Mack’s Compositve Mock Draft – Nov 2012

Note: High school junior SS Drew Ward became eligible for the 2013 draft in October and has been projected within this draft. It will take at least a month for his actual position in a composite draft to be averaged.

1. 1. RHP Ryne Stanek Arkansas
2. 2. RHP Mark Appel Stanford
3. 3. OF Austin Meadows Grayson HS (GA)
4. 4. LHP Sean Manaea Indiana State
5. 5. OF Clint Frazier Loganville HS (GA)
6. 6. SS Drew Ward Leedey HS (OK)
7. 7. OF Austin Wilson Stanford
8. 8. 3B Kris Bryant San Diego
9. 9. 3B Colin Moran North Carolina
10. 10. RHP Jonathan Crawford Florida
11. 11. RHP Karsten Whitson Florida

1. 41. RHP Chris Oakley St. Augustine Prep (NJ)

The rest of the two rounds...  www.bigleaguefutures.com

Draft 13 - Q and A - LHSP - Kent Emanuel

Q and A – 2013 Draft – LHSP – Kent Emanuel – North Carolina

Mack:  We’re back with one of the college guys today, 6-4 LHSP sophomore-eligible Kent Emanuel, from the New York Mets favorite college this month, North Carolina. Hey Kent. Thanks for joining us and answering a few questions.

Kent - Hey Mack. Thanks for having me.

Mack – The first question is pretty much the same one I ask all of you. Take us back to that first day someone either placed a baseball or bat in your hand and take us through the steps that got you to where you are now.

Kent - To be honest, I can't remember the first time I had a baseball bat or ball in my hand. My parents tell me I would throw a ball around before I could even walk that well so I think it is something that has always been a part of my life. In terms of getting to where I am now, I think that is just a result of my love for competition and sports so my path has been an enjoyable one for sure. Also, I've been so lucky with all the people I have been surrounded with; my friends, family, teammates, and coaches have all been so great and have definitely made my journey an exciting and fun one thus far

Mack:  I see you came out of Woodstock High in Georgia. Maxprep had your graduating class being ranked 2,715^th in the country and 89^th in the State (strangely PG had your school 26^th in the State and 222^nd nationally). Did you have a hard time getting scouted out of school or did the word get out to the right people, at the right time?

Kent - Being scouted was definitely one thing that I did not have to worry about. Despite my graduating class being thin, I think the area we played was just so jam-packed with talent that it was hard not to be looked at. Also, my travel team that I played with in the summer was one of the best around so even if I hadn't been seen in school, it would have happened in summer ball. So to answer your question, and thankfully so, I think word got out to right people.

Mack – I’m glad you brought up your ‘travel team’. Scouts tell me more and more emphasis is being placed every year on scouting these teams rather than schools, based on the quality of competition. Do you agree?

Kent - Yes I completely agree. I am just drawing from my own experience of course but I really do believe if one was to watch the top travel ball teams play then watch the top high school teams play, it would be pretty clear that the top travel teams play at a higher level. It just makes sense that way, travel ball teams get to pick and choose their players from wherever, while high school teams are limited only to those who attend their school.

Mack – Just a couple more questions… talk to me about UNC. I hear that’s one hell of a school.

Kent - I couldn't have asked for anything better than UNC. When people ask me what the worst part about going to school and playing ball is, I usually have to resort to trouble with finding parking spots because there just isn't really anything to complain about. I definitely could not be happier with my decision to pick UNC as my school to go to and then follow through with my commitment to go there despite the 2010 draft.

Mack – First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Lastly, is there anything you’re doing special this off-season to get ready for what should be the most important baseball year of your career?

Kent - No problem thanks for having me! And I definitely did something special this off season that I'm really excited about... I took off this summer and didn't play ball. This way I was really able to focus on my lifting and eating. I was able to put on some weight and right now I'm stronger than I ever have been before so I'm really excited to get back going now and see how much it's going to help me on the field

2011 Draft - Jack Leathersich, Joe Tuschak, Cole Frenzel, Danny Muno, Alex Panteliodis

5 (162) P Jack Leathersich – you know how I hate relief pitchers being drafted this high… well, in two seasons with Brooklyn, Savannah, and St. Lucie, Leathersich has 139 strike outs in 85 innings pitched. That’s a 14.25 K/9 ratio, higher than any major league pitcher has ever produced. Okay, it’ll go down… but, here comes the hard part… AA. Still. It’s hard not to believe that he will elevate at the same rate Josh Edgin did.

6 (192) CF Joe Tuschak – Alderson’s third high school pick of the draft… Tuschak has been a complete bust. .204 for the GCL Mets (108-AB) in 2011 and .192 for Kingsport (130-AB) in 2012. Not too many knew much about him. Even PG only had him under their State notes section. Said to be toolsy with good speed. I’m not sure where he’s going at this point in his professional career, but, wherever it is will probably be as a utility outfielder until the new draft class comes aboard.

