Brandon Nimmo (Photo by Jim Mancari)

First at-bat: Nimmo grounds out to first base with pitcher covering. 0-for-1

Brandon Nimmo batting (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Update: Nimmo ranges nicely to his right into left center field to record the final out of the top of the third inning. No score yet in the ballgame.

Brandon Nimmo in center (Photo by Jim Mancari)

It gets lonely out there with all that space. Then again, Nimmo’s from Wyoming so he used to be surrounded by nothing.

Update: Nimmo chopped a ball to third in his second at-bat. The throw was short hopped to the first baseman and popped out of his glove, allowing Nimmo to be safe at first. He advanced to second on a base hit.

Nimmo rocking sweet Under Armour cleats (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Nimmo and Cyclones manager Rich Donnelly (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Nimmo’s ready position (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Update: Nimmo comes to plate with a chance to drive in the game’s first run. Two on two out, bottom five.

Nimmo makes good contact up the middle by the second baseman snaps it and goes the easy way for the 4-6 putout. Nimmo 0-for-3.

Update: Nimmo reaches first with a walk. Winds up scoring the game-winning run on a bases-loaded walk.

Nimmo jogs to first after a walk (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Nimmo leads off first (Photo by Jim Mancari)

71. Cory Mazzoni, RHP from NC State.

Mazzoni recorded a 137:29 K:BB ratio in 114.2 IP this season at NC State. According to Jim Callis, “Up to 97, hard breaker.” Most recently, he threw a stunning game in the College World Series against Georgia Southern. MLB Draft Guide has a less glowing profile, “His fastball lacks movement and ranges from 89 to 93…His command has been inconsistent.” Here are more numbers.

101. Logan Verrett, RHP from Baylor

Verrett had a 95:30 K:BB ratio in 100.1 IP with a WHIP of 1.22, FIP of 3.61 (ERA 2.67). Verrett has a fastball in the low 90′s. Here is his delivery. River Ave. Blues has this to say: “A slider that occasionally misses bats is probably his second best offering, though a sinking changeup in the mid-70′s might also stake a claim to that title. Verrett relies more on command and setting hitters up than pure stuff, but it’s a solid mix of pitches with good probability.” Verrett had a 34:5 K:BB in 41.1 IP in the Cape Cod League. From Baseball America in 2010: “he showed a 90-93 mph fastball with good tail and sink, a slider with tilt and a changeup with fade. He throws all three pitches for strikes.”

132. Tyler Pill, RHP from Cal. State Fullerton

Pill recorded a 110:22 K:BB ratio in 98.2 IP. FIP of 3.38, ERA of 2.28. Ranked by College Baseball Daily as the 86th-best college player in 2011. Prospect Junkies had this to say: “Pill will pitch as a professional as a pack of the rotation starter or a reliever.” Pill is a two-way player in college, but will end up as a pitcher. Big thrower.

162. Jack Leathersich, LHP from UMass Lowell

Lowell had a 126:27 K:BB in 89 IP at UMass Lowell. Miniscule 1.62 ERA with .175 BAA. Looks like a big-strikeout lefty. According to Salem News, Leathersich impressed in the Cape Cod League with a mid-90′s fastball. In the article, Leathersich believes that his future is in the pen. (Author’s Note: So do I.)

192. Joe Tushak, CF from Northern Senior HS

Reportedly has a nice swing. Worked out with the Mets on Sunday. This from Baseball America: “Scout told me someone might take a chance on Penn. OF Joe Tuschak. Best tool is speed. Will be a project, but intriguing athlete.”

222. Cole Frenzel, 1B from Arizona

Batted .353/.467/.473 with a wOBA of .427 this season at Arizona. BA had this to say in 2008: “Frenzel showed good hands in the infield and a strong arm. He has a strong LH bat and projects very well. He has good strength in his swing and shows good power potential. Interesting bat to watch as he continues to develop.”

252. Daniel Muno, SS from Fresno St.

Batted .346/.477/.468 with a wOba of .427 this season for Fresno St. Will likely move to another position due to defensive questions, but swung the bat well in his college career.

282. Alexander Panteliodis, LHP from Florida

44:9 K:BB ratio in 52.2 IP this season for the Gators. FIP of 5.44, ERA of 3.76. Will likely end up a reliever.

312. Matthew Budgell, RHP from Woodbridge HS

Baseball Beginnings had this: “RHP Matt Budgell is lanky and wiry, throws 85-86 with a tail.” His breaking ball and change sit in the high 70′s.

342. Christian Montgomery, RHP from Lawrence Central HS

Fastball in low 90′s. Breaking pitches in low 80;s. AOL Sports says “Soft midsection, thick body is a question mark but stuff is outstanding.” According to Perfect Game, command could use work. This is him in action. (Author’s note: I kind of like this pick, IF he can put on extra velocity.)

372. Kenny Matthews, LHP from Diamond Bar HS

Played for the USA U16 team. Perfect Game says “86-87 mph fastball from a low 3/4′s release point, repeats delivery well, big breaking slow curveball, good run on change up.” You can find his HS stats here.

402. Robert Gsellman, RHP from Westchester (CA) HS

Two-way prospect that will likely end up a pitcher. You can find his HS stats here.

432. Xorge Carillo, C from Arizona St.

Batted .320/.402/.490 for the Sun Devils. Caught 6 of 11 baserunners stealing. In 2009, Baseball America said he was a better defensive prospect, with average hitting. Here’s Carillo in action. Chicken Friars says “Carrillo tends to get out in front of pitches on his front foot, an issue he’ll likely need to correct as he deals with more breaking and offspeed pitches in the pros. He’s got an accurate and strong arm, but could stand to have a quicker release behind the plate. The other aspects of his defense are solid.”

462. Phillip Evans, SS from La Costa Canyon HS

Here’s Mr. Evans. And here, here, and here. Very good defensively. I like his swing. Good speed, and good hitting ability. Strong commitment to San Diego St., however. Replacement Level Baseball has a detailed report of his tools, which I recommend. (Author’s note: I really like this pick, but am doubtful that he signs.)

492. Bradley Marquez, OF from Odessa HS

Here’s a clip of Marquez. Has a football commitment to Texas Tech. Looks like an athletic player. (Author’s note: Signing with an MLB team does not make you ineligible to play college football. Recent examples include Jeff Samardzija and Cedric Benson as players who played minor-league ball in the summer, and college football in the fall.)

522. Jonathan Clark, CF from Lee University

552. Travis Taijeron, CF from Cal Poly Pomona

582. Dustin Lawley, OF from U of West Florida

612. Mason Robbins, CF from George County HS

642. John Gant, RHP from Wiregrass Ranch HS

672. Casey Turgeon, SS from Dunedin HS

702. Jeffrey Diehl, C from West Cranston HS

732. William Shepherd, 1B from Texas

762. Andrew Reed, LHP from Terre Haute South Vigo HS

792. Casey Houptman, RHP from Nebraska

822. Randy Fontanez, RHP from South Florida

852. Jharel Cotton, RHP from Miami Dade

882. Joshua Ake, SS from Hunterdon Central HS

912. Jacob Hansen, LHP from F. P. Walshe HS (Canada)

Well, there you have it. Day 2 is complete for the Mets. I’m not going to even begin to predict an ETA, but keep your eyes and ears open for when these guys hit Savannah, Brooklyn, and Port St. Lucie. Good luck to all of the new Mets.

