2
2012
2012 MLB Draft: A New Mock, My Thoughts On Deven Marrero
An article by Craig Lerner
MLB Draft Countdown released their Mock Draft 4.0 and I really like what they’ve done here. Gone are top prep pitcher Lucas Giolito, who will miss the rest of the season with a strained elbow, and Georgia Southern slugger Victor Roache, who broke his wrist and is also out for the season.
Plenty of players are rising and falling as their baseball seasons are well underway, so check it out:
1. Houston Astros – Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford
The Astros are coming off their worst season ever, and need to make a splash. Appel has frontline potential and a decent bit of projection left.2. Minnesota Twins – Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco
The Twins have never been one for the splashy pick. Zimmer is a safe choice, and fits their bill as a control pitcher, but offers significant upside and great velocity.3. Seattle Mariners – Mike Zunino, C, Florida
Yes, the M’s just dealt for Jesus Montero, but he’s no catcher. Having both their bats in the same lineup makes Seattle very dangerous. Rumor has it they’re also drooling over Buxton.4. Baltimore Orioles – Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County HS (GA)
The O’s need position talent more than any other organization, and their last dip into Georgia (Nick Markakis) turned out alright. They recently worked Buxton out.5. Kansas City Royals – Lance McCullers Jr., RHP, Jesuit Prep (FL)
It’s hard not to love McCullers’ arm. The Royals have shown a knack for developing recently drafted pitchers, and the Florida flamethrower would be a nice catch.6. Chicago Cubs – Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
Theo Epstein doesn’t scare easily, so there’s no hesitation regarding Giolito’s elbow injury. Right-hander has the highest ceiling of any 2012 pick, and has drawn comparisons to Jameson Taillon.7. San Diego Padres – Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU
The Dodgers tried to sign Gausman in 2010. He would be a perfect fit for their division rivals two years later. Potential frontline starter who is really blossoming in 2012.8. Pittsburgh Pirates – David Dahl, OF, Oak Mountain HS (AL)
The Pirates have so dramatically improved their farm system, that they can afford to take a flier on Dahl, who may benefit from a lower level of competition.9. Miami Marlins – Walker Weickel, RHP, Olympia HS (FL)
The Marlins went with a hometown kid (Jose Fernandez) last year, and could benefit from playing that card again. Weickel has frontline stuff and a great pitcher’s frame.10. Colorado Rockies – Albert Almora, OF, Mater Academy (FL)
The Rockies have shown their affinity for SS, making Deven Marrero an obvious option, but Almora’s bat is significantly better.11. Oakland Athletics – Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern
Roache is exactly the kind of player that the A’s covet. Big time power, great on-base abilities, limited defensive ability. A match made in OBP heaven.12. New York Mets – Deven Marrero, SS, Arizona State
The Mets need a polished shortstop badly; Marrero is just that, and there’s a realistic possibility that he could slip to them at 12. The Mets have no true successor to Jose Reyes at shortstop. Despite the questions about his bat, Marrero should be quick to the Majors, thanks to his defensive polish.Check out the rest of this mock here.
This is the fifth or sixth time I’ve seen Deven Marrero as the Mets’ choice and I wonder if that’s a product of losing Jose Reyes or because he’s considered the 12th best player available in many of these mocks.
He’s considered by many to be the top shortstop in the draft in terms of roundness, and by that I mean the balance between his defensive and offensive game. But I’m not sure that this is the way the Mets should go.
Marrero is a superior defensive shortstop with above average range, great instincts, soft hands, and a powerful arm he uses to make accurate throws. Last season he was named the 2011 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. As a defender, he’ll win a few gold gloves when he makes it to the majors.
His offensive game though is not nearly as impressive, and is a little tough to figure out right now. He’s batted .300 or better in his last three seasons, but with very little power and moderate speed. I like his line drive swing, but he’s a bit of a free swinger and chases a lot of pitches out of the strike zone.
So far this season Marrero is hitting .286/.344/.405 in 22 games for the Sun Devils. Some scouts project Marrero to gain more power, while others simply view him as good gap hitter who should produce a lot of doubles.
So that’s the book on Marrero, here’s a video I found that really shows the differences between Marrero the shortstop and Marrero the hitter. Let me know what you think.
About the Author: Craig Lerner
I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.
33 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
Recent Comments
- Hotstreak: on Juan Lagares Belts First MLB Homer In Mets 4-3 Comeback Win: Nice win and John; excellant wrap up....
- RandomGuy: on Juan Lagares Belts First MLB Homer In Mets 4-3 Comeback Win: It's crazy, guy worked forever to try...
- RandomGuy: on Juan Lagares Belts First MLB Homer In Mets 4-3 Comeback Win: Looks like the "They Said It" section,...
- BadBadLeroyBrown: on Rafael Montero Promoted To Las Vegas: LOL
- BadBadLeroyBrown: on Juan Lagares Belts First MLB Homer In Mets 4-3 Comeback Win: Scott Rices destiny under Collins is replacing...
MMO Mets Chat
Need Tickets To The Mets Game?
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
5360 Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1269 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
“The Mets need a polished shortstop badly; Marrero is just that, and there’s a realistic possibility that he could slip to them at 12. The Mets have no true successor to Jose Reyes at shortstop.”
They obviously don’t know what they are talking about. We have Ruben Tejada at SS, who played very well last season, and he’s only going to get better.
But to an extent that’s like saying we did not need catching depth in the minors after Tholes’s 2010 season. I think his point is the minor league organization is void of depth in the position.