7 (222) 1B Cole Frenzel – It was surprising to see a first baseman drafted this high. He was a SS in high school (God forbid) and was drafted simply because of his gap bat which hasn’t developed as a pro. Got 162-Abs in Savannah last year (.204), but will probably step aside for Brian Harrison to play St. Lucie and Jayce Boyd to play Savannah.

8 (252) SS Danny Muno – I hated the fact that the Mets were drafting a college senior this high in the draft when things like that are usually done in the late rounds. Still, Muno always hit well at Fresno State and wound up leading the NYPL in hitting in 2011. Last year, he got suspended for 50, but bounced back (clean, I assume), hitting .280 for St. Lucie (289-AB). Muno will play 2013 as a 24-year old so I have no problems with him bumping up to Binghamton and joining TJ Rivera and Aderlin Rodriguez in the infield. The Mets may have a live one here or, at worse, another Josh Satin.

9 (282) P Alex Panteliodis – ‘Johnny Pants’ has had two words attached to him throughout his baseball career, ‘talented’ and ‘inconsistent’. I personally watched him go through this last season with Savannah. There was a three game stretch where he was completely lost out on the mound, which was followed by four games he was virtually unhittable. Mention his name to Frank Viola and he’s shake his head, saying “he’s an enigna”.  Still, 5-8, 3.64, as a 21-year old in Savannah, isn’t a bad way to start your professional career. His 2013 problems are depth of talent on the lower level teams. St. Lucie already looks to be Michael Fulmer, Domingo Tapia, Luis Mateo, Tyler Pill, and Jake deGrom. This leaves ‘Pants’, Jim Fuller, and Marcos Camarena on the outside looking in.

10-31-12 – Placido Polanco, Fall Ball, Options, Jake Peavy, CF

The Phillies declined their part of mutual option on Placido Polanco. Boy, can this guy hit when he’s healthy. And, this is the kind of utility infielder you want on your team. He plays third base, shortstop, and second and is a lifetime .298 hitter. Yes, his best days are behind him, and he was a complete dud in Philadelphia, but guys like this prevent you from losing games, either in the field or with a clutch hit in the late innings. He’s coming off a huge 3-year contract which means nothing. He’s 103 years old and you can get him easily in the $1-2mil range. Sign him to a minor league contract, bring him into camp and work the shit out of him, make Jason Turner work for his 2013 job, and, if he’s healthy, sign him to a one-year deal. Polanco, Rick Ankiel, Melky Cabrera… these are the 1-year deals you need to have a legitimate chance to make it to the playoffs without an outfield.

OF Juan Lagares (.000) played for Aguilas Cibaenas of the DFL as a late defensive replacement in left field. C Francisco Pena (.286) went 1-3 in the same game. The big news was the five scoreless innings thrown by P Miguel Batista (0.00)…  P Armondo Rodriguez (0.00) threw one scoreless inning for Leones del Escogido… ex-Met Cory Aldridge leads the Mexican League in home runs (9), RBIs (19), and runs scored (15)… over in Arizona, Danny Muno (.125) singles in Darrell Ceciliani (.244) in the third... . 

photo by Mack Ade

From Rotoworld:

Mets exercised 3B David Wright's $16 million option for 2013. It was merely a formality. The two sides remain in ongoing negotiations regarding a long-term extension, and it seems likely that something will get done prior to spring training. Wright had a nice bounce-back season for the Mets in 2012, batting .306/.391/.492 with 21 homers. New York also picked up R.A. Dickey's option.

Yes, it is just a formality, but it’s still nice to know that your shortstop and top pitcher will be back in the clubhouse on reporting day. One of three things is going to happen when this all plays out. One, you have two great players, for a multiple amount of years, on your team. Two, you have at least four new excellent young players in your organization that play key positions if you trade them. Or, three, you  have four more first round picks in the 2014 draft, considered a pretty talented one, especially in the first round. All three scenarios are decent ones and we all have our own favorite end to this saga, but, in any case, there’s a positive here for the future of the team.

The free agent market had their bar set late yesterday when SP Jake Peavy resigned with the Chicago White Sox for two years, $29mil. It’s $14.5mil per year for a guy that went 11-12, 3.37, 32-ST and helped his team reach second place. Does this come into play with the RA Dickey situation? Well, it doesn’t in 2013 because that was simply an option that the Mets just had to pick up at $5.05mil. Forget the age… Dickey is a knuckler that will easily still be around by the time Peavy’s deal ends and no one dominated National League hitters more. I may be wrong, but I don’t think this deal is good news for the Mets. Sign this guy quick Sandy.