Other Notables: Josh Bell was taken 61st by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Rafael Santana’s son Alex Santana went 73rd to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Daniel Norris went 74th to the Toronto Blue Jays. Matt Purke went 96th to the Washington Nationals.

The New York Mets need pitching, pitching and more pitching.

That’s why it’s quite strange that the team selected high school outfielder Brandon Nimmo with the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

I can echo Robert Knapel’s sentiments on the subject that this pick is odd.

First off, Nimmo, who is the highest drafted player ever from Wyoming, never even played high school baseball since the state does not have a high school baseball league. This isn’t too alarming, however, since the talent obviously must be there if the Mets took this much of a risk.

The interesting thing however is that the Mets went with a high schooler rather than a college player. Based on Moneyball, the Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta seemed to lean toward college players, thinking that they had more experience.

Of course, we won’t know anything about this pick until Nimmo puts on a uniform and plays. Therefore, I’m as excited as ever the Nimmo will turn into one of his idols—Ken Griffey, Jr. or Torii Hunter.

However, Georgia Tech lefty Jed Bradley was on the board at No. 13. Bradley has electric stuff and could have been on the fast track through the Mets minor league system. With Matt Harvey pitching well and Jenrry Mejia expected to eventually contribute at the big leagues, the Mets could have the makings of a solid 1-5 staff.

Unlike the NBA and NFL Drafts where some teams select players based on need, MLB teams usually take the best available player, since that player will have to be seasoned in the minors anyway. That’s why I won’t knock the Mets too much on this selection.

Nimmo is a good line drive hitter who can spray the ball in the gaps and might even develop some power. These skills can translate well to Citi Field.

Lots of luck to Nimmo as he embarks on hopefully a productive professional baseball career.

Note: The Milwaukee Brewers selected Texas righty Taylor Jungmann with the No. 12 pick—the pick right before the Mets. The Mets might have taken him if he was available.

This pick is certainly a reach as Nimmo was ranked as the 35th best player available in this year’s draft by Baseball America. Nimmo had some great workouts, but this is a huge, huge risk.

Analysts on the MLB Network gave Andy Van Slyke as the best MLB comparison for Nimmo. Van Slyke was a career .274 hitter with 164 home runs and 245 stolen bases in his 13 year career. If Nimmo turns out to be like this, he will certainly be a disappointment.

The pick is likely not the one that Mets fans wanted. With all of the struggles the Mets rotation has faced this year and pitchers such as Jed Bradley and Sonny Gray still on the big board, the Mets likely should have gone after a pitcher.

Nimmo’s selection also may speak wonders to the Mets financial situation. The team’s money problems have been glaring and Nimmo, who has a scholarship to the University of Arkansas, will likely be cheaper to sign than some of the other players who were available at the 13th pick.

Given the team’s financial situation, it was believed that the New York Mets would need to build for the future with the MLB Draft. However, with the surprising pick of Brandon Nimmo, it is not certain what direction the Mets are headed.

If the latter thought tags me as an optimist, then consider my glass half-full (but bartender, please keep the refills comin’).  Yet, the dialogue has continued into the organization’s past, present and future.  Present times it’s easy: the Mets are going on hungrier talent from within, plus a few reclamation projects with some upside and an intact core of talent that’s getting older (but on good days we can see why they were once the Children of our Future).  The future we see in fuzzier terms.  The new brass has a plan and while able to listen to the rumblings of fans in the current construct, they are willing to take a more patient approach in internal growing.  As for the past, well, it’s evident in seeing David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, among others.  But we know after this season, one of those three will still certainly be a Met…

This brings me to a cycle of abuse that the Mets have had historically, not just in the free-spending Omar Minaya administration, but even dating back to the M. Donald Grant days.  Couple that with since basically the Joe McIlvaine days (which in baseball parlance, lasted about 15 minutes), there hasn’t been a steady draft or even a drafting plan.  It’s a double-edged sword, building one’s team.  If one chooses to do the free agent route, one has to part with many first round draft picks and harbor questions about future performance.  If you go the prospect route, some of them might not pan out, but can be used as bargaining chips to solidify teams that are one or two pieces away from it all.

If you’ve read the Maple Street Press Mets Annual 2011, two pieces addressed these very issues.  Jon Springer, of Mets by the Numbers fame, wrote a piece on the Mets history of free agency dealings titled “I’ll Buy That For A Dollar,” while Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League blog wrote a piece on the last draft that Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta and JP Ricciardi are working around called “Back Draft: Same Old Song in the Last Minaya Draft.”  By the way, if you haven’t read the MSP Mets Annual, well…why haven’t you?

Springer lays the foundation for the Mets history of free agency, starting mostly in the M. Donald Grant era, which famously lost two superstars in Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman to begin with, then set off a chain of events that kept the Mets from not only being uncompetitive, but being basically rock bottom in anything.  The idea, Grant suggested, is that “we’re sportsmen — we’re not in it for the money,” until, Springer relates, money got involved.  Grant went on to say that by not going after high-profile free agents that he was keeping costs low and visiting the ballpark as a cost that was within reach.  This in and of itself was a double-edged sword.  If he wasn’t putting money into the team, why should the fans?  We see some of that now, except prices are high for free-spending at CitiField these days, but with absolutely nothing to show for it except for some guys who are still being paid to potentially play for other teams.

However, it wasn’t for lack of trying.  In a twist of fate, they showed interest in Gary Matthews, Sr. (you may remember his son, who had a bloated free agent contract himself with the Angels), but was about $750K less than what he eventually signed for.  You see, we did show interest, we felt we gave him a fair offer but it was trumped.  However, how much of it was a low-balling-let’s-hope-he-really-doesn’t-take-it offer?

Even Frank Cashen’s days weren’t without free agent drama.  For a General Manager who was revered as a visionary in his time, and is even a charter member of the Mets Hall of Fame, his luck with free agents wasn’t all that great.  Take for instance losing out on the Dave Winfield sweepstakes, who went to cross-town rivals the Yankees, and settling for George Foster instead.  This appears to be a common thread in Mets lore.  Even though Minaya didn’t show interest or visibly anyway, settling for Jason Bay who was the “second best guy” in the free agent pool in the going-into-2010-season, after Matt Holliday.  It’s tough to judge who might have been the better signing, but that’s neither here nor there.  The point is, the Mets have had to settle for “sloppy seconds” in the free agency pools.  How much of it was perception of playing with the Mets (did anyone truly prefer playing in Queens as opposed to the Bronx or anywhere else for that matter?) or was it that they truly felt they were giving what they thought was fair market value and allowed FAs to walk out?

Springer even relates how the Mets lost out on Darryl Strawberry going into 1991 as a free agent.  After negotiations went south with a contract extension, Cashen panicked and had to instead give extra money to Vince Coleman.  A few firecrackers later, we know how that one turned out.  Here’s the thing though: if Cashen maybe was a little more serious about keeping Strawberry, perhaps not lowball him (even though Straw made it clear he’d wanted to play for his hometown team, the Dodgers).  Overall, this attitude seems to be one that pervades even more recent teams.  Let’s overpay the guy we didn’t really want just to say we got him.

