Mack’s Picks For The Draft

Good morning.

The first day of the draft is next week.

These are some of the players that I would target in the first three rounds. By my research, all should be around in the round I target them for (two in the 1^st round, three in the 2^nd, two in the 3^rd), so I would have to make a last minute decision on all of them.

I have no first basemen, shortstops, or corner outfielders here. I would abandon the ‘best player available’ plan that most teams follow and not target any players that play those positions in the first three rounds.

Lastly, all the players I list are college juniors. I want to replenish the upper levels of my pipeline asap and all of these guy could easily start next season in Port St. Lucie.

They are -

RHSP – Drew Rasmussen, Oregon State – 3^rd round -   I love this guy, even through high school, though he spent much of his college career on the DL. He returned this April after having TJS (complete tear of the ulnar ligament) in March of 2016. Rasmussen was going to be the next great college righty (threw a no-hitter in 2015) when he went down with this major injury. A sure fire first rounder that will most probably still be around when the Mets pick in the 3^rd round. If they could pick a similar injury guy last year in the 2^nd round (Connecticut, Anthony Kay), take the chance here in the third round. Trust me, he will be a major league mound star.Also, a potential under slot target.  Stats this year:  5-G, 3-starts, 3-0, 0.51, 17.2-IP, 1-ER, 17-K

LHSP – Brendon Little, State College of Florida 1^st round – Okay, you know that ex-Houston Seth Romero is my favorite here, but I have to look past him since I agree with most of you out there that the Mets will ignore a 3-time suspended college pitcher. Little has bounced around as a late first round pick to as low as the top of the third. Has a 97-mph projected higher fastball that blew away the last Cape Cod League. His problems were the year before when he couldn’t find the plate for North Carolina. He chose not to return there and the only question mark would seem to be the lack of quality competition he threw against below the D1 level. Still, I like him and I believe the Mets could get him to agree to below slot money here. 2017: 15-starts, 5-3, 2.53, 85.1-IP, 133-K. 3-HR

RP – Colton Hock, Stanford – 2^nd round – This will most probably be the first reliever chosen in this year’s draft. Killer stat line: 26-appearances, 6-1, 1.94, 46.1-IP, 10-ER, 35-K, 16-Saves. Hock’s stuff isn’t overpowering, but effective. He’s a 6-5, 200 pound pitcher with a low mileage arm that was supposed to begin a conversion to a starter, but it just didn’t happen to the benefit of the team. Yes, that number I wrote above is correct… 26 games… 16 saves. The Mets have to decide if they want a guy like this. Sits in the low-90s but has hit 97 and is still projected for a successful conversion to a rotation starter.

2B – Ernie Clement, Virginia - 3^rd round – As we’ve learned over the years, there are no great college second basemen. I think of Daniel Murphy when I read the scouting reports on Clement. He started out an outfielder and is still learning how to play second (see errors in stat line). Solid, flexible player who is a team player and makes great contact. He would be my second choice with my third pick behind Rasmussen. 244-AB, .320/.345/.373, 2-HR, 32-RBI, 15(!)-E

3B – Jake Burger, Missouri State - 1^st round – You aren’t going to find a better college third base bat than Burger, put that’s what we said about David Thompson in 2015 when we drafted him out of the University of Miami. Burger’s stat line this year is ++: 223-AB, .341/.459/.691, 22-HR, 63-RBI,10-E. His best too is his power. His arm is strong and he projects to remain on third. His biggest limitation is his running ability on the bases. Given the choice if Little and Burger are still around at ‘20’, I would take Little, but Burger would be no loss if I was ‘stuck’ with him.

CF – Stuart Fairchild, Wake Forest – 2^nd round – There aren’t that many quality center fielders in this draft. The ++ ones will be gone before the Mets pick with the 20^th pick overall, and Fairchild should be still around by their pick in the second round. He’s a + all-around player… good power, excellent speed, and premier defense. He’s had only three erros in his college career. This year’s stat line at Wake is: .350/.430/.602 with 13 homers, 16 steals, 26 walks, 46 strikeouts in 226 at-bats. Scouts say he projects out as a CFer.

C – Connor Wong, Houston – 2^nd round -  – we talked about Romero throwing the ball for Houston, what about the guy that catches it? Wong has put up respectable numbers this year for UH: 249-AB, .297/.388/.502, 6-E, .987-fld%. Wong was the best catcher in last year’s Cape Cod League, started out as a shortstop, and is known as a defensive catcher first. I expect him to still be on the second round board, possibly even the third.