And lastly, Anthony DiComo wrote a wonderful story at mLB about centerfield, in general, and Angel Pagan, in particular. A portion:

The Mets never intended for Torres to be the long-term solution in center; they simply hoped he could keep the position warm until prospects Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Matt den Dekker and -- eventually -- Brandon Nimmo were ready to contribute.  But uncertainty continues to surround Nieuwenhuis, who looked so overexposed at the plate last season that the Mets eventually demoted him back to the Minors, where he suffered a season-ending foot injury that cost him critical development time. Den Dekker remains raw and Nimmo is still years away, meaning the Mets have no obvious in-house candidates to replace Torres.

Let’s remember something before wanting the Pagan-Torres deal to go away. Pagan had reached a point where he was a negative force both on the field and in the clubhouse. This was once one of the most popular players that simply wound up sitting at his locker with his headphones on and talking with no one. Nobody in the clubhouse mourned his leaving. Yes, the Torres deal didn’t work out, but the Mets would still be searching for a long term centerfielder if Pagan was still around.

Draft 13 - Q and A - OF - Hunter Renfroe

Mack  -  Morning everyone! We're talking with someone I am very familiar with, Mississippi State junior OF-C Hunter Renfroe. Hey, Hunter, hot enough this summer?

Hunter -  Yeah I had a great summer I saw the ball great and really looking forward to this spring

Mack  -  The first question I ask just about everyone is to take us back to that day someone first put either a bat or a ball in your hands and take us through the chapters that got you to this point in your life?

Hunter - I was probably 1 when my dad started buying plastic bats and balls and I actually started playing t-ball when I was 2.5 years old and the big changing point in my life was we were playing in a state championship when I was 11 I jumped up and robbed a home run that would have been a grand slam but in the process I landed back on top of the fence and broke my left arm in half basically and after that I didn't play baseball for almost a year and I switched schools and after that all I wanted to do was play sports and do it to the best of my ability.

Mack - You went to Copiah Academy (675th ranked nationally, 16th in state) where you dominated in your senior year (.583/.760/1.476). Looking back, do you now wish you played in a larger, higher ranked school against more competitive pitching?

Hunter  -  No, not at all. I didn't go to Copiah because of sports I went to get a great education and to have a great time in high school and baseball was just a plus. Did it have the best pitching in triple A private school? No but I believe that if I went to say a public school I would have hit even more homeruns because they would actually pitch to me. I got walked I think 68 times in my senior

Mack  - (Good answer about the education) Hunter, congrats on having your summer league team, the Bethesda Big Train, retire your number. Was this expected or did it catch you off-guard?

Hunter - It was completely a surprise I had no idea and they invited my parents up and they surprised me at the ceremony

Mack - Look, your college career speaks for itself so far. What are you concentrating on this summer to maximize your junior year?

Hunter - My pitch selection.  I am a very good fastball hitter and off speed hitter I just didn't show it last year because I was chasing balls that were out of the zone so I tried focusing on that and this summer it has paid off I didn’t strike out swinging but just a few times so I was really excited about the big jump in seeing the ball this summer

Mack - Hunter, thank you. We'll check back with you halfway through the season and see how things are going for you. Thanks again, stay strong, and God bless. 

PRESS RELEASE - 2013 Las Vegas Schedule

51^s ANNOUNCE 2013 SCHEDULE; TEAM OPENS 31^st PCL SEASON ON THURSDAY, APRIL 4 AT SACRAMENTO; HOME OPENER ON FRIDAY, APRIL 12 VS. COLORADO SPRINGS

LAS VEGAS: The Las Vegas 51^s professional baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, will begin their 31^st season of play in the Silver State against Southern Division rival, the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s, on Thursday, April 4 at Raley Field in Sacramento, Calif., at 7:05 p.m. The 51^s will begin the 2013 season with a eight-game Northern California road trip against the River Cats (April 4-7) and the Fresno Grizzlies, Triple-Affiliate of the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, in a four-game series from Monday-Thursday, April 8-11.

Las Vegas will then host the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Triple-A affiliate of Colorado Rockies, in the home opener on Friday, April 12 at Cashman Field at 7:05 p.m.

The 51^s, which will begin their first season as the top farm club of the Mets, compiled an overall record of 79-64 (.552) in 2012 and finished in second place in the Pacific Conference Southern Division, 6.5 games behind Sacramento. Las Vegas compiled the fifth-best overall record in the 16-team PCL.

The 144-game schedule (72 home, 72 road) will once again feature many promotional nights that will include 51^s & Mets giveaways, Budweiser Dollar Beer Nights, Kids Carnival and highlighted by the traditional “Fireworks Extravaganza” on Wednesday, July 3^rd at Cashman Field.

