Tom Brennan - 2017 Draft Report Card: HITTERS
All the games for 2017 in the minors have been played. How did the June 2017 draft class fare? After all, it is our pipeline.
Not so well.
Offensive picks-wise, Sandy Alderson gets a D-.
And that might be generous. Why?
Two reasons:
1) They only signed 9 offensive players. That's right, NINE.
2) They hit anywhere from adequately to poorly.
One player who looks like a fine pick was 17 year old 2nd rounder Mark Vientos. The 6-4 SS played 47 games, mostly in the GCL, and hit .262 with 12 doubles and 4 homers. 24 walks, 42 Ks, and 0 for 2 in steals.
3rd rounder Quinn Brodey got into 63 games, mostly for Brooklyn, and hit .253/.303/.355 with 63 Ks. Decent, but not great, although he did have 3 homers and 37 RBIs. Maybe he will be good, we'll see.
4th rounder Matt Winaker also played for the Cyclones and got in just 21 games before his season ended, presumably with an injury. He showed a fine eye, with a .402 on base %, but only had one double and no HRs. That one extra base hit part makes him sound like a true and classic Mets offensive draft pick - but it is a small sample.
15th rounder SS Dylan Snypes scuffled mightily, hitting just .180/.301/.221 in 37 games for Brooklyn, with 52 Ks and 3 doubles, a triple, and no HRs and 3 RBIs.
16th rounder OF Rafael Gladu in 36 Kingsport games hit OK: .269/.342/.369 with 2 HRs, and was 2 for 2 in swipes.
18th round Cyclone Carl Stadjuhar had a season to forget, hitting .137 in 52 games with a staggering 76 Ks. He did manage to hit 3 HRs. No place to go but up, I guess.
26th round 1B Gavin Garay played for the K Mets, and in 36 games also fanned too much (47 times), but hit .246/.308/.354. 3 long balls.
27th rounder 1B Jeremy Vasquez was solid between Kingsport and Brooklyn. In 67 games, he had 15 doubles, 8 HRs, 38 RBIs, and hit .266 with 60 Ks, with the best of his production in Kingsport.
36th rounder C Robbie Kidwell struggled, hitting just 11 for 64. One double, no HRs.
I do not need to spell it out for you...the numbers speak for themselves: the 9 drafted hitters were moderate to poor in production, especially homers and high strikeouts, and drafted in too few numbers - I mean, how do you draft and sign only 9 hitters? NINE?
PITCHING: 21 guys pitched, mostly in relief. They are subject to my next article on evaluating the 2017 draft. Stay tuned, hombres, and damsels.
I like Vientos and Brody.
ReplyDeleteThe rest... steak knives
Mack, 100% agree on Vientos. For Brody, modestly optimistic. Rest are dull steak knives.
ReplyDeleteMusing on this:
ReplyDeleteIf you were never to sign a FA (including your own) or acquire a player in a trade, to turn over your lineup completely in 6 years (control window) you would have to have 2 position players & 2 pitchers from your draft stockpile ML ready every year. When you consider trades, extending your home-growns and FA (MLB & international) signings, it's what, half that?
That's the game we should be evaluating. Will ONE pitcher & ONE position player fro this (or any) draft class become a productive ML player? If Vientos & Peterson are on the ML roster in 6 years it was a draft analogous to a "quality start."
wow mack you like Brody?
ReplyDeletethat give me hope...
I am already looking ahead at the 2018 draft... man I want to Position player but think we'll end up with a Pitcher...
Justin Bour was a big 25th rounder in 2009...and a .275 power hitter now. Little guys can be very good and still marginal....big drafted guys can become Justin Bour.
ReplyDeleteHobie, I think you need a minimum of 3 quality future major leaguers each draft, 5 is much better.
We might find a pitcher like Villines become a decent major leaguer. Time will tell. Maybe none. Few rookie league pitchers can swim all The way upstream to the big leagues and make an impact there. For instance, Tim Peterson was phenomenal in AA this year - but will his stuff cut it in the bigs? Dunno. Paul Sewald has been good a majority of times but is 0-6. Winning teams can't afford that.
I guess size counts, Thomas. Waiting to hear what you have to say about 6'9" 250 lb Chris Viall in your pitcher reap.
ReplyDeletePS, my reference was to David Peterson, not Tim, in the last draft.
I got that on Peterson, Hobie, my bad - I should have been clearer in my post. Who was that 6'9" soft tossing righty the Mets had a number of years ago who also played college hoops? I think Viall has more giddyup!
ReplyDeleteHobie -
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. Most of the players drafted and signed internationally are done so to fill out a lineup card around '3 or 4' prospects at each level.
My plan was always
Rd. 1 and 2 - draft sure things.
past that, pray for one more