Joel Sherman of the New York Post shared some thoughts on Sandy Alderson’s draft strategy and believes that his picks fits into the current philosophy for the team moving forward. Here’s what he had to say about two players making a big impact this year who were available when the Mets selected Brandon Nimmo in the 2011 draft:
If you are wondering where Daniel Murphy’s successor at second base is for the Mets, try the NLCS.
Both Kolten Wong and Joe Panik were available when the Mets used the 13th pick in 2011, Sandy Alderson’s first draft as general manager, to take Brandon Nimmo. Wong went 17th to the Cardinals, Panik — who had been playing in the Mets’ backyard at St. John’s — went 29th to the Giants.
Now, a sensitive Mets fan just might note the Mets will be happy to go with Dilson Herrera or Wilmer Flores at second if Murphy is moved, and the Mets still might be rewarded for taking Nimmo, who had a blossoming year in the minors this season.
But that is the point. Nimmo played at Single- and Double-A this year. In fact, no one from any of Alderson’s four draft classes has thrown a single pitch or taken a single at-bat in a major league game while the past two postseasons have been littered with players who have.
As Sherman explains, Alderson was never playing for 2013 and 2014 but now the time has arrived. The front office has to begin to see those drafts picks pan-out.
During last postseason, the Mets had to explain their strategy about going after high-school positional assets to take Nimmo rather than Oakland’s Sonny Gray (who went seven picks later) — not to mention Miami’s Jose Fernandez (who was taken 14th) — and then Gavin Cecchini with the 12th selection in 2012 rather than Michael Wacha, who went 19th to the Cardinals (Marcus Stroman, who grew up in the Mets’ backyard in Long Island, went 22nd to the Blue Jays).
In 2013, the Mets again emphasized a high-school position player, taking first baseman Dominic Smith. He is just 19 and viewed as a legitimate prospect, despite hitting problems at Low-A. But it is Low-A. The Cardinals took Marco Gonzales 19th and his role appears to be expanding, as he so far has four shutout appearances and two wins in his transition from starter to reliever for this postseason.
It’s all about emphasizing the idea that when you pick high, you have to hit on those picks. As he points out, the Giants have done just that and have done a lot of winning during their current stretch:
But it highlights how vital it is to hit on picks when drafting as high as the Mets have during Alderson’s reign — it is the gift for being a bad team. The Giants, for example, have drafted well, not great. However, in the last 16 years, they have had four top-10 picks and haven’t missed: Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Zack Wheeler.
Sherman concludes that while we watch guys like Wong and Panik in the postseason, Nimmo, Cecchini, Smith and Conforto are all waiting in the wings for the Mets. His question is, will we ever see those four in the playoffs?