The Las Vegas franchise reached the 300,000 plateau in attendance at Cashman Field for the 30^th consecutive season (1983-2012). In 71 dates, Las Vegas’ total was 311,516 for an average of 4,388 that included three sellouts. The all-time attendance total now stands at 9,986,514 and the Las Vegas franchise will welcome the “10^th Millionth Fan” to the ballpark during the opening homestand of 2013.

In 2012, Minor League Baseball remained an attractive form of affordable family entertainment. The 15 leagues and 176 clubs drew 41,279,382 regular season fans and it represented an increase over 2011. It also marked the eighth year in a row that the industry topped 41 million fans. Minor League Baseball set an all-time attendance record for five straight seasons (2004-08).

The 51^s will host the Southern Division of the Pacific Conference opponents: the Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants), Sacramento River Cats (Oakland A’s) and Tucson Padres (San Diego Padres) for eight games each. The 51^s will also host the Northern Division (Pacific Conference) for eight games each: Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies), the defending PCL Champion the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks), Salt Lake Bees (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners).

The Southern Division opponents of the American Conference comprised of the Albuquerque Isotopes (Los Angeles Dodgers), New Orleans Zephyrs (Miami Marlins), Oklahoma City RedHawks (Houston Astros) and Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers) will visit Cashman Field for four games each.

The 51^s will travel to the Northern Division opponents of the American Conference comprised of the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs), Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals), Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) and Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) for four games each.

2013 season tickets and mini-plan packages (10 & 10-Games You Pick’em, 20, 33-game plans) are available by calling the 51^s office at (702) 798-7825. Individual game tickets for the 72-game home schedule will go on sale in March.

Schedule:  

www.lv51.com

2011 Draft - Brandon Nimmo, Michel Fulmer, Cory Mazzoni, Logan Verrett, Tyler Pill

1 (13) OF Brandon Nimmo – the 2012 Brooklyn numbers were okay, but the 46-BB in 266-Abs were outstanding for a 19-year old. BA was only .243, but OBP was .372. The Mets desperately need this pick to be for real and they need him in Queens by 2015. There’s no reason to send him to the pitcher-friendly deathtrap of Grayson Stadium in Savannah. I see him starting St. Lucie in 2013 where he can also be around the organizational coaches that run the extended camps.

1 (44) P Michael Fulmer -  the Mets seemed to pull this name out of a hat… I had nothing on him, but I really like what I see so far. An excellent 2012 in Savannah: 7-6, 2.74, 1.20, 101-K, 108.1-IP, 38-BB. Like Nimmo, played at 19-yeards old. Fulmer will head up an all-star rotation in St. Lucie and, because of his age, doesn’t ETA until 2016.

2 (71) P Cory Mazzoni -  Being a college junior, Mazzoni was fast tracked. Pitched extremely well in St. Lucie last season (5-1, 3.25, 12-starts), but did hit the AA wall after that (14-starts, 5-5, 4.46). May be moving a little too fast. I’ve give him another year (full this time) in Binghamton to develop.

3 (101) P Logan Verrett -  Verrett is an ex-anchor pitcher for Baylor, who sat out the end of the 2011 season after playing in the NCAA tourney. In 2012, he split 17 starts between Savannah and St. Lucie with excellent results:: 5-2, 2.70, 0.97. Was the first Savannah pitcher to be promoted because he was the first ready. Verrett looks like the real deal and will get to Binghamton sometime in 2013, where he will try and climb the AA wall.

4 (132) P Tyler Pill -  the third of three quality college starters in a row, Pill followed Verrett to St. Lucie and actually had better stats there (6-1, 2.05, 1.09). He also will eventually work his way to Binghamton and we’ll see what he can produce that the AA level.

10-30-12 – Sandy In Vegas, The ‘War Room’, Renewing Contracts, FA Eligible Mets, Miquel Olivo

Sandy Alderson, Fred Wilpon, and Terry Collins travelled to Las Vegas for a press conference with the local Vegas press. Not a bad place to be when there is a hurricane at home. All the sound bites were the usual blah, blah… everybody loves everybody… until Zack Wheeler gives up three home runs in the first inning.

The return of ‘The War Room’ got off to a good start. My hopes is this will become an all-day thread discussion about the question being asked, in particular, and the Mets, in general. 11 comments isn’t bad for a site that was shut down a few weeks ago. If you have any suggestions as to questions that should be asked, send them to: macksmets@gmail.com.

The deadlines for renewing David Wright and RA Dickey’s contracts are this week. Wright’s is a $16mil option by tomorrow and Dickey’s is a $5mil option on Friday. These will happen regardless of any long term deal signed with either players. The amounts are already locked into the budget and any new deals would involve monies for the year 2014 and beyond. You will all have both of these back for 2013 but that’s all anyone can promise right now.