Not to mention the farm isn’t exactly brimming with Roberto Alomar’s, either. Hmm……..bad example?
Point is, Ruben can slide over.
Honestly I am not sure Ruben’s bat will play well enough to start long-term at 2B.
I disagree. Ruben will be a good hitter. .275/.340/.380 is more than enough with his glove.
Where do you think that would put him offensively at 2B? That OPS would put him 12/17 qualified 2B last year. That’s still assuming he can even hit that well.
Don’t worry about his OPS, worry about his up the middle defense, then consider he’s a better hitter than “well, at least he’s not an automatic out.” With Murphy, Wright, Ike and Duda 2-5, the team will score plenty of runs. How many of the other 2B with a higher OPS plays defense like he does?
Xtreem, quite a few of them are comparable defensively. The point is that bat at 2B doesn’t play as well as it does SS.
TRS, only seven 2B had an OPS higher than .700 in 2011. Phillips, Weeks, Utley, Uggla, Walker, Espinosa and Jamey Carroll. Phillips and Utley are the only legit better defenders, and Utley’s career is likely over.
Meanwhile, at SS, off the top of my head, Tulo, Reyes, Castro and a heathy Drew and Rollins are all better hitters.
LoL, I see you have read the MMO Mets annual.
On a real good well conceived team Tejada should be one of 3 middle infielders who both backs up 2B and SS but also gets considerable time at both. More like a rotation then a strictly defined role but I wouldn’t be afraid of Tejada’s stick playing at 2B because a lot of that is dependent on what your getting offensively out of other positions.
When you look at our 2000 lineup it’s amazing the offense we got from C and 2B and how low overall it was in the OF.
Theoretically the whole “does Ordonez hit enough” debate should never have seen the light of day because a team should be able to carry a great defensive player at a key position especially if their getting tremendous offense elsewhere as we did at C and 2B.
MNJ, I have not yet. I’m old-school and don’t own a Kindle/Nook/e-reader of any sort. I need a hard copy so I can turn actual pages. Did you know Joe D. honored me with the offer to write for it? I have two pieces in it, including one of the cover stories. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
I didn’t know that Xtreem. I have 1 question and maybe you can answer it for me. I recognize all the names credited in the Annual except one. Who is Jesse Elgarten?
Agee, the problem is the teams the past few years have been so ill-conceived. When Daniel Murphy is the best option for 2B, the organization has issues. When the LF is a “power hitter” and has 18 home runs in two seasons, the organization has issues. When Mike Pelfrey was considered the team’s 2nd best starter before 2011, the organization has issues. I can go on, but you know all about it.
Tell me about it X.
It’s very difficult to solve all your deficiencies at the last minute every year and get them all to come up smelling like roses.
Looking forward to reading your articles X, I too am old school but my order at B&N is going in ASAP.
MNJ, you’re gonna kick yourself if I told you and you didn’t figure it out yourself.
Want one more guess?
LoL, wait is that you?
Indeed it is.
I’m not convinced that Tejada’s range and arm will play at SS. Not saying it won’t but I believe we’re really going to notice a difference over a full season.
SS’s also get turned into catchers now a days if they don’t look likely to stick so there’s always that chance for a SS we draft or even Evans.
Trahan though is a guy I’d be very interested in unless there is big time pitching available.
If we do wind up with a protected pick next year I don’t see how you could avoid looking real hard at Montero for 4-5 years to catch the young guys we have coming up and that gives us a realistic time frame for Strahan to develop but you can’t count on just one guy either.
I’d be hard pressed to come up with a position player in the farm I WOULDN’T part with for Montero.
Not at all because Tejada is a much better player than Thole.
Thole’s 2010 was just as good as Tejada’s 2011.
The difference between them is defense. Tejada has plays solid defense, and Thole is a poor defensive catcher.
Not in 2010. Thole was great defensively in 2010. That’s why everyone was so high on him going into last year. You have the dreaded short term memory.
I mentioned this the other day in the chat room, but Philip Evans and Danny Muno are legit prospects and hopefully one of them will emerge as the overwhelming favorite for the SS job in 2013 or 2014 at the latest. I’m not sold on Tejada, and what this team needs more than a shortstop with the top pick, is a catcher, third baseman, or huge big time power prospect in OF.
And what if they don’t? You can’t hang your hat on two prospects that are over a year away at best. The farm is littered with 3B, and off the top of my head, Kirk slugged north of .500 last season and Maldonado mashed (although he is a bit old). And the catching pool isn’t that deep. Maybe O’Brien or Trahan, but they’re reaches at 12 and there would be much better players available.
” The Mets have no true successor to Jose Reyes at shortstop. Despite the questions about his bat, Marrero should be quick to the Majors, thanks to his defensive polish.”
Is he kidding? This is exactly what gets teams into trouble with shallow farms. Go and draft a guy based on a perceived need right now.
Or the ability to get up here quick even if its for a shorter duration and/or more mediocre career.
Top talent all around players in all facets of the game along with electric arms is what wins post seasons for 5-7 years at a time, not just the fastest possible contributor.
There is much better talent than Marrero in the first 12 picks. This is a no no.
One guy I really really hope the Mets draft is Christian Walker… An amazing hitter from University of South Carolina. He plays 1B but I would try and convert him to possibly an OF’er or a different position.
Walker won’t go in the top 20 picks Richard. He may still be there at 35 our 2nd pick but there are more talented players to be had ahead of Christian Walker when you’re picking 12th. Walker is a below average defender which is why he was moved off of 3rd. His stock is rising though.
The mets are going strictly upside early in the draft