Mets Draft Analysis – 2007

Mets Draft Anaysis – 2007

This was supposed to be a great draft. The Mets had four picks in first two rounds and four picks in the first 123 players chosen. You very seldom get this opportunity to immediately stock your organization with immediate prospects that will join your parent team around 2011-2012.

A few facts:

                The Mets made 42 picks in the 39 rounds

                34 were college players

                8 were high school players

                9 are still in the organization

                4 have made it to the major leagues -  Eddie Kunz (43^rd), Lucas Duda (243^rd), Robert Carson (453^rd), Dillon Gee (663^rd)

                                (conference comparison:

Atlanta – 52 picks – 4 have made it to the majors (Jason Heyward (14^th), Freddie Freeman (78^th), Brandon Hicks (108^th), Cory Gearrin (138^th)

Miami – 50 picks – 4 have made it to the pros (Matt Dominguez (12^th), Giancarlo Stanton (76^th), Bryan Peterson (136^th), Steven Cishek (166^th)

Philadelphia -   52 picks – 4 have made it to the pros (Joe Savery (19^th), Michael Taylor (173^rd), Justin De Fratus (353^rd), Brian Schlitter (503^rd)

Washington – 53 picks – 2 have made it to the pros (Ross Detwiler (6^th), Jordan Zimmerman (67^th)

1 (42) RP Eddie Kunz -  Oregon State University  - three things I live by… never vote for a Communist, don’t check out a biker’s old lady, and never, never draft a relief pitcher with your first round pick. The reason is simple. No one else is going to and this guy will be around in the 3-4^th round. Kunz started big, pitching his 2^nd pro year at AA-Binghamton (44-G, 2.79, 27-SV). Maybe his 25-BBs in 48.1-IP (1.32-WHIP) warned of the future, because he was rushed to NYC for four outings in the same year (13.50) and never recovered. Traded after 2010, he ended up last year at SD-AAA-Tucson (6.35).

1 (47) P Nathan Vineyard - Woodland (Cartersville,GA) – yeah, the Mets picked Vineyard over Zimmerman, Stanton, and Freeman… pitched poorly for GCL Mets in 2007 (5.27), showed up in Savannah in 2008, pitched in two games (14.63), and put his bonus in his pocket and quit.

2 (77) P Scott Moviel  - St. Edward (Lakewood,OH)-  looked like an excellent choice, but it just never happened. Pitched 2012 in the Frontier League (8.83).

2 (93) P Brant Rustich  - UCLA – another on the surface good pick who had injury problems with his pitching hand throughout his 4-year professional career. Very sad story… lifetime 7-6, 3.00, 1.18, but had to quit due to the genetic pain.

3 (99) P Eric Niesen - Wake Forest -  started strong for Brooklyn in 2007 and made the jump to St. Lucie in 2008… hit the AA wall in 2009/2010/2011… pitched for the Ducks last season (4.05).

3 (123) P Stephen Clyne- Clemson  -  Clyne started out like a house on fire in the lower levels, but hit the wall (like so many before him) in AA. Was cut after 2010 and played last in 2011 in the CamAm league (18.00).

4 (153) 3B Richard Lucas - Wolfson (Jacksonville,FL) -  Lucas is still in the system and played St. Lucie last season (.251). He never panned out and is now just an organizational fill.

5 (183) 3B Zach Lutz - Alvernia University SF  PA -  Lutz has hit .288 over eight minor league seasons but has had every unlucky injury known to man. Plays a position that simply isn’t available on this team and has now been reduced to someone in the way of progress (Wilmer Flores and Aderlin Rodriguez. Sad.

6 (213) P Guillaume Leduc - Edouard Montpetit (Montreal,QC) -  Released last season after six uneventful seasons.

7 (243) OF-1B Lucas Duda - USC -  the starting right fielder for the New York Mets… considered a very successful 7^th round pick.

8 (273) P Dan McDonald - Seton Hall University -  big mystery… pitched in 20 games for Brooklyn in  2007 (3.16, 1.17, 30-K, 25.2IP). Walked away from the game after that season.