New York Mets players that become FA eligible to bid on beginning at 12:01am, Saturday – Tim Byrdak (1mil), Ronny Cedeno ($1.15mil), Scott Hairston $1.1mil), Ramon Ramirez ($2.65mil), Jon Rauch ($3.5mil), Kelly Shoppach ($1.35mil), Chris Young ($1mil)… this represents a potential $11.75mil per year more available in 2014 while still keeping your payroll budget “around $100mil…)...

projected arbtration numbers for eligible Mets:
Mike Pelfrey $5.7mil... Andres Torres $3.2mil... Daniel Murphy $3mil... Ike Davis $2.8mil... Bobby Parnell $1.5mil... Josh Thole $1.2mil... Manny Acosta $1.1mil

AFL results... CF Darrell Ceciliani was moved to leadoff and went 2-4, 2-R, 2-RBI, raising his AFL BA to .231. Cesar Puello DH'd (1-2, 1-R, .250), P Chase Huchington (1.0-IP, 0-R, 10.13) got his first hold, and P Greg Peavey continues to impress as a reliever (1.0-IP, 0-R, 1.13)

Another slow Mets day. Reports are that they have turned their backs on resigning catcher Kelly Shoppach, and have turned their attention to Miquel Olivo. Olivo had a horrible 2012 for Seattle (.222/.239/.381), but he did have 31 home runs platooning over two seasons. He is third in the league in producing the most home runs as a catcher since 2006 (Brian McCann, Mike Napoli). Lastly, he would be a huge defensive upgrade defensively to Shoppach. He’s a lifetime .241 hitter (11-seasons) so this is what you get if you sign him.

2013 MLB Draft: College Top 50

Big League Futures’ rankings continue today with our college top 50. A solid argument can be made for Stanford righthander Mark Appel or Indiana State lefthander Sean Manaea, but we are going with Arkansas’ righthander Ryne Stanek at number one among college players.


Our rankings will continue next week, with high school player 51-100.


The rest of the list:   www.bigleaguefutures.com

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Ryne Stanek	RHP	Arkansas
2	Sean Manaea	LHP	Indiana State
3	Mark Appel	RHP	Stanford
4	Kris Bryant	3B	San Diego
5	Austin Wilson	OF	Stanford

2010 Mets Draft Analysis

2010 Mets Draft Analysis

Total players drafted:  49

Total High School Players:  10

Total College Players:  39

Total Unsigned:    12

Total That Have Already Made Queens:  2

Omar Minaya continued his lack of respect for high school players. In fact, he didn’t pick one until the 21^st pick. It always seemed to me that Minaya thought the IFA system was his own private high school draft. The problem was that everyone always seem like they were playing at levels they should have been far past.

Still, let’s get to the draft. Harvey is a slam dunk. Edgin is already a pro and deGrom looks like the real deal. And, we haven’t even got to the potential of Vaughn, den Dekker, Walters, and Kolarek.

1 (7) P Matt Harvey New York Mets  - may be the pick of the decade… the 2010 draft will always be defined by this pick… the Mets left some good players on the board (OF Michael Choice, C Yazmani Grandal), but, in the long run, this looks like a future all-star pick.An A+ start.

3 (89) C Blake Forsythe New York Mets – I loved this pick when his name was called out because I remembered his dominating sophomore year for Tennessee (.347, 15-HR). The problem is it just hasn’t translated as a pro. Gets one more critical shot this season, probably in Binghamton.

4 (122) OF Cory Vaughn – Vaughn has taken his share of criticism as a pro; however, he was only one home run behind the leader of the Florida State League (23-HRs). Vaughn will most likely play a corner slot in Binghamton with Darrell Ceciliani in center and Alonzo Harris at the other corner. AA pitching is going to quickly determine whether Vaughn has what it takes to make it in the pros.

5 (152) CF Matt Den Dekker – an excellent 5^th round pick…  in 2011, he hit 17-HR, 68-RBI for St.Lucie/Binghamton… last year he hit 17-HR, 76-RBI for Binghamton/Buffalo. He also is the best defensive centerfielder in the organization. All he needs to do is work on his K/AB ratio which will improve a lot of offensive stats. Could be your future Mets CFer in 2014.

6 (182) P Greg Peavey -  hasn’t proven to be the best of picks but, is pitching well in winter ball and could be moved to the Las Vegas pen this spring.

7 (212) P Jeffrey Walters -  Walters has put up a 3.26 ERA through three lower level seasons and has earned himself a member of the 2013 Binghamton pen. So, far a decent seventh round pick.

8 (242) P Kenny McDowall -  not sure about this one… I think he walked away from the game after a few appearances for the GCL Mets and Kingsport in 2011.

