Oregon State’s Michael Conforto: Future Met?
Update: 4:00pm
ESPN‘s Keith Law has posted his final mock draft leading up to tonight’s draft, and it brings more change. According to Law, both LHP Sean Newcomb and OF Michael Conforto– the two players most associated with the Mets– have jumped out of their reach into the top 10.
Therefore the Mets will turn their attention to yet another college player, shortstop Trea Turner out of North Carolina State. The 6’1, 171 pound Turner has hit .321 with eight homeruns and 26 stolen bases in 54 games for NC State in 2014.
Law, who had Turner ranked as the 18th best prospect in this draft class, offered this opinion of him:
The lack of projection in Turner’s bat could hurt him come draft day, but at his best he’s an above-average shortstop who can change games with his speed.
Update 11:00am
Baseball America has just released their last mock draft, and it features a big surprise. BA now has the Mets selecting high school second basemen Forrest Wall.
Wall, 6’1 180 pounds, played for Orangewood Christian H.S in Maitlan, FL. In his senior season he hit .500 with one homerun and 16 RBI in 21 games.
The scouting report on Wall is that he’s potentially the best prep hitter in the draft. Both his hit and speed tools are considered plus. He also shows a good approach at the plate and could eventually be a lead off hitter.
If the Mets were to take him he’d be the highest second basemen ever selected.
8:30am- Happy Draft Day everyone!
With the draft just hours away, many of the experts are finishing up their mock drafts. In previous installments it appeared that the Mets seemed destined to pick Hartford left-hander Sean Newcomb. However, as of 8:30am today that no longer appears to be a lock. Here’s how some of the mock drafts shake down for the Mets:
Keith Law (ESPN)- Sean Newcomb, LHP (Hartford University)
John Manuel (Baseball America)- Michael Conforto, OF ( Oregon State)
Jim Callis (MLB.com)- Sean Newcomb
Chris Crawford (MLB Draft Insider)- Bradley Zimmer, OF (San Francisco)
Jon Heyman (CBS Sports)- Trea Turner, SS (NC State)
Ryan Fagan (Sporting News)- Michael Conforto
Perfect Game– Michael Conforto
Unsurprisingly they all have the Mets taking college players, as many have predicted the Mets will target.
The two most common names you hear are Newcomb and Conforto. In his most recent personal rankings, Keith Law had Newcomb ranked seventh and Conforto ranked eighth while Baseball America had them eleventh and eighth respectively.
Newcomb On The Rise
Speaking of Hartford ace Sean Newcomb, ESPN‘s Greg Rosenstein spoke with the southpaw about his emergence, and his thoughts heading into the draft.
“It’s exciting and feels a little surreal,” Newcomb tells ESPN. “But I’m not going to get too caught up in [playing professionally] until it actually happens.”
Newcomb, who had just one scholarship offer (Hartford), came out of high school topping out in the mid-80’s with his fastball and struggled with command according to Rosenstein. However, the projection was there, and Hartford coach Justin Blood liked what he saw.
“He definitely went under the radar, but I don’t think anyone who saw him then would have said ‘he’s going to be a first-round draft pick,'” Blood said. “By the time he stepped on campus, he had already become a different animal.”
Since then Newcomb has filled out, and along with some mechanical tweaks as well as hard work, he’s turned himself into a potential top-10 pick this evening.
Rosenstein spoke to an NL scout, who also liked what he saw in the big left-hander:
“He’s a big, physical kid with a power arm,” an NL scout said this week. “He has a decent feel to throw four pitches for strikes. The physical size and arm strength is appealing right away.
“Newcomb has been a consistent performer all spring, and the one thing that he’s improved on is his control. He’s throwing strikes more consistently and getting ahead of hitters more than he had in his first year. He’s made the strides that you want to see guys make.”
(Photo credit: NCAA.com)
