Mack - Power Draft Bats

The 2018 Draft order is set and the Mets will pick 5^th.

Three of the top four picks in this draft also seem to be set.

 RHP Brady Singer is obviously the top pitcher in the draft and is odds on favorite to go 1.1 in June’s draft.

The experts (sic) also have two premier infielders… middle fielder Nick Madrigal from Oregon State and Brice Turang from Santiago HS (CA)… as two of the top four picks.

This leaves only one pick before the Mets pick at #5, leaving plenty of choices to choose a ‘big bat’ with their first round pick.

The top one in this draft is Clemson 1B/OF/DH Seth Beer. You don’t have to look for projected power here. 2017 was actually an off year, posting a stat line of ‘only’ 218-AB, .298/.478/.606, 16-HR, 53-RBI. As a sophomore (2016) he hit 203-AB, .369/.535/.700, 62-BB, 18-HR, 70-RBI.

I am a big fan of Clemson baseball and I follow this team all season long. I can tell you that his hits have won many a game as well as tie one up late in the innings, or take the lead for a win to come. He knows how to win.

Beer’s downside has been discussed here before. The reason his fielding percentage looks decent is the fact that he has played most of his games as a designated hitter. His fielding at first base… in fact, his whole game… can be compared to Peter Alonso.

Still, given Dominic Smith, Alonso, or Beer, I would take Beer in a heartbeat (though you wil have to wait until around 2020 for him).

(note: Beer could easily be gone in the top four picks. One third of the pundits have him as a below top 10 pick, one third has him in the top five, and one third have him two overall. That’s how big this bat is.)

Jered Kelenic (Waukesha HS, WI) is a 6-1 outfielder with 5-tool potential. He’s also a very intense player that simply hates to lose. A school day for him begins at 4:45 am when he gets ready to report to his personal trainer at 5:15 am. His father has built two (not one) multi-million dollar practice facilities for Jered to use. This is a family with one goal… success on the baseball field for Kelenic.

Think that dude that plays right field for the Nats.

He already has been tagged as the best defensive outfielder in this draft. He’s very strong with projected center field range, though his arm projects to right field. Excellent speed and huge power potential, but the key word here is ‘key’. If you draft Kelenic, you are four to five years away for a major league outfielder.

C Will Banfield (Brookwood HS – GA). Banfield is someone the Mets need to take very seriously. He’s a big time, super-duper defensive catcher with tremendous power. 6-0, 200-LBs. Also hits 94-mph from the mound. Has ++ arm strength and 1.74 pop in drills. Big time power that currently is targeted to right center. There doesn’t seem to be any down side here. He seems to be far more talented than anyone the Mets have in their pipeline at this position.

OF Joe Gray Jr. (Hattiesburg HS – MS). This is the power competition to Beer. 6-3, 195. Huge power potential. Very projectable. 6.75 in the sixty but actually plays faster on the field. Highest level defensive tools with laser arm. RHH. The swing is short but the results are big and most of the power is still to come. Another one of those kids just seem like a ‘can’t miss’ candidate, though he will be 4-5 years away.

Past these guys, you do have Missouri State SS Jeremy Eierman, who ended the 2017 season with 23 home runs, ranked 5^th in D1 baseball. Yes, he would get to the majors ahead of Beer, Banfield, or Gray, though I do project him of having a huge risk, especially in the K/AB ratio. Yes, Eierman hit 23 home runs in 243 at-bats, but he also struck out 61 times.

Additionally, if the Mets draft another shortstop I will stick a kitchen knife in my neck.

Past these guys is a big question mark. There simply isn’t that many sluggers at either the high school or college level, that have 5-tool skills. They also all seem to strikeout a lot.

A longshot to me, maybe in the 2^nd or 3^rd round, would be Morehead State OF  Niko Hulsizer. He finished last year ranked 2^nd in the nation with 27 home runs in 59 games.  2017 stat line: 59-G, 249-AB, .349/.435/.775, 21-doubles, 27-HR, 82-RBI, 74-K. Obviously, the strikeouts are a red flag, but this is a big kid with mad power skills.