Here is the lineup today: Luis Castillo -- 2B Jose Valentin -- 3B Daniel Murphy -- LF Bobby Kielty -- DH Angel Pagan -- CF Michel Abreu -- CF Jeremy Reed -- RF Brian Schneider -- C Reese Havens -- SS Jon Niese
As was speculated when the Mets drafted Havens, he obviously is being converted to a catcher. Last season, while playing for Brooklyn, he only DH'd and very little was talked about whether he would eventually play SS, where he played in school, but those who hang around the dugouts knew this was going to happen. The original plan was for him to play in the infield last year and then start the conversion.
Here's his bio info I have compiled so everyone remembers why the Mets drafted him in the 1st round:
David Havens SS L R 6-1 195 Univ. South Carolina 10-20-86
Havens was drafted in the 1st round of the 2008 draft by the Mets. He signed days later which included a $1.4mil signing bonus.
MLB.com’s comments on draft day:
Hitting Ability: Havens has improved over time as a hitter and makes good contact with a very patient approach.
Power: Excellent bat speed does generate some pop and he could hit 10-15 homers, maybe 15-20 at best.
Running Speed: He's a well below-average runner.
Base running: Very alert on the bases and armed with good instincts, he won't hurt you.
Arm Strength: He's got a plus arm at short.
Fielding: He catches the ball well when he gets to it.
Range: His range is restricted because of his lack of foot speed. Some feel he'll have to move to third.
Physical Description: Havens is really put together with a strong, athletic body.
Medical Update: He had a sprained thumb in the fall, but he's 100 percent now.
Strengths: A good approach at the plate with the ability to make solid contact; good knowledge of how to play the game.
College Stats on Havens: 359 BA/.486 OBP/.645 SLG%/ 248 AB, 76 R, 89 H, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 18 HR, 58 BB-44 K, 13 E in 66 games, .953 FPCT
Recent Scouting Report: Summation: Swing mechanics and theories towards what makes up “the best swing” are very diverse. But, there are many standards that I like to think are pretty constant when it comes to making a good stroke. That is why I chose to examine Reese Havens first. What you see in the video, and in the photos is a very refined hitter with a polished swing. He has some small flaws here and there and other things go into make a good hitter besides mechanics of his swing, but it is a good place to start. Havens’ stroke is built to spray line drives to the gaps and to all parts of the field. I’d be quite surprised if that polish doesn’t easily carry him to a big league career.
From Keith Law on Draft Day:
This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordnation. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets' system.
From Kevin Goldstein (BP) on Draft Day:
I actually kinda like this pick. He's got some pop, he's got some holes in his swing, but he's a monster makeup kid who could move quickly, and is probably now the Mets 2B of the future
From Adam Rubin the day after the draft:
Havens, born during the 1986 World Series, hit .259 as a freshman and .274 as a sophomore in the Southeastern Conference, but took off after shortening his swing under the tutelage of Mike Roberts (the Orioles’ Brian Roberts’ father) while hitting .315 in the prestigious wood-bat Cape Cod League. Havens hit .359 with 18 homers and 57 RBI in 63 games this season for the Gamecocks.
The Mets’ recent philosophy has been to keep shortstops and center fielders at their natural positions until they’re close to the big leagues, including Fernando Martinez remaining in center field, but there already was draft-day speculation Havens could be converted to catcher, which he’s never played, or second base.
Havens was considered a potential first-round pick out of high school, and the Red Sox were prepared to draft him 26th overall in 2005, but he was seeking a reported $1.7 million signing bonus - and Boston’s offer would have been $1.35 million. With teams shying away, he dropped to a 29th-round pick by the Rockies and instead headed to South Carolina.
SNY the day after the draft:
I love the Reese Havens pick. This is not a guy I expected Omar Minaya to pick, as he’s been leaning more toward tools and Havens plays much greater than the sum of his parts. He is not an athlete, per se, but definitely a baseball player. Through hard work and smarts, he proved capable at short and may even project there, but not on the Mets. Some teams, including the Red Sox, were rumored to want to move him to catcher. Havens, according to the reports Thursday, was not enthused about that switch. Perhaps it’s still in the cards for the Mets. He’ll sport a plus-lefty bat no matter where he ends up, but expect it to be second base for New York. This year at South Carolina, Reese had a .485 OBP/.628 SLG/1.113 OPS, walking 19 percent of the time.
ScoutingBook.com ranked Havens as the 262nd top prospect:
A successful shortstop in college whose range is a bit of a question in pro ball, South Carolina graduate David Havens could make a heck of a second baseman for a future Mets infield that already includes two All Stars and the player picked just before him in the 2008 Draft, first baseman Ike Davis. A solid line drive hitter with plus plate discipline, Havens could be a long-term keystone for New York
In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Havens was ranked #3, with the comments: “more likely a third baseman or possibly a catcher, stands out with approach and pop. “
Braunstein on Havens:
1. 22 Reese Havens SS Sullivans Island, SC U. South Carolina - Again wonder why the Mets took him. Doesn’t have speed, a little bit of pop so not your prototype 2B. The same Ps that the Mets could have selected instead of Ike Davis were still around here. Wore #6 in college. High School - played for Mike Darnell. Parents are Brent & Nancy. Mom graduated from U. South Carolina. Is a sports & entertainment major. Named ABCA & BA 2005 HS All-American. Played in 2005 HS All-Am. Game. 2005 S. Carolina AA POTY. 2004 & 5 SC AA All-State team. 2005 HS team were AA state champions. P Was drafted 29th ‘05 by COL. Was taken so late because of his strong commitment to USC. BA says has playing smarts but may have to move to 3B because of lack of range. Makes good contact with a patient approach. Has a plus arm. Swing is pretty compact. Doesn’t wait for the ball to get to him so pro Ps could take advantage of that and limit his batting avg to unacceptable levels. Looks like a hard-nosed player and may just work his way to the ML.
In late July 2008, ProjectProspect.com updated their top 10 Mets prospect list and Havens was ranked 3rd.
In 2008, due to injuries, Havens was used exclusively as a DH, at Brooklyn, going .247/.340/.471, with 3 HRs and only 11 RBIs in 23 games.
February 2009:
MWOB on: - 2008 Top Pick: - Reese Havens SS - Reese signed for a little over $1.4 million. He doesn’t quite have the pop of Ike Davis, but he sent three more over the wall than Ike. His slugging percentage was .471 even though his batting average was a few points less than Davis. Reese will be more of a gap hitter. The Mets didn’t see a lot from him defensively, as groin and elbow problems limited him to DH. There are some that think his foot speed and first step quickness will not be adequate to stick at short and a move to second will be in his future. But since he wasn’t given much of a chance to show his stuff this year, the Mets will give him an opportunity to field the position next year. At least he has no less range than Mets super prospect Wilmer Flores. He does have great makeup and has the intangibles to succeed whereever he is placed.
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