23
2012
The Curious Case Of Teddy Stankiewicz
An article by 
Teddy Stankiewicz would have looked good in Blue and Orange. (Image Photoshopped by Joe D.)
With their second, second-round pick (75th overall) in this year’s First Year Player Draft, the Mets selected RHP Teddy Stankiewicz, an 18-year-old pitcher from Fort Worth, Texas. Stankiewicz went 12-2 with a 1.35 ERA this season, having struck out 135 batters in 93 1/3 innings. He was committed to Arkansas, one of the nation’s best baseball programs.
Though disappointed, Arkansas was certain that they were going to lose Stankiewicz, who was the highest signee taken in the draft that was committed to them. “The Fort Worth, Texas native is expected to sign a professional contract”, they said.
On Day Three of the Draft, Mets VP of Player Development and Scouting Paul DePodesta, raved about getting Teddy Stankiewicz who the Mets heavily scouted according to what a source told me. ”He really has excellent ability and command of his stuff,” DePodesta said. “He has some velocity, and a quality breaking pitch to go along with it.”
There were many experts on Draft Day who raved about Stankiewicz, in fact, Jonathan Mayo said he didn’t think the Mets would be able to sign the talented right-hander, who he called a high-ceiling pick who could get drafted a lot higher in the future and everybody knows it. “It was a tremendous pick for the Mets, especially if they could sign him, Mayo said. “He’s a Major League starter in the making.”
Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn was thrilled the Mets couldn’t seal the deal with Stankiewicz, ”Teddy’s fastball usually sits 90-93 with movement and he can really locate,” Horn said. “He’s very polished for his age. We’re hoping to get him to campus and he’ll have a chance to get in the rotation early and be a contributor right away.”
So what happened, what went wrong?
Did the Mets run out of money or cap room?
No they didn’t. According to Baseball America’s Jim Callis, the Mets came in under budget by $866K after the signing deadline passed, and they could have spent as high as $1.223 million without incurring any penalty under the new CBA.
Was Teddy Stankiewicz’s demands too exorbitant?
The answer to that is not at all. According to what a family source commented to us last week, the difference between signing Stankiewicz or not came down to $80,000 dollars. The family was merely looking for him to get the slot amount of $680,400, but the Mets were unwilling to go a penny more than $600,040 dollars for their No. 75 overall pick. “The Mets offer was less than slot”, Chris Stankiewicz said. “Even though slot would have gotten it done. It was disappointing because he was very excited about being a a New York Met.” One more thing I think is important to note. The telephone never rang on deadline day (Friday the 13th), the Mets in fact confirmed that there were no last minute offers made to Stankiewicz or any other unsigned selections.
Was this the second round pick from the Marlins that we got for losing Jose Reyes?
Not exactly. The Mets had two second round selections, pick No. 71 which they used to select another Razorback, third baseman Matt Reynolds, and of course pick No. 75 which they used on Stankiewicz. It could have easily been the other way around, and according to comments made by Paul DePodesta, “We loved the Arkansas kids. They have a great program and know talent when they see it.” In an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rubin, DePodesta offered some consolation saying that the organization will have an extra pick in next year’s draft. The Mets will get the No. 76 pick next year for failing to sign Stankiewicz. Still, when the Mets lost Reyes, it was DePo who was quick to remind us about getting the Marlins’ second round pick (their first round pick was protected) and later added that this year’s draft class was loaded with talent and some exciting pitching prospects. Stankiewicz was the first pitcher the Mets selected in the draft.
So what happens now?
Not much really. The Mets will get the consolation pick next year and the money they saved rolls over. Until then, everyone will keep their fingers crossed that next year’s draft class will be as rich in talent as this year’s was. One month down, eleven to go.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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So….. Are thinking draft already?? my oh my, how the chips have fallen.. This front office has made us fans care more about the draft and minor leaguers than the actual bog league ball club..
Just a reminder, just because you stock pile on good picks does not guarantee you will have a great promising future, we’ve seen teams like KC and the Pirates go cheap on FA, have losing record after losing record, get higher draft picks, then those players become busts, setting the franchise back more years. guys like wheeler, Harvey, Nimmo and co can become bums and busts, setting the franchise back more years, because it’s obvious the mind set is not to spend on good player via FA.
It’s truly ashamed we are seeing what’s going on with this team.
Alex, I’m not thinking of the draft already. I actually had this story written for publication right after the deadline, but was holding off to see if I could get DePodesta’s side of the story to go with Stankiewicz’s side. After getting no-comment I published it today.
Joe D, i meant nothing bad on your article, this was a good story, but trust me, it’s not only you talking about draft picks already for next year… It’s the culture that has been install to the fan base of this team. Forget bout signing good players via FA or trying to trade for a major league stud,. It ain’t happening, so people want as many draft picks to see if they pan out..
I understand, but apparently it’s not just about getting draft picks because they threw half of them in the shredder on Friday the 13th. That’s not how you stock a farm system.