Like I said, a cycle of crash and burn that ended with the release of Castillo and Perez.

Springer did a good job of intermingling the drafts in between those times.  Cashen was gifted in that he was able to trade off some valuable pieces he inherited for value (take for instance his deal that sent fan favorite Lee Mazzilli to the Texas Rangers for Walt Terrell – who in turn ended up into Howard Johnson — and Ronnie Darling, whom we still hear today).  Creativity is something that had to come into play, but if a General Manager lacked that acumen, it meant trouble.  Not saying that only happens to the Mets, but we follow them so closely, it does hit close to home.

The idea is that in the last few years, the farm system is a little middle-of-the-road, too MOTR for Alderson’s liking as he’s said, which is how Toby Hyde starts his discussion with “Development is Job One.”   It’s a misnomer that big market teams should spend big; they should also develop big to use as bargaining chips or to have them become superstars after development.  It’s clear after reading Hyde’s piece that the Mets system isn’t neglected nor barren: it just needs some structure.

Which leads into the “Back Draft” piece.  An issue that seems to pervade the front office thinking is that there is a strict adherence to the slotting guidelines set forth by the Commisioner.  I think this is something that needs to change, personally, and perhaps we will see these changes with this so-called executive dream team.  However, the last draft was indicative of previous Minaya drafts: “parallels continued into specific picks” according to Hyde.  Minaya liked to collect arms; I guess one could argue there is no such thing as too much pitching, but on the other hand, it doesn’t give a lot of diversification in building around a core unit.  The good news is that there is some bona fide talent in the system such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Cory Vaughn and Matt den Denker.  The bad news, if you can even call it that, it will take a few years before they are truly “ready.”  Perhaps Nieuwenhuis is the closest, according to Hyde’s estimates.

These two, actually three, articles jumped out at me because we’ve discussed this ad nauseum on the boards here at Metsmerized Online, and even in person when I get together to discuss Mets baseball with other fans.  The free agency cycle for the Mets has caused horrific crashing and burning that we’ve had to sit through and deal with, while the farm system lays barren that was mostly done to keep progress of winning teams going.

It backfired.  We’ve seen more bad than good come out of that.  I think it’s high time to try another route, one that won’t cause these dramatic peaks and valleys that make me write 1500 word posts.  In any event, ESPN came out with a piece on how the Mets are paying their dumped players the most.  Along with all the other poor contracts they got out of in the early 2000s, it’s evident that the cycle needs to end.  Period.

In the meantime, I highly suggest reading the Maple Street Press.  If I can get this much out of it, imagine what you can!

1. Where do you rank the Mets Minor League System on a scale of 1-10 in the following areas:

A) Starting Pitching: 3. And that could possibly be generous. Frankly the only pitchers that I truly see as big league starting pitchers in the organization are Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, and Matt Harvey. And there are even questions as to whether Mejia or Harvey will end up starters or back end relievers.

B) Power Hitters: 7. They have some guys that can really put the ball out of the park. Fernando Martinez when healthy along with Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda should provide plenty of power in AAA. In AA Reese Havens and Sean Ratliff have very good power, Ratliff is a sleeper for me. In A+ they have Wilmer Flores, Cory Vaughn and maybe Cesar Puello’s BP power translates to games. Then you have the best power bat in the system in Aderlin Rodriguez down in Savannah.

C) Potential Star Caliber Players: 6. I think they have a few potential stars in Mejia, Flores, Harvey, Puello and Aderlin Rodriguez. Problem is they do not have any Jason Heyward’s, or Mike Stanton’s etc. All their potential star caliber players could be flops or just solid major leaguers. They don’t have that one stand out prospect that you are certain will be a superstar.

D) Overall: 5. I’ll say 5 because despite what some may feel, I think they are a middle of the pack or so farm system. They have some good prospects that look like big leaguers, even if not stars. If they keep up spending in international free agency and really focus on draft spending and scouting this farm could jump quick. I trust Sandy Alderson and co. to be able to handle this.

2. At what position do the Mets have the most quality depth and why?

No doubt it’s in the outfield. I guess why is a hard question, they just struck luck with those group of guys. But they have guys like Duda, Nieuwenhuis, Martinez, Ratliff, Puello, Vaughn, Darrell Ceciliani, Javier Rodriguez. That is a good amount of solid outfielders that I could see them all ending up in the major leagues one day, some sooner than later. The outfielders really excite me.

3. Which Mets prospect took the biggest step forward in 2010?

Many I am sure will disagree, but for me it’s Sean Ratliff. Ratliff prior to 2010 to me was just a guy who could hit a few balls out of the park but would strike out way too much to put forth any form of a solid season. But man did he surprise me. The call to AA really sparked him. He OPS’ed .933 up in Binghamton, and I really am starting to think Ratliff could end up a big league regular in the outfield. He plays a solid center, but likely will have to be a corner as a pro.

4. Which Mets prospect took the biggest step backward?

I’ll go with Brad Holt on this one. He simply I don’t think could have been any worse. He was a top 5 prospect in the system for some people coming into 2010, and now there are many people who completely write him off as a big leaguer. I personally think he still has a shot as a middle reliever if he can get some control and stop throwing balls at the backstop. But the big bonus baby, and Brooklyn strike-out record holder took an enormous step back in the eyes of the public. He will really have to rebound this year in Binghamton to regain the trust of the organization and the fans. I personally would put him in the pen now and give up on the starting experiment that simply won’t work.

5. Lets have some fun. What will the 2013 Mets Opening Day Lineup look like?

C: Josh Thole 1B: Ike Davis 2B: Brad Emaus 3B: David Wright SS: Jose Reyes LF: Jason Bay CF: Kirk Nieuwenhuis RF: Wilmer Flores. Let’s order it Reyes-Nieuwenhuis-Wright-Davis-Bay-Flores-Emaus- Thole. I could imagine this being horribly wrong.

6. Boom or Bust?

A) Wilmer Flores: Boom. I have him in RF above, but I think he best translates in left at the big league level. His bat is exceptional, and as long as he stays healthy he’s going to have a long career as an above average offensive player.

B) Lucas Duda: Boom as a DH. I don’t think Duda really has a position, and I think he’s going to be much better suited in the AL. If he has a real good first half don’t be surprised if he’s dangled at the deadline to an AL team for pitching.

C) Fernando Martinez: Bust. Pains me to say it, I love Martinez. But I have all but given up hope that the kid will ever be healthy. Shame because his offensive upside is special, but he’ll never get to realize it.

D) Brad Holt: Bust. He may end up carving out a career in middle relief, but that’s not a $1M investment like the Mets made in him on draft day.

E) Reese Havens: Bust. I am going to put him in the Fernando territory where he simply will never be healthy. It’s a shame because him and Martinez both if they were healthy they have very good upside.

F) Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Boom. I was not too high on Kirk in 2010, even when he was performing well. But he’s grown on me. I think he’ll be able to play an acceptable center field, and has 20/20 type potential at the plate. He does need to work on plate discipline though, but he abuses the baseball on the line to gaps on a regular basis. He very well could be taking over after Beltran leaves.

