Pour Me a Draft

[batmagadanleadoff]

He looks like Phil Niekro. Not the active Phil Niekro: the Phil Niekro who attended old-timer's games 25 years after he retired.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was also getting a little bit of a Phil Niekro vibe.

[Edgy MD]

He's wearing a du-rag under his had that makes it look like he's got silver hair.

That combines with what's got to be the palest complexion ever for an outdoor athlete who plies his trade in Mississippi. Maybe he's albino?

He's probably about 70 pounds less than Phil Niekro, but otherwise, yeah.

[MFS62]

Round 11, Pick No. 323: 2B Nick Roselli, Binghamton University

Go, Bingy.
Later

[G-Fafif]

Round 11, Pick No. 323: 2B Nick Roselli, Binghamton University

Go, Bingy.

LIONR -- Long Island's Own Nick Roselli, a Levittown lad.

[Edgy MD]

Eighteenth-round selection Jace Hampson appears to be related somehow to Justin, though it isn't yet clear how.

No word yet on whether 17th-rounder Jacoby Long is linked to Terrence, or if 15th-rounder Owen Woodward shares a close DNA match with Chris.

[G-Fafif]

Nick Roselli was born March 31, 2003, arguably the most miserable Opening Day in Mets history (Gl@v!ne’s debut, a 15-2 loss, 37 degrees or thereabouts), so kudos for distracting his parents from the get-go.

[Frayed Knot]

Round 11, Pick No. 323: 2B Nick Roselli, Binghamton University

Go, Bingy.

LIONR -- Long Island's Own Nick Roselli, a Levittown lad.

Not surprising seeing as how 17% of boys from Levittown are named Nick Roselli.

[Edgy MD]

That's a strong observation.

The Northeast is pretty much living in GENERATION NICKY right now. Michael and Matthew are perennials but look at Nick elbow his way in!

Most Popular Names of Boys Born in the Year 2000, by State

STATE	RANK #1	RANK #2	RANK #3	RANK #4	RANK #5
Maine	Jacob	Nicholas	Joshua	Tyler	Matthew
New Hampshire	Jacob	Matthew	Ryan	Nicholas	Michael
Vermont	Jacob	Matthew	Ryan	Michael	Tyler
Massachusetts	Matthew	Michael	John	Nicholas	Ryan
Connecticut	Michael	Matthew	Nicholas	Christopher	Ryan
Rhode Island	Matthew	Michael	Nicholas	Jacob	Ryan
New York	Michael	Matthew	Nicholas	Christopher	Joseph
New Jersey	Michael	Matthew	Nicholas	Christopher	Joseph
Pennsylvania	Michael	Jacob	Matthew	Nicholas	Ryan

[G-Fafif]

Nick's one of us.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mets-fan-nick- ... orite-team

[Edgy MD]

I like Nick.

Upped his game every season in college, and got invited to play in a better summer league each year.

Who is the forum's resident Binghamton Bear?

[MFS62]

Who is the forum's resident Binghamton Bear?

One of my daughters is a graduate.
Does that count?
Later

[Edgy MD]

It doesn't not count, but one of our regulars here is a grad.

[Edgy MD]

Let not the excitement of yesterday's game overtake the good news that the Mets have signed first-round draft pick Carson Benge, along with Corey Collins, their first-base-playing sixth-round pick.

The Mets now have 28 of their 30 picks under contract, with the two holdouts being ninth-rounder RHP Jaxon Jelkin and 20th-rounder SS Adam Haight. Haight's one of the few high-schoolers that the Mets picked, while Jelkin will be a fourth-year junior next season, so both have some leverage.

No definitive word yet on whether Carson Benge will be allowed to pursue outfielding and pitching at the same time, but early indications suggest the Mets will stick with the former.

[Edgy MD]

Nine games into his professional career as a St. Lucie Met, Carson Benge is at .387 / .537 / .613 // 1.150.

[MFS62]

He has been used at St. Lucie as both a DH and a centerfielder.
I'd want to see him on defense as much as possible to determine his best position.


Later

[Edgy MD]

Seventeenth-round pick Jacoby Long looks to me for all the world like he calls Johan Santana "Dad."

[MFS62]

He has Terrence Long's goatee and eyebrows (using his baseball- reference picture as reference).