9 (303) P Michael Olmsted - Cypress College -  pitched for two seasons in the Mets system… finished 2012 with AA-Portland (Boston) with incredible numbers (14-appearances, 0.00-ERA, 0.90-WHIP, 20.0-IP, 31-K). This one cold come back and bite the Mets in the ass.

10 (333) SS Brandon Richey - Northwestern State University – played two years in the organization, but never got the bats… .226 in 212-AB for Brooklyn, Kingsport, Savannah, St. Lucie. Released before the 2009 season.

11 (363) SS Matthew Bouchard - Georgetown University -  Played the full season in 2007 for Brooklyn (.267) and never started again. Cut in 2011.

12 (393) P Will Morgan Lewis-Clark State College -  Should have went on an exposition… another mystery story… 2007 for Brooklyn: 22-appearances, 3-0, 2.02, 0.84… only 8 more appearances over the next two seasons… last played AmerAssoc ball in 2010 (10.38).

13 (423) C Jordan Abruzzo - University of San Diego -  this looked like a great pick… Abruzzo set most of the hitting records in school and he had a similar power swing as Duda… played only one full seasons: 2008 for Brooklyn: 182-AB, .275/.309/.440/748 and also, 2008 for Savannah: 203-AB, .300/.347/.448/.795… a combined 12-HR, 51-RBI… this was going to be the future Mets catcher…  unfortunately, shoulder injuries limited him to DHing most of his minor league career and the team finally cut him loose at the end of the 2010 season.

14 (453) P Robert Carson - Hattiesburg (Hattiesburg,MS) -  a story in the making… cut his teeth in September in Queens (17-G,, 4.73). Originally a big-time SP prospect, Carson looks like he will join Josh Edgin as the two lefties in the 2013 pen. Good story here.

15 (483) C Jefferies Tatford - University of Louisiana – played Brooklyn in 2007 (.169) and got a full shot in Savannah in 2008 (.276). Walked away from the game after that season.

16 (513)  OF Chris Fournier - George Mason University – played a little for Brooklyn in 2007 (.224) and St. Lucie in 2008 (.278), but never got a chance. Walked away.

17 (543)  P Brandon Efferson - Zachary (Zachary,LA)  - didn’t sign…  went to SE Lousiana for four years and was drafted and signed by the LA Angels in 2011 (37^th round)… played last season in rookie ball (6.03) at 23-years old (should of signed)…

18 (573)  SP Michael Antonini - Georgia College & State University – control pitcher that looked like a steal…  Michael is another of those pitchers that looked unhittable until he hit AA. He was the darling of the 2009 ST camp and started the first intra-squad game held for charity (gave up 3-run homer to Carlos Beltran… I retrieved the ball and gave it to him to save). Everything went to hell in 2009 and he was eventually traded. Pitched last season for LAD-AAA (5.71), but was cut before the season ended.

19 (603) SS Tito Gonzalez - Wallace Community College – didn’t sign…  

20 (633) P Dylan Owen - Francis Marion University – still in the organization as a workhorse pitcher… probably has no shot left for the majors but he’s been a strong competitor for the organization and, as a 20^th pick, was a good one…

21 (663) P Dillon Gee - University of Texas-Arlington – this is why you keep drafting the best player on your board. Producing a member of your starting rotation with a 21^st round pick is almost impossibility. Credit Gee, his father, and the organization with the determination to make this work.  His career minor league stats were fine (28-19, 3.78, 1.18), but he was pitching Buffalo at a 4.96 clip when he got the call due to injuries in Queens. Since then, history has been made: 21-15, 4.06, 1.31, figures that stand up with any SP5 in the majors. A great pick!

22 (693) 3B Tyler Vaughn- University of California-Irvine -  Vaughn was a roster fill-in pick that never got a shot… had 201 Abs (.279) for Kingsport (2007) and Brooklyn (2009). Injuries cost him the 2008 season and his career.

23 (723) C Norberto Navarro - Pasco-Hernando Community College -  not to be confused with SS of same name drafted in 1988… never signed and never heard of again.

