Mack's Mets Draft Profile- Courtney Hawkins- Mets #12 Pick- 2012 Draft

I saved the following player for the last in this series for one simple reason: I think the Mets are going to draft him.

Previous player profiles:

Marcus Stroman

Nelson Rodriguez

Jose Orlando Berrios

Gavin Cecchini

Andrew Heaney

David Dahl

Mets 2012 Draft- Courtney Hawkins- OF- Carroll High School, Corpus Christi, TX

John Sickels rank: #8 (Pirates)

John Sickels mock draft: Pick 27- Brewers

Jonathan Mayo projection: Pick 10- Rockies

Baseball America/Jim Callis projection: Pick 10- Rockies

Keith Law: Pick 10- Rockies

Matt Grabusky: Pick 29- Rangers

Mets select: 12.

Obviously a number of these experts agree that the Rockies will look at Courtney pretty seriously tonight. I still have the Rockies reaching for someone like Gallo, Dahl, or D.J. Davis or snagging a high school pitcher who fell too far (McCullers, Giolito, Fried). The second thing to take from above: There are quite a few discrepancies on where Hawkins will be drafted. Unless some team like the Marlins or Rockies have already tagged him as the best player on their board (given who will likely be there), I think the Mets will have a shot at him at #12. The question is, will they take him?

Here is what you need to know about Courtney Hawkins:

-         Mammoth power. Hit a 400-foot+ home run as a sophomore while his team was in the state semi-finals.

-       We interviewed Courtney a couple weeks ago and what I took away from it more than anything is that “C-Hawk” has a passion to play this game and wants more than anything to be as good as he can possibly be. This has driven him to succeed this year and has vaulted him to the top half of the first round consideration.

-         Has all five tools. Runs well, has a great arm (could be drafted as a pitcher, even), and can stick in center.

-          Had a hard time hitting breaking pitches as an underclassman. Worked tirelessly until this was no longer an Achilles Heel. Currently, scouts worry about his long swing and inability to make enough contact at the next level. I will bet good money that Courtney has read those comments (and even these) and it is already something he is working on in the cages.

-          Texas commit.

-          Extremely athletic. Can do backflips and dunk a basketball with ease (even if his coaches cringe when he does).

-          Big personality, very active on Twitter.

-          When asked what he would think about Flushing as a landing spot for him, he responded “That’d be fine. That’d be fine, definitely”, and praised the Mets large network of passionate fans. 

Unless Fried or Almora somehow drop (or something crazy like Zunino, Gausman, or Correa), this is the guy I want the Mets to take. The Mets are interested and Courtney looks like a pretty safe bet to sign. We will have to wonder until tonight, though: Will Hawkins be available? And will the Mets pull the trigger if he is there? 

I like C-Hawk. When I interviewed him, what I remember most potently was how much drive he has to get better. Yes, he has a big personality but that would be great for the spotlight of New York. He is raw and has a ways to go but I have no doubt that he has the mental strength to become one heck of a baseball player.

If Hawkins is not snagged by Miami or Colorado (the two teams most likely to jump the gun on him before the Mets select), look for the Mets to add another impressive athlete to join Nimmo in the ascension through the system.

LGM