7. Who is the best Mets prospect most Mets fans never heard of?

He has recently gotten a little love as a sleeper, but I would have to say Akeel Morris. The Mets drafted Morris in the 2010 draft, and he’s armed with a mid 90s fastball and an above average breaking ball. We’ll see about developing a quality third pitch, but I had one scout compare Morris to Frankie Rodriguez. With the herky jerky motion and all.

8. The Mets will have the #13 pick in the 2011 June Draft. I know it’s early, but are there any solid players that will be there for the Mets? Who do you like?

It depends on signability and whatnot of course. But I am all over the college pitching right now at 13. They could get guys like UCONN’s Matt Barnes, Virginia’s Danny Hultzen, UCLA’s Trevor Bauer (fav of mine), Texas’s Taylor Jungmann and Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley. College pitching is definitely the strength of the draft. As far as high schoolers, I am big on RHP Archie Bradley, LHP Daniel Norris and RHP Dylan Bundy. Regardless I can’t see any logic and going anything other than pitching at 13.

9. On Sunday, their was a Daily News piece on how the Mets have revamped their approach to scouting. Did you get a chance to read it and what were your thoughts?

I like it a lot. This organization now has a plan. It’s fun to know intelligent people are running the team, and are prepared to send them in the right direction. They will have scouts monitoring specific organizations so the team could have very in depth scouting reports on everyone so when it comes time to trade they will know exactly who they like and why. In the past regime, you almost feel like they were picking at straws. Could this plan falter because you can’t possibly see enough of everyone? Sure, but I’ll take a legitimate plan that fails over guessing and hoping.

10. Which pitching prospect will have the better major league career, Jenrry Mejia or Matt Harvey?

I am actually going to vote Harvey. Harvey has the natural pitcher’s build, a little mechanical flaw, but certainly fixable. He has a fastball that cranks up to 98, as well as 3 average or better secondaries in his curve, slider and change. Mejia right now to me is a 1 pitch pitcher that needs a lot of work on his curve and change. Mejia to me has a better shot to end up in the bullpen than Harvey does, and I always give the edge to a starter over a reliever.

11. More of a Mets question, but how would you grade the Mets offseason, and how many games do you think they will win in 2011?

Considering the financial restraints put on Sandy Alderson, I think he did a strong job. I would give him a B simply based on what he had, not in relation to general moves or in comparison to what other teams did. He filled every hole that the Mets had with at least an able body. Unlike Omar Minaya, Alderson didn’t leave holes to be stronger in another area. He made sure he filled everything, and gave the team depth nearly everywhere too. The job he did this offseason I think is being severely underrated. I am going to give the team 85 wins if healthy.

12. Tell us about your very unique Mets blog, St. Lucie to Flushing and how you became interested in covering the Mets minor leagues as well as the MLB Draft?

Well I have contributed many places, including Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest, which I still read on a daily basis. I love to write about the Mets, and I love to cover the minors specifically. There aren’t too many Mets blogs out there that have a hard focus on the minors, and not just recapping games, but really focusing on the small details. We try to do that over at PSL2F, it launched rather quick last year, but in 2011 I expect real big things from the blog. I want to have video of prospects playing live this summer. I intend to attend games for all levels other than GCL, Kingsport and St Lucie. I will have plenty of exclusive interviews with prospects as well. I just simply enjoy this, this is all fun for me. There is nothing like having multiple tabs open following the Gameday’s of every minor league affiliate while watching the big club on my TV. I am excited for the future of St Lucie to Flushing, and I hope everyone goes and checks it out this summer, as the content will be unique and informational for all fans. We want fans to know more than just the top prospects. Our goal is to have everyone to know everyone from the top to the bottom. That’s the goal.

Thanks for your time Joe. Check out St. Lucie To Flushing and add them to your favorites. If you go there now you will find their latest post with features player projections for Wally Backman’s Binghamton Mets. You can also follow Joe on Twitter at PSLToFlushing.

This page will be updated throughout the day with every new pick, as well as my comments and background info.

I would like to thank all of you who said nice things about my draft feature last week.

Pick 89 (Rd. 3): Norman Blake Forsythe, Catcher R/R; Jr. from Tennessee

You’re not going to see much under the name “Norman Forsythe” as he goes by the name “Blake.” I learned that the hard way in Google search.

Anyway, 2009 was his first full year starting for the Vols. He has a line of .347/.486/.663 with 51 Runs, 15 HR, and 46 RBI his junior year. Forsythe was drafted for his power. I like this pick.

Also, Keith Law of ESPN hates him: “he’s Adam Dunn at the plate — it takes an act of Congress to get the bat off his shoulder”

Ouch. But I’ll take Dunn’s power. Forsythe also has thrown out 35% of runners.

Pick 122: (Rd. 4) Cory Vaughn, Centerfielder R/R; Jr. from San Diego St.

Son of Greg Vaughn, nephew of Mo. 2010 line of .378/.454/.606; was drafted for bat. 21/55 BB/K ratio. 9 HR, 55 RBI. I like this pick.

Pick 152 (Rd. 5) Matthew Den Dekker, Centerfielder L/L; Sr. from Florida

Followed a good high school senior year with bad freshman year for the Gators. Good sophomore year followed by bad junior year. Good senior year. Selected to SEC All-Defense team twice. Fast in the outfield. Also check this out

Pick 182 (Rd. 6) Greg Peavey, RHP, R/R, Jr. from Oregon St.

2010 Stats: 6-3, 3.64 ERA; 29/72 BB/K ratio; BAA .260; gave up a lot of doubles. Two-time Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week in 2010. Curious why they didn’t take Jesse Hahn in this spot. Not a bad pick though.

Pick 212 (Rd. 7) Jeffrey Walters, RHP, R/R, Sr. from Georgia

2010 stats: 2-6 with a 7.90 ERA. 41/55 BB/K ratio. .338 BAA with 13 Wild Pitches? Those are Oliver Perez-like numbers. Head-scratching pick.

Pick 242 (Rd. 8 ) Kenneth McDowall, RHP So. from College of Southern Nevada.

Ranked 59th best Junior College prospect of 2010 by Perfect Game USA.

Pick 272 (Rd. 9) Jacob Degrom, RHP, Jr. from Stetson U.

2010 states: 16/56 BB/K ratio. 0.55 HR/9IP. Converted infielder. Not bad for a 9th rounder.

Pick 302 (Rd. 10) Akeel Morris, RHP, High School, US Virgin Islands

Throws a 94 MPH fastball. Committed to College, but I hope the Mets go above slot to steal him. Footage here and here. I like him more than Walters, McDowall, or Degrom.

Pick 332 (Rd. 11) Adam Kolarek, LHP, Jr. from Maryland

2010 stats: .246 BAA. K per inning. Must work on control in the minors, and I can easily see him as a lefty in the pen.

Pick 362 (Rd. 12) Brett Mitchell, RHP, Jr. from Minnesota State-Mankato

2010 stats: 33/108 BB/K ratio.10-4, 4.31 ERA, and 4 complete games. .258 BAA with 11 Wild Pitches. I like this pick, whether he stays a starter or reliever. I hope he stays as a starter.