9 (272) P Jacob deGrom – now, we know Edgin is a steal, but this might be the other one. Two season stats at K-Port/Sav/Lucy: 10-4, 2.95, 1.11. Finished the season with four starts in Florida… 3-0, 2.08, 0.92. He’s go back to St. Lucy with his 95-mph and get in line to hopefully make it to Queens someday.

11 (332) P Adam Kolarek -  Kolarek had an outstanding season last year for St. Lucie (1-3, 2.37, 1.23, 44-games, 57.0-IP, 70-K). Currently playing Arizona League so you know the Mets are high on him. He’s open up 2013 in Binghamton.

12 (362) P Brett Mitchell -   injuries cause him to walk away after parts of two seasons.

13 (392) 3B Brian Harrison -  .241 hitter after three pro seasons, with only a .701 OPS. You can’t make it to Queens with these kind of numbers. Also, injuries have slowed him down.

14 (422) 2B J.B. Brown -  had a very productive 2010 with Brooklyn (201-AB, .308), but couldn’t work his way into either the Savannah or St. Lucie lineup. Cut after the 2011 season. Played 2012 for two teams in the Frontier League, one in CanAm, and one in the AmerAssoc.

15 (452) CF Tillman Pugh -  strange cut… touted as fastest man in camp had respectable year for Kingsport in 2011 (.252) and finished strong for Brooklyn (.344). Miserable start in 2012 for Savannah (59-AB, .085) and cut… was told organization had too many outfielders… picked up by White Sox next day and finished season in A-ball (.250).

16 (482) P Ryan Fraser -  boy, we just keep finding rough diamonds in this draft, don’t we? Fraser has turned out to be a quality organizational reliever who is currently in the AFL and will pitch for Las Vegas next season. A great 16^th round pick.

17 (512) P Chad Sheppard -  cut after one season

18 (542) P  A.J. Pinera -  cut after one season

19 (572) P Jonathan Kountis -  roster fill, cut after two seasons

20 (602) 1B Luke Stewart -  college senior roster fill, cut after the 2011 season

21 (632) 2B D.J. Johnson-   never signed, went to Mercer University, and never was drafted again

22 (662) SS Brandon Brown -  Brown is still in the organization… played a full season (329-Abs) for Savannah last year: .222. Probably will become a utility player in St. Lucie in 2013.

23 (692) CF Drew Martinez -  I loved this pick, but the Mets never signed him… went to Univ. of Memphis and was drafted in the 10^th round of the 2011 draft by the LA Angels… hit .250 in A-ball last year.

24 (722) P Erik Goeddel -  Goeddel has pitched well for a 24^th round pick, but he needs to step it up if he wants to keep his day job. Will pith Binghamton come spring, but role is in question.

25 (752) P Peter Birdwell -  was hurt his entire three year pro career and announced his retirement in July

26 (782) SS Jet Butler -  senior roster fill pick cut at the end of the 2011 season

27 (812) P Todd Weldon -  pitched well but was cut at the end of the 2011 season

28 (842) P Jeremy Gould -  roster fill pick cut during 2012 season

29 (872) P Hamilton Bennett -  Bennett has quietly moved up the levels and had an outstanding year this past season in St. Lucie (7-2, 2.55, 1.13, 41-G). This is great stuff for a 29^th pick. Look for him in Binghamton come spring.

30 (902) P Josh Edgin -  Matt Harvey may be the draft pick of the decade, but Edgin could be the steal of the same ten year period…  4-year college boy that was supposed to be a roster fill… dominated Savannah and now finds himself the top lefty coming out of the Queens pen. Amazing.

31 (932) P Steve Winnick -  roster fill reliever cut after 2011 season

32 (962) C Patrick Farrell -  - roster fill bullpen catcher cut after 2011 season

33 (992) P Hunter Carnevale -  still around (6 games in Kingsport in 2012), but we’ll have to wait and see if he comes out of spring with a job

34 (1022) 2B Justin Schafer -  senior roster fill cut at the end of 2011

35 (1052) P Joshua Easley -  never signed, went back to school, never heard of again

36 (1082) P Jesen Dygestile-Therrien – the Mets should never draft French-Canadian dudes… never signed, was drafted by Phillies in 2-11 and played for the GCL Phillies in 2012 (0-5, 3.46).

37 (1112) CF Dylan Brown -  roster fill pick cut in 2011

38 (1142) P Peter Miller -  didn’t sign, started for Florida State (2012: 5-2, 3.89) but was never drafted.

39 (1172) SS Brian Cruz -  never signed, was drafted by Toronto in 2012, and still hasn’t played any pro time

40 (1202) SS Brock Stewart -  didn’t sign, went to Illinois State, and wasn’t drafted again

41 (1232) P Taylor Christian -  never signed, went back to school… never drafted again…

42 (1262) SS J.J. Franco -   courtesy draft pick (son of John Franco) that didn’t sign and went on to college… never drafted again

43 (1292) SS Donnie Tabb -  roster fill pick cut after the 2011 season

44 (1322) P Kevin Gelinas -  never signed, then attended UCSB… wasn’t drafted again.. played NAML Indy ball in 2012 (4-2, 3.13, 1.09).