Alex, not only did Pittsburgh and KC not spend money on free agency, they didn’t spend money on the draft or scouting and developement until just a few years ago. That’s why both franchises have sucked. Not because they didn’t sign free agents but because they didn’t spend on the draft. And when they did get a draft pick right, what did they do with that player? they dumped him to a big market team.
You do not build a team through free agency, you add through free agency. If the last 23 years haven’t proved that to you then it will never sink in. We dont have a good nucleous yet to be adding the big free agents to. And unless another young Beltran type comes along it makes no sense to bring in a big ticket free agent until the team has it’s core in place.
What you should be pissed about is the fact that we’ve been one of the cheapest franchises when it comes to the draft, except for last year when we spent the most in our history. This year we went right back to the old “Don’t spend on the draft” routine which is why we’ve had a pathetic franchise for most of the last 20 plus years.
Fonzie, after seeing us not signing half of our picks this year and not signing any big time free agents, or wanting to spend on FA, what does that tell you? that we are heading in the same direction as those 2 franchises….
Believe me Alex I’m totally fkn disgusted that we didn’t sign half of our picks after spending the most we ever have last year and coming away with a nice draft last year, it goes right back to business as usual for this franchise. I’d like to hear the reasoning for failing to sign half our picks. It’s very fishy to me that after Madoff suits are resolved we go right back into cheap mode with the draft. Not one reporter or beat writer has written anything about this. How can you be a reporter and not mention this at all. It’s a disgrace. I haven’t heard one word about mentioned on SNY, WFAN, or anywhere else.
Fonzie, once again a great point. I’ve been told this by more than one person, and that is that when Alderson took on the job as GM there was an agreement that while he couldnt spend and was handcuffed in his first offseason (as we all saw), he was given an ample budget and permission to go over slot in the draft as a fair exchange. It was a luxury that was rarely afforded to Minaya who mostly drafted based on signability and thus scoured the college ranks rather than the high school ranks where most of the best talent was. He also reached often taking picks that would have been available to him in the next round or later so he could chisel them and have more of what little he had to spend. You never know what to believe when people in the know tell you things, because I’ve learned that they don’t always tell you the whole story or leave important facts out which is why I never run to post something whenever I hear anything. But I always found this Alderson handshake agreement on spending in his first year to be very true. Also when Alderson said after the Winter Meetings in 2010 that he would have substantial money to spend in the middle of the season, I believe he was actually referring to the draft and not talking about adding players at the deadline if circumstances warranted it.
Joe I wish you could somehow find out why this happened. For the life of me I can’t understand why it hasn’t been reported anywhere.This is the total opposite of what took place in last years draft. We spent 600K on our 15th rounder last year but wouldn’t spend 680K on our 2nd rounder. WTF???
In years past the Mets held a conference call after the First Year Player Draft and I was fortunate and humbled to be included. Last year it was Paul DePo who was on. This year I couldn’t wait for that conference call and in fact was going to ask permission to have two people from MMO on because I wanted to ask two questions; the one you propose and who they thought was more projectable as an impact player Cecchini or Hawkins. Well three days later and no conference call so I sent a couple of emails and learned they wouldn’t have one this year. I dont think they had one with beat writers either.
I should add that they did have a media event when they invited Cecchini and Plawecki to Citi Field for interviews. Unfortunately, when Joe S. who was covering the event for us got there, he was too late because he got stuck in a two hour traffic jam on the Van Wyck.
Says to me all the negative press they got for passing over Hawkins and the MEH Whatever feeling for the rest told them better not answer questions as they wouldn’t like them!
Frustrating indeed. I read where they will get the money not spent this year as additional money to spend for next year, but end of the day, letting 80K stop this team from signing this guy who has such a high upside is a head scratch-er to say the least.
I thought this got very little attention when the deadline passed. Now I understand why. Very disappointing to say the least. Does he just go into the draft again next year? It will be interesting to see if he becomes a top first rounder if he has similar success at Arkansas.
He now has to wait until his sophomore year in college (two years) to enter the draft again.
no, he has to wait until he is eligible again, I believe after his Junior year.
so he is certainly taking a risk turning down 600K. Plenty of HS hot shots fizzle out in college, or do not turn out to be quite the star. So, no guarantee in 3 years he is going to be drafted again in the top couple or rounds. Then again, he could end up vaulting into the top of the 1st round and making even more money.
if nothing else, he gets to spend the next 3 years in Arkansas, FWIW>
Almost, it’s actually two years or after his sophomore year.
This was a good strategy for the Mets. They handed out take it or leave it offers that were below slot to many players. If they took it great, if not, more money for next year when they will allotted much less to spend because they wont be losing and type-a type free agents. Now we will be more competitive in the draft next year.