Pick 392 (Rd. 13) Brian Harrison, 3B, R/R Jr. from Furman U.

.367/.462/.734; 14/11 BB/K ratio. 10 HR, 22 RBI in 36 games. I like.

World Cup Trivia: Clint Dempsey came from Furman.

Pick 422 (Rd. 14) James Brown, 2B, L/R, Jr. from U Pacific

.376/.407/.602; Will hit a lot of singles. 43 Runs in 53 games. I feel good.

Pick 452 (Rd. 15) Tillman Pugh, CF, R/R, Jr. from Sonoma St.

Pick 482 (Rd. 16) Ryan Fraser, RHP, Sr. from Memphis

Will strike people out, but must stop giving up hits, wild pitches, hit batters, and HR’s. I see a future reliever.

Pick 512 (Rd. 17) Chad Sheppard, RHP, Jr. from Northwestern State

Relief prospect.

Pick 542 (Rd. 18 ) Alexander “AJ” Pinera, RHP, Sr. from Tampa

Doesn’t walk that many people because he’s busy giving up hits. K per inning, but must cut down on hits.

Pick 572 (Rd. 19) Jonathan Kountis, RHP, Sr. from Embry Riddle

K per inning, .264 BAA. Worth a flyer.

Pick 602 (Rd. 20) Lucas Stewart, 1B, L/R, Sr. from Alabama-Birmingham

Did someone say big bat? .299/.399/.680 with 50 R, 21 HR, and 64 RBI in 53 games. I see a low-average bopper, who can take walks.

Pick 632 (Rd. 21) Dabias Johnson, 2B, R/R High School, Georgia

Don’t know much about him, but he has a 1045 SAT. If that counts for something.

Pick 662 (Rd. 22) Brandon Brown, SS, R/R, Sr. from U South Alabama

Pick 692 (Rd. 23) Drew Martinez, CF, L/L, So. from Memphis

2010 stats: .377/.429/.454 with 29 SB’s and 62 Runs in 58 games. Potential #2 or #8 hitter. I like.

Pick 722 (Rd. 24) Eric Goeddel, RHP, Jr. from UCLA

Relief prospect with K per IP potential

Pick 752 (Rd. 25) Peter Birdwell, RHP, Sr. from Vanguard U

Pick 782 (Rd. 26) James Butler, SS, Switch, Sr. from Mississippi St.

Pick 812 (Rd. 27) Michael Weldon, RHP, Sr. from Wayland Baptist U

Pick 842 (Rd. 28) Jeremy Gould, LHP, Sr. from Duke

Pick 872 (Rd. 29) Hamilton Bennett, LHP, Jr. from Tennessee Wesleyan

Pick 902 (Rd. 30) Josh Edgin, LHP, Sr. from Francis Marion U

Well that’s it for Day 2. I must say, this is not a bad draft. In Round 3, we addressed our Catcher of the future. Blake Forsythe will be a power hitter from behind the plate, even though he may not be pretty. He’s not Grandal, but he’s a legit bat who can throw runners out.

I also expect Cory Vaughn to make the team in four years. He’s too good not to.

Akeel Morris and Lucas Stewart are my two sleepers. I hope the Mets lure him away from college, because I think Morris will be a future closer. Lucas Stewart must work on his contact, but he has real power.

Greg Peavey and Brett Mitchell could be two decent future starters to keep your eye on in four years.

James Brown and Drew Martinez, I see as good contact-hitter prospects.

Matthew Den Dekker could continue on in CF. He’ll take a few years, but I’m not sure how he’ll turn out.

I also find that we drafted a lot of future relievers. Granted, we drafted pitchers that can strike people out, but a lot of future relievers.

All-in-all, a lot of the players in the majors today came in rounds 2-30. We’ll definitely see a bunch of them in Queens.

In 10 years: This draft will be remembered for Matt Harvey, Blake Forsythe, Cory Vaughn, Brett Mitchell, Akeel Morris, Drew Martinez, Matthew Den Dekker and Lucas Stewart.

BTW: I know you’ll ask this; so with the picks acquired by the Red Sox for Billy Wagner (20 and 39), Boston selected Kolbrin Vitek and Anthony Ranuado.

Notes: You’ll hear a lot of SEC players in the draft, because that’s where a lot of talent is.

Weird But True: Boston drafted a guy named Kendrick Perkins in the 5th Rd. I think he’s a little busy right now.

Also: Detroit Tigers drafted Jim Leyland’s son in the 8th Rd. The Giants drafted Bruce Bochy’s son in Rd. 20. The Rockies drafted Jim Tracy’s son in Rd. 22.

I’m actually kind of conflicted on this. I’ve looked at the draft for the last few days, thinking along each philosophy. But I won’t be calling in the pick on Monday, June 7. The New York Mets will.

Who should the Mets pick with the 7^th overall pick in the draft? Well, who are the nominees?

The first three picks will be Bryce Harper (Washington), Manny Machado (Pittsburgh), and Jameson Taillon (Baltimore). So of the top players that I featured, there will still be LHP Drew Pomeranz, LHP Chris Sale, OF Bryce Brentz, OF Michael Choice, C Yasmani Grandal, 3B/2B Zach Cox, OF Josh Sale, RHP Karsten Whitson, and RHP Deck McGuire.

If front of us are Kansas City (who could take Grandal or Pomeranz/Sale), Cleveland (Michael Choice, or one of the pitchers), and Arizona (Best available pitcher).

The next thing, and this is huge for the Mets, is that the Mets may not take the best player available, they may just take the most signable.

Grandal, who would have been my favorite pick, will not come to the Mets unless they are willing to give him the money he wants.

A franchise Catcher who can hit, can be a major asset to a team, and can deepen the lineup at a position where adequacy can pass as long as defense is prime. A good hitting, switch hitting, strong-armed, Catcher could have been huge.

The probable “best-pitcher-available” could be Chris Sale. Now, it’s possible that the Royals, Indians, and D-Backs all take pitchers, thereby removing Sale from the equation.

Sale, however, is a lefty who throws 4 plus pitches, with his fastball in the low-to-mid 90’s. Sale throws a lot of strikes and will record a lot of K’s. His secondary pitches have a sink, that would be perfect for Citi Field. Sale, in my eyes, could be a future front-of-the-rotation All-Star.

So what’s the problem? His delivery. Scouts fear that his delivery could lead to future injury. Do you risk it?

Deck McGuire is the safe, quick pick. He likely is a finished product with little development left, but he could make the team soon. At least by 2012, with a possible cup of coffee in September 2011. He will not be a top-end starter, but he will have a long career as a number 3.

So who else do I like at the spot? With the draft lacking a true Evan Longoria type hitter (one who you know will be good fast), who is the best hitter once Harper is off the board?

If you read my Outfield review, you know I like Michael Choice. I think he will be a .300, 30 HR hitter for years to come.

Michael Choice possesses the tools to be a quality defensive player at one of the corners. A CF in college, he will likely slide over to Left or Right. Choice also has the skills to swipe a few bases.

When you get a top-10 pick in a draft, you are not just looking for an everyday major league hitter, you’re looking for a featured player for years to come.

