Tom Brennan - Mets Minors Rock

“HEY! 3 MINORS GAMES, 3 WINS?!” 

A very short update:

Binghamton’s contest was canceled due to inclement weather. (No, it wasn’t snowing).

The other 3 Mets minors teams won, though, and scored 33 runs on 33 hits.

What a great day down there. “Three-mendous.”

Sadly, in Queens, roaring Mark Vientos got sent down, but DJ Stewart hit a 3 run bomb in a Mets 4-2 win. DJ now has 14 RBIs in 53 at bats, sweet!

A very good “W” night in Metsville.

Heat Alert: 

Nick Morabito is hitting .397/.518/.529 in 20 St Lucie games. Sizzling like bacon on a skillet.

His St Lucie hitting co-conspirator Chris Suero (.318) had a single, HR, walk, 4 RBIs, and a steal.  What, Chris, no cycle? Great night for the duo. 

One pitching note: 

Tyler Jay is back in AAA and was sharp in relief last night, with 2.2 scoreless innings.  With options, and with lefty Nate Lavender out with Tommy John, lefty Jay is in a great position to get called up a few times this season.  That May come in handy soon if lefty Brook Raley is out longer than expected. 

My only concern with Jay is he has fanned just 7 in 17 innings (majors & minors) this year. But he also has allowed just 3 earned runs and has been super stingy on walks, with 2in 17 frames.

Reese Kaplan -- A First Month Mets Report Card

As the Mets arrive at the end of the first month of the 2024 baseball season they are hovering around .500.  That level of results has suggested some things have gone very right for the Mets and some have gone very wrong.  Together they average out and suggests that they are a middle-of-the-pack team which is where they now reside. 

Positives

Going into 2024 there was concern about the state of health for Edwin Diaz, the return of Adam Ottavino who accepted a bargain priced contract, the poor output from Drew Smith in 2023 and a lot of unknowns.  Very surprisingly the relief pitching has been far better than anyone could ever have anticipated.  Reed Garrett has put on quite a show, Edwin Diaz is pitching like Edwin Diaz and they are getting good innings from a number of the rotating coast of others. 

While the long ball is a given from Pete Alonso, it is not quite as much a certainty from others. The overall home run numbers are a bit on the light side, but it appears as the first month concludes some of the others you could normally pencil in for 20+ home run power like Francisco Lindor are starting to find that stroke. 

One of the biggest concerns as the season began is which Starling Marte would the team get in his third year with the Mets.  His 2022 season showed power, speed and defense.  Last season a multitude of health issues curtailed just about everything except speed.  No one could have predicted a batting average closer to .300 than .200 and good at bats that saw him returning to his customary number two hole in the lineup. 

Other surprising bright spots are in the outfield.  No one was completely happy about the Harrison Bader free agent contract, but he has been contributing not just with his glove but with his bat as well.  We don´t know if it is a hot streak, a reunion with his college buddy Pete Alonso or advice from the Mets´ hitting coaches, but for now no one is ready to throw David Stearns under the bus for that acquisition.

His sometimes partner alongside in one of the corner spots, Tyone Taylor, is an even more startling bat.  He´d always shown power and strong defense, but a batting average well north of .280 was never before in the cards.  That half of the trade that brought him from Milwaukee to New York is looking mighty fine.

Let´s also give a quick shout out to Sunday´s offensive hero, emergency call-up Mark Vientos.  He not only singled in the 9th as a pinch hitter but then sealed the victory with a 2-run blast over the center field wall to give the Mets a much needed and almost miraculous win.  By the time you read this piece on May 1st you will find out if his three-day trial during Marte´s bereavement leave gets extended (and at who´s expense) or if he gets a pat on the back and an Uber-ride back to Syracuse). 

Negatives

The health of the ballplayers has been a real issue for the team thus far in 2024.  Going into the season start Kodai Senga and David Peterson were both on the shelf.  That led to the New York bound trip for Tylor Megill who himself also hit the IL.  Then came IL stints for Brooks Raley and Drew Smith.  On the offensive side it´s been a bit more robust, but then catcher Francisco Alvarez needed thumb surgery forcing the team into a platoon of ineffectual Omar Narvaez and career offensive black hole Tomas Nido.