45 (1352) P Terrance Jackson -  never signed and never drafted again

45 (1375) OF Heath Johnson -  never signed and never drafted again

46 (1382) P Mike Jefferson -  never signed… drafted in 2011 by the Pirates… finished 2012 in the Sally League (7-7, 4.67)

47 (1412) P Sean O'Conner -  never signed and never heard of again

48 (1442) 1B Austin Smith -  never signed and never heard of again

49 (1472) P Dillon Newman -  never signed and went on to two meh seasons with Baylor

50 (1502) C Mark Eveld – never signed and never heard of again

Summary:  This will probably go down as the best draft in the past ten years, both for the players picked and the lack of success of other drafts. Still, this was an excellent draft.

A-

10-29-12 - Adam Kolarek, Marcos Camarena, Ahmed Rosario, David Wright, Melky Cabrera

CF Darrell Ceciliani went 0-4 for the Surprise Saguaros of the AFL on Friday and his fall BA has now fallen to .200. RP Adam Kolarek added another scoreless inning (1-K, 1-H), lowering his ERA to 2.84.

On Saturday, CF Cesar Puello (.239) singled in 3B Danny Muno (.000). RP Ryan Fraser gave up a late run in the two innings he pitched (2.00). In the VFL, 3B Wilmer Flores continues to rake for Bravos de Margarita, going 2-4, 1-R, double in their 8-3 loss to Aguilas del Zulia. His BA is now .340.

It’s good to see that P Marcos Camarena got a few innings in for Tomateros de Culiacan (7-5 loss to Aguilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Fall League). Stat line: 2.0-IP, 1-H, 0-R, 2-K, 0-BB… Fall ERA: 0.00 Camarena is one of those ‘swing’ pitches that pitching coach Frank Viola just couldn’t figure out what to do with. In Viola’s defense, Savannah was loaded with starters and Camarena was simply the odd man out most of the time. He pitched in 30 games, 11 of which he started and produced: 2.92, 72-K, 104.2-IP, 16-BB. It’s not going to get any easier for him in St’ Lucie come spring, what with a projected rotation of Michael Fulmer, Domingo Tapia, Luis Mateo, Tyler Pill, and Jake deGrom. This still leaves Camarena, Alex Panteliodes, and Jim Fuller looking for a slot. Now, this is what is called a positive problem.

Joel Sherman/New York Post has come up with a figure of 7-yr, $127-mil, from 2014-2020 that he feels would seal the deal with David Wright. The current $16mil option would be in place for next season, and this deal would average $18mil a year over the length of the contract. That makes it: 8-years, $143mil. Sherman reached out to ten “officials” outside the Mets organization, which could range from a competing General Manager to his mother-in-law, and all felt this deal was doable. As I said yesterday, all Mets writers have very little to write about right now so we keep revisiting old subjects.

I just sometimes shake my head at young Mets fans. The Mets go and sign 16-year old SS Ahmed Rosario, give him around a $1.7mil bonus, and fans have expressed dissatisfaction that he’s not coming stateside this spring. Folks, he would be a sophomore in high school if he was stateside. You’ve got Leon Canelon, Gavin Cecchini, Phillip Evans, and Ruben Tejada ahead of him. It really doesn’t matter that there no longer is a GCL Mets team. Canelon would have been playing there anyway. If you want to get pissed off, how about expressing it to a management team that drafts a shortstop first in the same year they piss almost their entire international pool money to another shortstop (not to be confused with Phillip Evans, the other shortstop you drafted the year before.).

FanNation threw out an interesting name in the Mets search for an outfielder: “The Mets were one club that came up regularly as a potential landing spot for Melky Cabrera, as were the outfield-needy Phillies. The Mets need outfielders and don't have a ton of money to address their severe needs there. So if they could bag Cabrera as corner outfield insurance against Jason Bay and Lucas Duda, it could make sense, especially if they are unable to retain Scott Hairston. Probably at his worst, Cabrera would be a motivated fourth outfielder who always could hit righties well, with the possibility he is more than that if any of the improvements of the past two years are real.”

Joel Sherman had a spin on the salary: “But the large majority saw Cabrera having to take a one-year deal in the $2 million-to-$5 million range. He will have to use 2013 as a forum to prove he is a quality player.”

 I like it. These are the kind of picks the Mets have stayed away from and, in my opinion, they need to take some chances and bring in a couple veterans the way the Yankees successfully do every year. Players like these sell seats.