Choice will be a strong lineup presence. Projecting ahead, he should be ready by the time Bay is in decline. Choice could be rock of our outfield, regardless of who plays in the other two positions.

Choice would also jump F-Mart as out top OF prospect. Maybe as our top prospect overall. Choice will obviously take a few years in the minors. But when blooms, he will be bat behind Ike.

I’d want to see Yasmani Grandal or Deck McGuire as Mets. Same with Chris Sale, though I don’t think he’ll still be there at 7.

My heart says Grandal or McGuire.

My head says that Michael Choice is the best hitter available, and combined with his defense and speed, I don’t think I can pass that up.

Who do I think the Mets are really going to pick? No clue.

I’ve done my best to research the prominent players available over the past week and make the scout lingo and stats easy to understand. I’ve laid out the evidence, and made my cases.

I just have a weird feeling that they will choose someone I have not covered.

So tell me, who do you want to see at Citi Field in 5 years?

Update 10:12 PM: The Kansas City Royals have reportedly agreed to a pre-draft deal with Yasmani Grandal.

To read part one of the series, highlighting Right-Handed pitchers, go here. To read about the Left-Handed pitchers, go here. And yesterday’s column looked at the Outfielders.

Today, we’ll see the prominent infielders. And when I say infielders, I’m including catchers.

If you have been reading mock drafts, you’ve seen the names Zach Cox and Yasmani Grandal come up often. Infield is an interesting position grouping. The first two players off the board will be infielders.

Similarly, the Mets are set at three of the four basepath positions. Four if you plan for Tejada/Havens/Flores to someday take the position.

Anyway here are the top infielders.

Bryce Harper: Consensus number 1. Lord Boras doesn’t want him to be a catcher, but that’s where his bat is most valuable.

Manny Machado: Constantly compared to A-Rod. Will go second overall.

Zach Cox: Okay, this guy has been linked to the Mets often. If you Google a few mock drafts, you’ll see many of them have the Mets taking Cox. Cox plays 3B and 2B. Sooooo…what’s so special about him that the Mets would draft at a position we (may) have filled?

Make no mistake, when you draft Cox, it’s for his bat, not his glove. Cox is an average fielder, not good, not bad. Cox is a draft eligible Sophomore from Arkansas who has seen his batting average of .266 in 2009 rise to .428 this year. His OBP went from .342 to .514 in that span. He also cut his K’s significantly while increasing his BB rate. So did he just open the door to his potential, or is it a bit fluky.

He has power, but I don’t trust it. He’s hit very few HR’s at Arkansas to be considered a real power bat. His HR actually went down while his percentages increase. He doesn’t hit many doubles either, even when you compensate for a college season being shorter. Citi Field will not help him at all.

As for the average, the enormous jump spooks me a little. Was he playing below his talent in his first year? Was he playing out of his mind in the second?  The real Cox is somewhere in the middle, but I don’t see it as enough to justify him. I see him hitting for a good average, above .300, but not a game-changing player.

In Monday’s Righty preview, I liked Deck McGuire as being a safe, quick-to-the-majors, but low-ceiling pick. That is a comparison with Cox. He shouldn’t take too long to make it to the majors, and he will actually be a decent, stable player.  But pitchers and hitters are not the same.

This may be the only player that I have a significant difference with the other scouts and analysts, and what do I know, but I do not like this pick. I see his bat as good but not great. He rises from being in a weak draft class, but there are better players out there. He will not be the best player available, if you subscribe to that theory of drafting. I may be too harsh, but I see Daniel Murphy with better bat speed.

I will support him if the Mets do draft him, and who knows, I may be dead wrong in 5 years, but I don’t think he’s a good 7^th overall pick.

BTW: Even though I’ve been quite negative, he actually would become our best hitting 2B prospect if drafted.

Yasmani Grandal: Grandal has generated quite a bit of buzz on this site, and for good reason. Grandal is the best college catcher on the board (I don’t count Harper as college). Grandal led the ACC in batting average with .428, and 13 HR’s. Grandal, just like Cox above, had a breakout year, and significantly improved on his percentage stats. Grandal, a Junior at Miami, is a switch hitting catcher, who is better from the left side. When he makes it to the majors, his power will come from the left. It’s possible that he could abandon hitting right-handed, but I believe that whoever drafts him will train his right side to be a steady contact hitter. Look at Lance Berkman: Berkman is clearly much better in avg. and power from the left side, but he’s .265 as a right-handed hitter. Not that great, but good enough that pitchers must respect his ability to hit.

The trait that teams look for in a Catcher is defense. Grandal is good defensively. He has a strong arm, but he will need to work at throwing runners out. His defense behind the plate is good. He’s not going to get passed balls, and he can catch throws at home as long as they’re in the neighborhood of home. His defense will need to be honed in the minors, but he has the tools to make runners respect his arm.

Why is Grandal better than Cox, even though they both had statistical surges in their final college years? For one, Grandal has another year of college in his belt, so there has been more evidence of progression. Cox will hit for a better average, but I think Grandal will have more power. I also see Grandal’s defense being better in the long run.

He will not be .300 hitter in the majors, but he will have good power. He should have a better OBP that Rod Barajas. At best, he could be a poor man’s Matt Wieters. He won’t have close to the stats that Wieters will, and Wieters will always be better defensively, but Grandal will hold his own as a switch-hitter, and as a defensive presence.

At worst, he’s a switch hitter with the same HR numbers as Rod Barajas and better percentages. At worst, you may need a veteran defensive backup, like Henry Blanco to cover him in the early season.

As you can imagine, drafting Grandal would mean Josh Thole has just become expendable. Grandal, though he shouldn’t take long in the minors if all goes well, will be at least two plus years away. ETA: 2012-2013.

Those are really the two infielders you should know for the top 7. Let’s take a look at three more, though.

Yordy Cabrera: A SS out of High School. Cabrera hits for power, and will need to work on his average and making contact. He may not be good defensively at SS, but he should be able to handle himself. I love the name “Yordy.” In seriousness, I see a .280 player with 20+ HR’s.

Christian Colon: Has some power but that’s not the focus of his game. Has some speed, but not a focus. The Junior from Cal-State Fullerton makes the routine plays routinely at SS, and hits for contact with a good eye. Could have a long, good but unspectacular career. Safe pick.

Kolbrin Vitek: A very good pure hitting 2B. The Junior from Ball St. can swipe a few bases too, but he will be drafted for his batting average. Good, but not great defensively.

Today, we’ll look at the outfielders.

Bryce Brentz: Bryce is one of the best bats in this class. He will end up as a corner outfielder. He’s played some center, but he’ll likely be a permanent corner. But if you draft Brentz, you’re not looking at his defense. Brentz packs power. the junior from Middle Tennesse State has consistently kept up good averages, and he’s kept good OBP’s as well. Walks and strikeouts will be normal for a power hitter.

Worth noting that Brentz was drafted out of High School as a pitcher. He still pitched a little, but his future is as an outfielder.