But no indication if they're related.
Later

[Frayed Knot]

While looking up something else I wound up on the 1971 MLB draft page over at BB-Ref
I've long thought (or at least hoped) that teams are getting better at drafting as the years go by and the '71 draft certainly makes a case that they have.

48 players were drafted in the first two rounds (24 teams x 2) and a stunning 21 of them never saw a day in the majors.
Of the ones that did, four went on to play at least 1,000 ML Games, although if we want to be kind two others came close.

The good news is that, of those four w/1,000 games, three went on to the HoF:
- 15th overall pick from a SC HS, Jim Rice
Now here's the part that threw me, with consecutive picks in the 2nd round:
- George Brett 2/5 (29th overall) HS SS from California
- Mike Schmidt (2/6 30th), also a SS, Ohio University

The other 1,000 game player: SS Craig Reynolds, 1,491 G, 22nd pick Pirates, had himself a nice 15 year career, mostly with Houston
And the two that just missed: SS Tom Veryzer, 996 G, 11th pick, Tigers, 12 ML seasons; 3B Ron Jackson, 904 G, 37th pick Angels (10 yrs)

So while the top of that draft was excellent, most of the rest whiffed a lot. That some won't make from early rounds it is still the case but
not at rates approaching half the picks. A couple didn't sign, but the others all topped out somewhere in the minors.

The two NYM picks: 2B Rich Puig, 14th overall (right after Frank Tanana, right before Rice) from famed Hillsborough HS in Tampa; 4 ML games, 10 ABs, 0 hits
and 2B James Kidder, 38th overall, from HS in San Antonio, Peaked by getting into 43 games with Tidewater in 1976. Never made the majors.



btw, the Royals 1st round pick that year, RHP Roy Branch, appeared in four ML games, all with Seattle
the Phillies 1st round pick was RHP Roy Branch. He managed 182 ML games w/13 starts but none for the Phils.

[Edgy MD]

I knew about Brett and Schmidt being taken with consecutive picks. I have a theory that culture and evolution tend to conspire to produce great players at the same position at the same time. Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. Walter Johnson and Christy Matthewson. Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx. Willie/Mickey/The Duke, Henderson/Raines, the Super Shortstops, etc.

I like that Hillsborough High was already producing big-leaguers in 1971. Rich Puig always looked to me like he was worried that some awful secret was going to get out.

[DocTee]

The 1000-game threshold is not a fair assessment, given that pitchers like Frank Tanana, who had a very long and successful career, are not likely to be represented here. 1000-games for batters, sure. But how many of the other picks in that draft had careers like Tanana and would that change your assessment?

[Frayed Knot]

I wasn't really assessing much beyond my side comment that I think clubs are whiffing on fewer picks now than they were then*.
Mostly I was just noting the oddities I found:

- that Brett & Schmidt were b-t-b picks
- that nearly half of the first 48 picks never played a day in the majors
- that of the position players who did go on to lengthy careers, half (3 of 6) wound up in the HoF
- and that NYM 1st pick Rich Puig and his 10 AB ML career was sandwiched between Jim Rice and Frank Tanana





* Just to pick a random year of 2011 for comparison, 40 of the first 48 picks made it to 'The Show' including each of the first 29 picks,
while 40 years earlier 21 of the first 48 never made it including 9 of the top 29
The Mets did considerably better too with Nimmo (13th) and Michael Fulmer (44th)

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Just spitballing here but the rate at which MLB churns relievers and loses guys to injury is such that the need for major leaguers is greater than in 1971. There may also be something to the notion of there being more riding on the opportunities for 1st round picks given the investment is so much bigger than in 1971

[batmagadanleadoff]

Just spitballing here but the rate at which MLB churns relievers and loses guys to injury is such that the need for major leaguers is greater than in 1971. There may also be something to the notion of there being more riding on the opportunities for 1st round picks given the investment is so much bigger than in 1971

Makes sense to me. In the 70s, a typical Mets team would have 30+ players appearing in a given season. These days, it's in the 60s, or very close to it. Assume that it's the same for every team and given that there are now 30 teams instead of 24 as in '71, and that's one explanation.

Scouting is probably better than back then, too. And the amateur players are also better.