24 – (753) 2B Michael Parker - George Washington University – got his shot in Savannah in 2008 and hit .198 in 212-AB… cut at the end of the season… played Frontier Ball in 2009 (.298) and 2010 (.258).

25 – P Cole Abbott - Weber (Ogden,UT) -  this one was a shame… big time high school prospect that told everyone he wasn’t signing… Mets went over slot and signed him as a big surprise, but injuries cost the kid his career early… pitched only 10-G for the GCL Mets in 2007 (7.31) and, the last time I talked to him, he’s still getting cut on the operating table.

26 (813) P Brad Burns - University of Oklahoma - organizational pitcher that put up a decent ERA (3.84 in 3-years), but couldn’t stop walking people (40-BB in 84-IP). Cut after 2009 season.

27 (843) P Kyle Catto - Southern Illinois University – never signed  and never heard of again…

28 (873) C Kyle Maxie - Pearl River Community College – never signed…went to Florida State and Southern Miss and never played again…  

29 (903) P Roydrick Merritt - Southern University – Everyone thought this was a rough diamond… he was impressive for Binghamton in both 2009 and 2010 but blew his arm out while pitching for Buffalo at the end of the 2010 season. It never came back and he was cut after 2011. Played last season in the Atlantic League (8-8, 3.32).  

30 (933) 2B Rylan Sandoval - Chabot College SF  - not signed by the Mets and went to Long Beach State for two years. Was signed by the Mets as a free agent and joined the team in 2010, where he ended last season in Binghamton (.247). Looks to be a long term AAAA infielder for the Mets.

31 (962) P Tony Peraza - La Mirada (La Mirada,CA) -  never signed… went to Cerritos College and played 2011 for something called the MLB Academy Barons of California College (1-G, 2-IP)…

32 (991) C Juan Centeno -  Antonio Lucchetti (Arecibo,PR) – interesting pick… Centeno has now played six seasons for the Mets with career stats of: .268/.324//.325/.649. He’s considered a very good defensive catcher and hit .285/.337/.342/.678 for AA-Binghamton last season. In 2011 for St. Lucie: .318/.368/.382/.751. Basically, he has played below the radar and must be considered to start Queens in 2014. Who the heck knows?

33 (1020) SS Nicholas Abshire -  never signed… no school every listed… maybe he never existed…

34 (1049) SS Terry Johnson - William Carey University -  got 53 at-bats in 2007 for GCL and K-Port (.208) and walked away.

35 (1078) P Jason Lavorgna - Eastern Connecticut State University – went 2-6, 6.45 for Kingsport and Savannah in 2007/08 and was cut.  

36 (1106) SS/3B Glen Johnson - South Fork (Stuart,FL) -  never signed… never was drafted again… played three years in the Can Am league (.144)…

37 (1134) 3B Ricky Alvarez - Otay Ranch (Chula Vista,CA) -  never signed… was signed by the LAA as a free agent in 2008… played four years up to AA ball and was eventually cut…

38 (1162) OF Brandon Kawal - Concordia University SF  CA -  gave it a shot for two seasons, but never got the at-bats. Walked away after the 2008 season with Savannah…

39 (1190) SS Alonzo Harris - McComb (McComb,MS) – see, ya never know… Harris has since moved to the outfield and should open up 2013 in the Binghamton outfield. Some consider him a 2014 shot for Queens. I don’t but what the hell do I know?

Observation: I’m thrilled with the players that have already come out of this draft (Duda, Gee, Carson) and, there may be more in the future (Harris, Centeno), but this draft still goes down as a disaster because of all the early picks wasted on players that simply shouldn’t have been picked above other players that were out there. I’ll give them Kunz as a hunch, but picking goofball Vineyard over the likes of Tommy Hunter, Cory Luebke, Jordan Zimmerman, Barry Enright, and Gioncarlo Stanton, all picked before the Mets next pick of Scott Moviel (the next two picks in the draft were Freddie Freeman and Zack Cosart). You have to have met Vineyard to realize what a yahoo he was and HE CAME TO CAMP WITH A BLOWN OUT ARM).  Probably had pain signing the bonus check. Where were the med guys here? Simply horrible.

Overall:  D+