Brentz will hit between 25-35 HR’s a year in the majors. 25-30 at Citi Field. I’m really not sure how to project batting average, as everyone hits well in College, but it’s not the same in the pros. He’s not going to kill us with average. He may be a plus player defensively in Right or Left Field. The past pitching has given him a plus arm in the field. Brentz will be a solid, safe pick, and a good producer for years. ETA: 2013

Michael Choice: I didn’t realize, until I was going over my notes, how similar the scouting reports are between Brentz and Choice. Choice is a current CF at a small school (Texas-Arlington) who will likely move to a corner. Choice has a lot of power and good hitting tools. Choice will be solid in the field. They’re both right-handed. So, what’s the difference between them?

Choice has the potential to hit for a higher average and more power. So, Choice may be the better bat than Brentz. Choice also steals bases. Not a lot, but a decent amount. So does choice jump ahead of Brentz? Yes. ETA: 2013.

There’s a bit of a drop from Brentz/Choice to the next tier, and it’s not likely that the following will be taken 7^th, but we’ll touch on a few more high-profile outfielders.

Josh Sale: High School left-handed bat. Will grow to be a low-average bopper. He hits for power, but his average, though unspectacular, won’t kill the team. A future 5 or 6 hitter. Will need at least 4 years in the minors. ETA: 2015

Delino DeShields Jr.: Son of the former MLB 2B. Can play OF and 2B. Deshields Jr.has speed and decent power. Will steal bases, like his father, but could hit more HR’s than his father. He’s the first person I’ve listed here, that I expect to play Centerfield. A High School talent who could have gone to a big football program. The Astros really like him, and to be honest, so do I. Late 1^st rounder. ETA: 2014.

This isn’t a bad field overall. I expect there to be a healthy amount of outfielders from this draft making the majors. If Choice is available, the Mets should give him some real consideration. I’m taking a stand that after Harper and Machado, Michael Choice is the next best hitter. I’m also taking the stand that Choice will jump F-Mart as the top OF prospect.  I’m not calling Brentz a poor man’s Choice, because he’s very good in his own right. One of them will certainly be available at 7. They both are so similar, and will have long careers as good hitters.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the infielders, including Catchers. Friday will be my pick.

Drew Pomeranz: Pomeranz has had a fair degree of buzz on this site, the only question is whether he possibly falls to 7^th. Pomeranz throws a low-to-mid 90’s fastball, a strong curve, and a low 80’s changeup. The junior from Ole Miss has a reputation for getting hitters to chase his fastball and curve, but they will need work before he can reach the majors. His change is average, but needs growth to be a strong pitch. An alarm may be how his walk total seemed to grow as the year went on.

Side note, In April, #19 Ole Miss hosted #2 LSU in a pitching matchup featuring Pomeranz against Anthony Ranuado. Oddly enough, they were both terrible.

Pomeranz will be a #2 when he does reach the majors. He will get strikeouts, but will give up a fair amount of walks. His command will get better, and when it does, he will eat innings and keep runs off the board. I’m no good at ETA’s but I’ll say late 2012 to 2013.

Chris Sale: Sale, a junior at small Florida Gulf Coast University, throws a low 90’s fastball, a curve that breaks sharply late, and a low 80’s change. The one thing that every scout notices, is that Sale throws strikes, a lot of strikes. He has a bit of a three-quarters side arm delivery. He gets all three of his pitches over for strikes. His command is one prime reason why he has risen up draft boards this college season.

Sale could conceivably go before Pomeranz. Sale could also go anywhere between 4 and 20. Barring any setback, he could make it to the majors before Pomeranz. Will still need requisite time in AA and AAA.

Well, Pomeranz and Sale are really the only lefties you should know. After that, there’s a bit of a drop between them and the other lefties.

But, with the notable names from yesterday’s Righty preview, and Pomeranz and Sale today, we can compare the entire batch of pitchers.

Taillon is the best of all the pitchers. Pomeranz will likely be the second pitcher off the board. Sale will be next. Deck McGuire or Karsten Whitson will be the fourth and fifth pitchers off the board. Brandon Workman and A. J. Cole will follow over the next ten picks. Stetson Allie, Anthony Ranuado, and Alex Wimmers will fall to the bottom of the round, to good teams that they can help soon or have time to spend in the minors.

Taillon may be the only ace in this year’s crop, but Pomeranz, Sale, and Whitson could be good #2’s.  Everyone else projects to be mid-rotation starters. The draft isn’t deep in top of the rotation players, but could be deep in 3’s and 4’s.

So who’s looking for what? The Pittsburgh Pirates are debating between Jameson Taillon and Manny Machado (SS), but it’s looking more like they’ll take the infielder. Baltimore will take whoever Pittsburgh doesn’t. The next four teams may all select pitchers.

The question that I leave you with, is if Chris Sale falls to the Mets, do you take him ahead of whoever else is available?

Tomorrow will be the Outfielders, Thursday the Infielders (including Catcher), and Friday will be my pick. Oh, and Monday is the Draft.

By virtue of the tragedy that was 2009, the Mets will be picking 7^th. The Nationals, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Indians, and Diamondbacks will be picking one through six.

So for the week leading up to the draft, we’ll be running a feature all this week looking at the top players in each category who could possibly be taken by the Mets.

Today will be the Right-Handed Starting Pitchers.

Jameson Taillon: I won’t go into too much detail on Taillon, as there is no way he falls to 7^th. He’s an high-school pitcher who is built like an NBA player (6’7’’, 230 lbs. and growing) who happens to be the best pitcher in a weak class. Taillon throws gas with movement, and quality breaking pitches and a changeup that he can get over for strikes. Taillon will almost certainly be a top 3 pick, and a top of the rotation starter.

Deck McGuire: McGuire does not have a high ceiling, and will likely top out as a #3 starter, but he’s arguably the safest pick, and the quickest to the majors. McGuire has done nothing but win during his three years at Georgia Tech, amassing a 27-6 record. He will give up hits, but he will also record a healthy amount of K’s. He throws a slider, a 90-93 MPH fastball, and a change, with strong command of all three. My judgment is that he could have a long career as a great 4, good 3.  His upside is not what you look for as a 7^th overall pick, but he’s the safest pick, and could make the team in 2012.

Karsten Whitson: Whitson is the next best High School righty. He throws a 93-96 MPH fastball, and a low-80’s slider and change. He will need time to work on his pitches and fill out his frame. Has average command of his pitches. His mechanics have drawn mixed reviews from scouts, with some believing that his delivery needs more work with the follow-through. Could develop anywhere between 2-4, though I think he’ll be a strong 3. He’s only 18, and he’ll spend at least a few years in the minors, so an ETA could be anywhere between 2013 or 2015.

Stetson Allie: Another High School righty. Allie throws a good two-seam fastball with lateral movement, a 98 MPH four-seamer, a high-80’s slider and a mid-80’s change. It’s worth mentioning that he can play the field, and has good power as a corner infielder. His future is as a pitcher, though. Allie will be drafted as a starter, he’ll be treated as a starter, he’ll make it as a reliever, and he’ll succeed as a closer. My judgment is that he is better set to be a closer than a starter due to the power of his pitches, and his inability to pitch deep into games. Do you want a hard throwing, 5 inning starter, or a hard-throwing closer? BTW: type “Stetson Allie” into Google, and look at what comes up first on the drop-down menu.

