll/br_davis_isaac_400.wmv&mid=200805302799417&pid=gen_video&vid=11071&cid=mlb&v=2 And Reese Davis SS as the 22nd pick http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=702153&w=/2008/open/draft/broll/br_havens_david_400.wmv&mid=200805302799589&pid=gen_video&vid=11071&cid=mlb&v=2 _________________ The shortstop doesn't have a good swing, even in BP - scary. But the First baseman has been mentioned as a prospect in some of the posts above. Later