Mets Draft Target - RHSP - Braden Shipley

No one has climbed up the mock drafts faster than Nevada's pitcher Braden Shipley. Well, actually Oklahoma's Jonathan Gray moved faster but what the fuck.

Shipley has carried the weight of the team on his shoulders, who goes into the weekend at 24-27. Still, Shipley has put a stat line up at: 13-G, 7-3, 3.02.

There's a good chance he will go in the first ten picks.






He has a 3 pitch arsenal and may not need much time in the Minors at all. Per Keith Law, he already has a plus Fastball, a Plus Changeup (maybe better than the Fastball) and an above average Curve. His fastball tends to work in the low 90, reaching the 94-95 range. He currently has 76 K and 24 BB in 80 innings (8.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9). Those numbers are pretty good, but they aren't dominant, and in his most recent game against lightly regarded Air Force he went 7 innings with only a single strikeout. Shipley is somewhat newer to pitching, as this is only his second year as a full time starting pitcher in college (though he did pitch in High School). Any team that drafts him in the first round, does so with the belief that sequencing his pitches and possibly adding a 4th offering enable him to generate more dominating numbers. - LINK


 We've talked a little about athletic, hard-throwing RHP Braden Shipley.  He's a potential top 10 pick this year and he was on the mound tonight against San Diego State.  Shipley was solid with a line of 8 IP, 3H, 2R, 3W, and 5K -- but for those of you already looking toward the 2014 draft, he was outdueled by SDSU's Michael Cederoth, who reportedly was clocked between 96 and 100 mph last night.  He pitched 8 scoreless innings, walked one and struck out 14. LINK

Perhaps I am overstating just how much Shipley has moved, because he was already one of the top college pitchers on the board, but it is also a testament to how high I am on him. Shipley has added a half-grade to his fastball, which now sits in the 92-95 mph range, and his command of the pitch has gotten much better. He can spot it where he wants and it explodes out of his hand.  LINK

Mack's Thoughts - I think this guy is the real deal and I also think he'll be around at #11. On any other year, I would pick him in a heart beat, but we really need a college outfielder here. 

However, if Wilson is gone, this might be a better pick than Phillip Ervin.