Brandon Workman: Workman is a junior out of Texas who has a good repertoire. Workman throws a two and four seamer (reaches mid-90’s), a 12-6 curve, a slider, cutter, and changeup. I won’t go too in depth, as he will certainly not be a top-7 pick, but he does have attributes to be between a 2-4 starter.

Anthony Ranuado: What a difference a year makes. The guy was top 5 last year after leading LSU to the College World Series Championship. In case you were wondering how a can’t miss prospect is barely mentioned now; after an arm injury over the winter, he fell off a cliff production-wise. Ranuado (also a Boras client) has had a strong SEC tournament, in which he pitched three innings in relief to beat Alabama for the SEC title yesterday. It will not be enough to put him back in the top-20.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the prominent lefties in the draft. Wednesday will be the outfielders, and Thursday will be the infielders.

One particular area of criticism that’s often pointed out is the Mets farm system, or lack there-of. The farm system is cultivated mostly by signing amateur free agents and the draft.

The draft is basically like the tax code, the better off your team plays the lower the draft pick you receive. Conversely, the worse you play the higher draft pick you receive the next year. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see teams who succeed get the top draft pick. Talk about a motivational tool.

As interesting as it may sound I really don’t put too much credence into having the top draft pick. But keep your collective powder dry my friends, the Wilpons and Omar aren’t out of the woods with me just yet.

The Mets have had the luxury, if you take pride in having the worst record a luxury, of having the first overall pick in the draft 5 times since 1965. Putting them in order from 1965 to present you have Steve Chilcott, Tim Foli, Darryl Strawberry, Shawn Abner and Paul Wilson.

Out of that list other than Strawberry, nobody really ever made a huge mark. Now I totally understand getting on Omar for his share of mistakes over his tenure. However, when it comes to the draft, to me it’s akin to playing the slots in Atlantic City.

You go to your favorite casino and sit at the fancy machine with the brand new computerized layout with your drink in hand and bloodshot eyes. You put the fresh twenty in and viola, you usually get the same result if you handed the twenty to a bum on the boardwalk. Squat.

I can’t get upset that Omar hasn’t brought his Miss Cleo crystal ball to draft day during his tenure. You can have the very best scouts going and still not hit the jackpot with the draft.

Take the 2006 draft. That year the Royals drafted Luke Hochevar number one. Evan Longoria was taken 3rd and get this, Tim Lincecum was taken 10th. I’m sure there are a few teams in there who would like a do-over in that draft.

Going back in Mets history , Keith Hernandez was taken in the 42nd round by the Cardinals in 1971. Mike Piazza was taken in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft by the Dodgers. Sounds unreal doesn’t it? Drafting isn’t an exact science to say the least. You get the best advice you can and you go with your gut.

Now there is a second and in my opinion the most important component used to bring in talent and that is through the signing of amateur free agents. This is where you can begin to light your fuses.

On November 20th 2009 in an article in the NY Times by Ben Shpigel he stated that the Mets spent less money than ANY other team on the 2009 draft, citing Baseball America as his source.

Allow me to repeat, less than any team. Less than the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates who ironically spent the most of any team. Go figure. In a quote,

 The Mets divvied $3,134,300 among their 35 signed picks, more than 50 percent less than their 2008 outlay, when they had two first-round selections and a first-round supplemental pick. By contrast, the average for all 30 teams was a shade more than $6 million. Without a pick until the second round, No. 72 over all, the Mets’ spending was destined to decrease. But their 2009 strategy resembled that of a small-market club that sometimes bypasses talented players in earlier rounds because it does not want to spend more on them than players available deeper in the draft.

Shpigel went on to quote Jim Callis, the executive director of Baseball America and an expert on player development.

 ”Hardly any team has spent less than the Mets the last two years. On the other hand, the team that has spent the most money is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who hardly have the revenue stream that the Mets do. They recognize that they can’t compete for free agents, but they can compete for amateurs.”

Well, there you have it in a nutshell. The Mets are in the largest market on this planet. Their revenue stream is wider then the Hudson. They have a new ballpark and television rights that are the envy of the league other than the Yankees. What is the excuse? Omar? Fred? Anyone? This is to me the core of the problem with the Mets and as much as we want to beat Omar around for it, it’s ultimately the Wilpons’ fault. They’re the ones who should be ashamed of this, yet I’m sure there isn’t a drop of remorse in them.

The Mets came in at number 20 out of 30, with the Seattle Mariners taking top honors and the Cincinnati Reds bringing up the rear. The rankings include players that were active since 2008 and Pouliot also considered projected 2010 values in determining his rankings..

Here is a glimpse of what the Mets would have looked like. Players in italics are no longer with the team.

Rotation
A.J. Burnett
Scott Kazmir
Brian Bannister
Mike Pelfrey
Jon Niese

Bullpen
Heath Bell
Octavio Dotel
Matt Lindstrom
Bobby Parnell
Aaron Heilman
Guillermo Mota
Joe Smith

Lineup
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
RF Nelson Cruz
1B Mike Jacobs
C Jesus Flores
2B Kaz Matsui
CF Carlos Gomez
LF Daniel Murphy

Bench
INF Ty Wigginton
OF Angel Pagan
OF Jay Payton
OF Lastings Milledge
C Raul Casanova

Wow… We retained no top of the rotation (1-3) starters and only two everyday players.

The part that really bothers me is that the Braves (3), Phillies (4), Nationals (5) and Marlins (16), were all ranked ahead of the Mets.

Obviously, the Mets need to do a better job drafting and they also need to take a hard look at their player evaluation personnel. I’m not exactly thrilled with the Mets’ drafts under Omar Minaya. The last time the Mets had a top ten pick they selected Mike Pelfrey ninth overall, and he has yet to distinguish himself or justify his selection and big signing bonus. Others in his draft class included Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitski, Jacoby Ellsbury, Cameron Maybin, Jay Bruce, Matt Garza and Clay Buchholz.

The Mets spent the least amount of money in this years draft and were ranked 30th among all major league teams in salaries and bonuses paid. According to Baseball America, the Mets spent just $1.9 million on seven players.

Many have ridiculed the Mets for drafting players based on signability rather than taking the best overall players, but I find that a little far fetched and hard to prove. However, I do agree that the Mets should shun Bud Selig’s slotting system as the Yankees and Red Sox have, and start behaving more like the big market team that they are.

If the season were to end today, the Mets would have the sixth overall pick in next years June Amateur Draft.

Do you still have confidence in the Mets ability to draft the best available players?

By the way…

Unlike years passed, the Mets will not forfeit any draft picks for signing a Class A free agent this off season because they finished in the bottom ten this season. That means they are free to sign any free agent they want without the fear of losing their top pick in next years MLB Draft.

In other words, if you were going to make a big splash on a Jason Bay, John Lackey or Matt Holliday, this of season might be the best opportunity to improve the team without hurting their ability to improve the farm system. Last season, the Mets forfeited their first round pick when they signed Francisco Rodriguez.

I don’t know about you, but I find that it makes me feel better talking about the future of the Mets, rather than dwelling on this downer of a season.

But I’d be less than forthcoming, if I didn’t admit that my confidence in the Mets’ ability to make good decisions, has been somewhat shaken.