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: - . 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.
In March 2009, Rotoworld ranked the Mets Top 10 Prospect: - 5. Reese Havens - SS - DOB: 10/20/86 - ETA: Aug. 2010 - .247/.340/.471, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 27/11 K/BB, 3 SB in 85 AB (SS-A Brooklyn) - An elite performer in college, Havens hit .359/.486/.645 as Justin Smoak's teammate at South Carolina last season. No one saw him as a long-term shortstop, so it was thought he might fall out of the first round of the draft. The Mets, though, took him at No. 22 with the intention of grooming him as a second baseman. Havens hit plenty of homers in college, but he figures to be more of a doubles guy in the pros. He'll both hit for average and draw walks, so if he can deliver 35-40 doubles per year, he has a chance to be a very valuable offensive player. He should begin to move quickly this season.
2009 was an interesting year. On the down side, he only hit .247, but produced 14 home runs, which tied him for 6th in the league. His .422 slugging percentage ranked him11 th in the league and his .784 OPS put him in 10th place.
Forecast: Nothing but blue sky, now that he has changed to second base. Havens goes from the 3rd, maybe 4th SS prospect, to the #1 slot for 2B, and gives the Mets potential pop at that position. Look for some additional errors this coming season in Binghamton, but, as long as the bat produced, this will be your Mets second baseman in 2012.
2-1-10: - Reese Havens – most prospect pundits still have Havens as the top second base prospect in the organization, but I need to see one more season out of him before I place him higher on my list. So far, he hasn’t hit for average, though he is showing potential pop. Also, a little more defense won’t hurt either. His future as a Mets may be similar to guys like Dustin Martin.
5-17-10: - Stock up: Havens was promoted to Binghamton after Friday night’s game for St. Lucie. The former first round draft pick is no longer kicking the ball around at short and has become a full time second baseman, in hopes of getting to Queens after Luis Castillo’s contract runs out after the 2011 season. No one is going to ever award Havens a Gold Glove, but did play A+ this season with zero errors in the field.In addition, his bat is coming around… at Lucy this year: .281/.369/.509/.878, 3-HRs in 57-AB. Look, Havens should be at AA and the rest of this season will be a good test for him. He also will fit in well with a lineup of Nieuwenhuis, Evans, and Lutz. No pitching around here.
5-24-10: - Stock up: Havens was promoted to Binghamton after Friday night’s game for St. Lucie. The former first round draft pick is no longer kicking the ball around at short and has become a full time second baseman, in hopes of getting to Queens after Luis Castillo’s contract runs out after the 2011 season. No one is going to ever award Havens a Gold Glove, but did play A+ this season with zero errors in the field.In addition, his bat is coming around… at Lucy this year: .281/.369/.509/.878, 3-HRs in 57-AB. Look, Havens should be at AA and the rest of this season will be a good test for him. He also will fit in well with a lineup of Nieuwenhuis, Evans, and Lutz. No pitching around here.
6-7-10: - Reese Havens hit another home run Sunday, his sixth in in Binghamton and ninth for the season. The 2011 battle for second base is starting to get very interesting, especially if Ruben Tejada plays the position well in Queens during the period he is there. I still think Tejada has a good shot at replacing Jose Reyes at short, simply because 2011 is Reyes last year, the Mets have an option to get out at 500K, and, most important, he’s one of the only players on the team that could warrant a one-for-one trade for an Oswalt-type starter. I’m not calling for a Reyes trade, but a team can’t win in this sport without a dominant starting rotation. Santana and Pelfrey aren’t enough.
6-12-10: - Reese Havens was removed from the Binghamton game last night in the second inning for "soreness"... manager Tim Tuefel told a reporter that he's had this problem before, which makes one wonder if this is related to him oblique strain that kept him out earlier this season. Right now, he is listed day-to-day.
6-21-10: - Havens was placed on the 7-day disabled list Sunday for soreness in his left obique. This is the same oblique that put him on the DL earlier this season, so it’s obvious that things aren’t healed yet. I have been told that this new hiccup is just that, a small set-back; however, I would hope that the Mets sit the boy down until he is fully healed this time. This, of course, may not be the Mets fault and the player could have sent the wrong signs to the trainer. It looks like Havens has a bright future with the Mets and he’s not part of any trade package, so let him heal, even if it takes the rest of the season.
8-31-10 - 2011 Forecast: - Look, whether this kid is playing or on the DL, he's the number one prospect second baseman in the organization. Injuries are injuries. Some are natural, and others happen when someone takes you out on a double play ball. Just because Strasburg is being operated on, doesn't make him the best prospect pitcher in baseball. That being said, it would be nice if Havens stopped trying to be like F-Mart. Havens only had 125 at bats in 2010 (between St. Lucie and Binghamton), but they were impressive: .312/.386/.592/.978, 9-HR, 19-RBI. Project those numbers over a full season and you have an all-star. His latest injury is a nagging one, but shouldn't impede his growth. I do expect him to play winter ball, probably Hawaii, and there's a good chance he will compete for the Mets second base job, against Ruben Tejada, in spring training. Otherwise, expect him in Buffalo in 2011.
2-14-11: - The mystery of the disappearance of Reese Havens has finally been exposed by Adam Rubin. Seems Havens had rib surgery about eight weeks ago. Dr. James Andrews shaved some bone off of one rib that was irritating Reese’s obligue. Havens says he’ll be ready for spring training. Remember, the only thing that is preventing him from starting in Queens is his health. Trust me, if he plays big in Buffalo this year, the Daniel Murphy experiment at second base could end around September.
3-19-11: - Down: - 2B – Reese Havens - word from the camp is that Havens has not played an inning of spring training yet. This doesn’t fair well for his chances of starting the season for Buffalo. This guy just doesn’t seem to heal well. Looks like Justin Turner, who has options left, will start for the Bisons.
3-24-11: - Down: - 2B - Reese Havens - word comes down fro ST that Havens will not be assigned to Binghamton come opening day. Instead, he will remain back in extended camp still attempting to heal from last year's injuries. Not a great sign
4-25-11: - My sources tell me that we may see very little, if any, play time this year from 2B Reese Havens. Boy, I hope I’m wrong about this one. Havens has had a hard time recovering from surgery because, frankly, he is the first baseball player to have ever had this surgery. Havens had Dr. James Andrew (how old is this dude?) shave off around an inch of one of his ribs. The problem was called “Rib-Tip Syndrome”. My source said it best: “You can’t put a timetable on recovery for something you have no history.”
6-4-11: - A real good sign down in Binghamton is what 2B Reese Havens has been doing since returning to the lineup this season. Last night, he went 3-5, raising his Binghamton batting average to .292. There’s never been a question regarding whether Havens can hit. He’s had a hard time staying healthy, but his injuries have not been career threatening. I’d like to see him finish the season in Buffalo so he can get on to Queens next year, but the most important thing is for him to stay in the lineup.
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