Some players people expected to produce big numbers did not start off as everyone projected.  Francisco Lindor´s slump has been quite lengthy.  Francisco Alvarez had not shown much power before getting hurt.  Brandon Nimmo was not looking like a borderline All Star level player.  Jeff McNeil took a very slow beginning just recently climbing to a mediocre .250 level of hitting.  Brett Baty started off red hot and now has see-sawed to ice cold. 

The starting pitching has been a real tightrope for the team since Port St. Lucie.  Tylor Megill who started off spring training looking like a new man, finished it up rather poorly with his last couple of appearances and it seemed like health might have been part of the issue.  Then again, he is a career mediocre hurler.  Adrian Houser is rapidly turning himself into a mistake.  Jose Quintana just threw a masterful game.  Sean Manaea has been more good than bad.  Even with Jose Butto´s last two losses he still second in starting rotation ERA with a 2.86 trailing only the pleasantly surprising Luis Severino. 

The pitching rollercoaster has seen a great many folks come and go (in some cases more than once).  There wouldn´t be that much movement if the players involved were performing at a higher level.  With the returns of Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and David Peterson likely happening during the month of May (or early June for Senga) then that up and down amusement park ride of pitching might very well continue.

A Mixed Bag

It is too soon to make any definitive conclusions about rookie manager Carlos Mendoza.  He´s not the one throwing the ball nor is he taking at-bats.  Some folks have performed far better than expected while some veterans are off to very slow starts.  Throw in the injury bug and a .500 team would seem to be a fair early result from a guy juggling a lot of plates in the air at once.  No one seems to be calling for his head but similarly there´s no campaign for him to win Manager of the Year either.  With each passing day his confidence should grow and we will likely see more of his imprint on the team which could be good or bad.  For now most folks are satisfied with Stearns choosing to hire him.

Update on the Mets' minor leagues

Hey readers, here is a video with some great information.  

I have heard a few comments recently wondering about the progress of our minor league prospects.  Tom has filled us in on some of his posts, and to supplement that here is one of our favorites Ernest Dove talking about guys like Christian Scott, LuisAngel Acuna, Dom Hamel, Blade Tidwell, Alex Ramirez, and more.

Watch the video HERE and enjoy!

SAVAGE VIEWS – Great Named Baseball Players

 SAVAGE VIEWS – Great Named Baseball Players

Let’s take a walk down memory lane when baseball players had unique names.  Here’s a list of ten names that come to mind.

1.    George Herman “Babe” Ruth.  With a name like Babe Ruth how could he not turn out to be one of the best players ever.

2.    Jerome Herman “Dizzy’ Dean was the ace pitcher of the so-called Gashouse Gang.  Another Hall of Fame pitcher who is ranked among the greatest players ever to play the game.  Led the league in complete games four years in a row. He once won 30 games for the Cardinals.

3.    Enos “Country” Slaughter was another player for the St. Louis Cardinals who was elected to the Hall of Fame.  Country Slaughter was famous for the “Mad Dash” from first base to home on a single that was the decisive run in the seventh game of the 1946 World Series. 

4.    Granville “Granny” Hammer was one of the “Whiz Kids” of the Philadelphia Phillies.   He debuted with the Phillies as a 17-year-old kid and spent 15 ½ years with the team as a shortstop.  I remember listening to the game against the Dodgers in 1950 when they beat Brooklyn and made it to the World Series.

5.    Sebastian “Sibby” Sisti was a utility player who made his MLB debut as an 18 year old.  He spent his entire 15 year career with the Braves.  I’ve always loved that name.