So saving the 80K will make the Mets more competitive next year? Is that what you think? What makes you think pick 76 next year will be any better than pick 75 this year? Do you even know that Stanky was the second highest pick in the entire draft not to sign, Appel being the first? Top 100 picks almost always get signed because they are the least riskiest picks of the entire draft and more than 50% of them make it to the majors. Less than 25% of picks 101 to 200 make it to the majors. You talk a big game Kramer, but honestly you don’t impress me and you are a legendary Alderson apologist on this site. Next time it will take well over a million to sign Stank you idiot. The whole purpose of moving the deadline up in the new CBA was so that teams would have more leverage and it would lead to more signings. Only four teams will receive compensation for failing to sign their top selections and the fact that one is a New York team is an embarrassment. How interesting that we are clumped with Oakland and Pittsburgh who do this all the time.
It’s not just that Maniac. Not only did we not sign our 2nd rounder which is bad enough, we didn’t sign more than half our picks. That’s a fkn disgrace. A team that’s supposedly building from within can not operate this way, in NY or anywhere. I guess they’re resting their laurels on last years draft and thinking one draft will turn this franchise around. We’re fked as lond as these dooshes own the team. I don’t care who the GM is. Not even Pat Gillick could build a team this way. It’s typical Wilpon business. It’s been going on for over 20 years.
Well DePo said it got them two things….
first was another pick in next years draft but we also get the savings this year for staying under slot going towards next year’s cap.
If the difference was 80k it is a head scratcher on both sides. The Mets for not offering slot and the kid if one is to believe he would of signed for slot why would $80K less than $680,040 not get it done? If the kid believes he can go much higher in a future draft plus get a College education on top of it I have to wonder if $80 really was what prevented him from signing. In any case I am more curios as to the reasoning behind being unable to sign 21 of their 42 draft picks?
In all fairness I did ask the Mets to respond and was sitting on this story for over a week. The $80K difference is not in dispute, that’s a fact. As was the take it or leave it offer. What I really wanted to know was the “why” from them, not because I wanted them to verify the numbers which nobody will argue are accurate.
Which only continues to add why would 80K be the deal breaker on both sides? In time maybe more will come out.
What about all of the other picks we failed to sign? Was that smart strategy as well or was it business as usual in Wilpons world? We only signed 19 of 42 picks. If you’re building from within, you’re not going to be very successful when you don’t sign more than half your draft picks. Looks like now that the Madoff suit was resolved we’re going back to the old Wilpon way of not spending on the draft.
Good point Fonzie, and if you apply the widely accepted averages, we’ll be very fortunate if only 3-4 of those 19 of 42 picks ever make it the Mets.
Okay thanks MNJ. I went by the Mets official site that showed only 19 2 days after the deadline but either way that’s still pathetic for a team that’s suppsed to be building from within. I understand that this years draft was’t anywhere near as deep as last years draft but failing to sign half our picks. I’d like to hear the thougt process behind that.
I agree how the Mets fail to sign 50% of their draft picks or why I do not know. The only team to sign less was the Pirates at 49%.
That’s right and what was surprising is not only that they only signed 21, but that they had the 9th most pool money available to spend at $7.2MM. For example the Washington Nationals had only $4.4MM but signed 29 players.
Well the money doesn’t really matter cause the amounts are determined by how high the picks are and the number of picks. For example while the Nats spent $4,548,500 to sign 29 picks while the Astros spent $11,235,200 to sign 30 picks.
The focus is that the Mets had the ability it seems to sign the kid and didn’t and also somehow were also unable to sign 20 of their picks that were not in the top 10.
Last year the Pirates, of all teams spent more on their 2nd round pick than we spent on almost our entire draft, could’ve been more for the entire draft, not entirely sure. Can’t do that anymore with the new CBA but we would never have done anything like that anyway. Now the Pirates actually have some big time prospects in their system.
I count 21 Fonzie.
Gavin Cecchini
Kevin Plawecki
Matt Reynolds
Matt Koch
Branden Kaupe
Brandon Welch
Jayce Boyd
Corey Oswalt
Tomas Nido
Richie Rodriguez
Paul Sewald
Logan Taylor
Robert Whalen
Matt Bowman
Chris Flexen
Stefan Sabol
Tyler Vanderheiden
Tim Peterson
Andrew Massie
Jon Leroux
Jeff Reynolds
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/2012xteam.php?team=1013
Maybe we should just wait for Jessup to write an article that explains why all of this is a great move and shows how great and smart a GM we have is!
If you ask me this sounds more like they didn’t do their homework on half these guys, Then met with them and found out what they failed to find out before and then decided they screwed up and decided to save the money for next year.
It does seem to point to the one fact most of us have mentioned but get taken to task for…
This Front Office certainly values money more than it values players!
Maybe we can just throw a stack of $100 Bills into LF and perhaps get better production than Jason Bay (our RH power Bat) gives us!
My roommate is Teddy Stankiewicz’ cousin, so I was privy to a decent amount of inside info. I won’t go into detail, but the Mets fudged this up for no good reason that I can see. Then again, I don’t work for the front office and don’t know their whole side of the story….
Still, the fact that they didn’t sign this kid for just the slot amount is both disappointing and concerning.