Draft 13 – 11-3-12 - 1st Round Picks, Chris Oakley, Drew Ward, WWBA

At this point in the 2013 Draft season, there seems to be 26 sure fired first round picks. In no particular order:

RHPs (9) – Mark Appel, Karsten Whitson, Bobby Wahl, Clinton Hollon, Dylan Covey, Ryne Stanek, Jonathan Crawford, Brett Morales and Ryan Eades.

LHP – (5) Stephen Gonsalves, Marcos Gonzalez, Trey Ball, Sean Manaea, and Ian Clarkin.

C (2) – Reese McGuire and Jeremy Martinez

SS (2) – Andy McGuire and Oscar Mercado

3B (2) – Kris Bryant and Colin Moran

OF (6) –...   the rest...  www.bigleaguefutures.com

Draft 13 - Q and A - Minnesota LHP DJ Snelton

Mack - Folks, we’re moving along here (after being a little bogged down)… this is a good guy I was hoping to interview.  Mack’s Mets, welcome to Minnesota ‘s  DJ Snelten.  I currently have the 6-6, 215 lefty as one of the top 10 LHPs in the June 2013 draft. Donald, welcome to MMs and thank you for answering some questions.  I’m tall but not as tall as you. Am I assuming everybody tried to throw a basketball at you when you began to sprout, rather than a baseball glove?

DJ - Yes, I had coaches back in high school from the basketball team tell me I should try to give it a shot, but after a few pickup games that I would play with some friends in the neighborhood or just shooting around with my brother, I realized that basketball isn't really my thing.   People tend to get more surprised when I tell them I can't dunk... usually ends up with them saying: "you're 6'7 and you can't dunk? that's embarrasing" or something in the lines of that.

Mack – White knees.  Anyway, take us back to where you first started playing competitive baseball, and who was that person that told your future in the game was on the bump?

DJ - I played baseball since I was about 7 years old, and I always enjoyed playing the game, but I was never really competitive about it until I was a Freshmen in high school.   My dad still always jokes with me about how I was the kid that always wanted to get ice cream after the games, but that ended in high school.   I knew my future in the game was on the bump when I was about 7 years old.   My dad bought me a right handed glove because my brother was right handed, and I threw kind of funny for a week.   My dad was confused about it because he thought I would be somewhat athletic since I come from a family of athletes.   He finally thought to give me a left handed glove and right away I looked more coordinated.   He started to laugh and I heard him say to himself "Thank you God for giving me a lefty".   It was right there that we both knew I had to work on pitching more than anything.

Mack – You were drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 30th round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft, but chose to go to college instead. In 2011 (a little stat history for the readers) you went: 1-3, 5.44, 13-G, 4-starts, 29.1-IP, 18-K, 12-BB, .295-OBA.  Last year you went: 4-4, 3.24, 16-G, 13-ST, 86.0-IP, 55-K, 33-BB, .229-OBA.  A scout tells me “Snelten has worked hard and long on his velo, which can run up to 95. This represents a 5-mph change since high school. He’s also developed a slider and backs both them up with a change-up.  He needs to pound the zone more and work on the BB/IP ratio.” Your comments?

DJ - I couldn't agree more, I think every pitcher has their flaws and their projects for next season.   My project happens to be pounding the zone more and working on the IP/BB ratio like he said.   As a college pitcher, I have tried to do too much with the strike zone, working with 3 inches on both sides of the plate.   My pitching coach at the U of Minnesota has told me countless times that I need to simplify it, and it's come a long way since my freshmen year.  Although it has improved, it's safe to say that I have a lot more to work on to be as effective as I can be.  I look forward to my next step of becoming a better pitcher, and I think that less walks and an improved IP/BB ratio is my ticket to becoming more successful.

Mack – I was going to ask a good wrap-up question, but it sounds like you just did. Do you want to leave us with anything until we check back around mid-season?

DJ - I don't think I have anything else I have worth adding, but thank you for the opportunity of being a part of this interview!

'The War Room' - 10-28-12 - Spending $5-6mil Before OD

Question:

Whether you like it or not, the Mets are committed to keeping the 2013 payroll at "around $100mil", though people on the inside will tell you that $100mil is the top end figure.

We've done the numbers here a few times.

We know that 2014 brings $58.5mil in long term contract cuts (Bay, Santana, Francisco) as well as $50mil in additional TV revenue.

We also know Zack Wheeler will join the rotation, Darin Gorski, Tylpe Pill, Logan Verrett, and Rafael Montero will all pitch another year, Wilmer Flores will play his last minor league season, and we should know whether Kirk Nieuwenhuis or Matt den Dekker can play big time centerfield ball.

The question...

Let's say you have around $5-6mil to spend between now and opening day.

Where do you spend it?