6.    Elwin “Preacher” Roe was acquired by the Brooklyn Dodgers along with Billy Cox and Gene Mauch in exchange for Dixie Walker and a couple of other players.  It seems that Dixie was not a fan of baseball integrating and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1948.  Roe had a wonderful six year run with the Dodgers, including a 22-3 record in 1951.  I still remember listening to the game when he hit a homer in Forbes Field – Roe was a notoriously bad hitter.  Billy Cox was one of the best fielding third basemen of all time.

7.    Harold “Pee-Wee” Reese was another Dodger elected to the Hall of Fame.  Some feel that Pee-Wee made the Hall primarily for his support of team-mate Jackie Robinson.  He was certainly a true “Southern Gentleman”.

8.    James “Catfish” Hunter was another great pitcher who was elected to the Hall of Fame.  Another guy who never pitched a minor league game.  He was one of the first free agents who signed a lucrative deal with the Yankees after winning his freedom.

9.    Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd pitched for ten seasons with three different teams.  It’s been said that he got his nickname from his beer drinking days in Mississippi where beer was often referred to as “oil”.   While pitching for the Red Sox he won 31 games in the two-year period 1985-1986.  Over the other eight seasons he won a total of 47 games.

10. Johnny “Blue Moon” Odum spent 13 years as a pitcher for four different teams.  His greatest success came as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty.  He began his career with the A’s as a 19 year old.  In his first game he gave up a homer to somebody by the name of Mickey Mantle.  He’s remembered for two notable clubhouse fights.  One with Vida Blue and the other with Rollie Fingers.  Seems he said some stuff that ruffled feathers.

I’m curious as to why none of today’s ball players have memorable nick names.

Ray

April 30, 2024

Tom Brennan: Guy Who Never Struck Out & Mets Prospects; Hack's Mind-Blowing Splits

Joe Sewell

BEFORE MY ARTICLE:

I hate it, and I can almost say it infuriates me.  What is that?  Missing Mets offense that frankly should NOT be missing.  Too many good hitters.

Come on guys, hit.  It’s like watching a basketball player you know can shoot going 2 for 19 from the field.  Awful to watch the underperformance.

Severino was great, but we’ve seen it too often over the years, when the Mets’ bats just wilt, and the excellent starter gets the shaft.

OK, ‘nuff said - on to my article….

Well, it’s not that the guy NEVER struck out.  Joe Sewell did strike out a few times, but yep, that AL Hall of Famer Joe Sewell amazingly fanned just 14 total times in his lowest 4 strikeout seasons. One of the most staggering stats in baseball history, if you ask me.

Some Mets minor leaguers occasionally fan almost that much in one week.

The Hall of Fame page for SS Joe Sewell said this:

“Keep your eye on the ball. It’s one of the most basic tenets of hitting, stressed from the first time a young player picks up a bat. Joe Sewell, however, took it to another level.

“When I was a boy I’d walk around with a pocket full of rocks or a Coca-Cola top,” Sewell said, “and I can’t remember not being able to hit them with a broomstick handle.”

Sewell’s big league career was born out of one of the game’s tragedies. After Indians shortstop Ray Chapman died after being struck by a pitch from the Yankees’ Carl Mays in August 1920, Sewell was called up from the minors. The 21-year-old Sewell played in just 92 minor league games before his big league debut, yet he settled in immediately and helped the Indians win the 1920 World Series title.

Within a few seasons, Sewell had established himself as the game's toughest batter to strikeout. Sewell fanned 20 times in 558 at-bats during the 1922 season, and that would be his career high. He never even reached double-digits in strikeouts in any of his last nine seasons. 

During the 1929 season, Sewell went 115 games between punchouts. He ended his career with a rate of 62.6 at-bats per strikeout.

He had seven seasons in which he recorded more than 500 at-bats while striking out less that 10 times. From September 1922 through April 1930, Sewell played in 1,103 consecutive games, the second-longest such streak in history at the time. 

Sewell was also known for using only a single bat through his entire career, a 40-ouncer he dubbed “Black Betsy.””

Remarkable.

Yes, pitchers fanned a lot fewer guys in 1924 than in 2024. But a miniscule 114 career strikeouts for Sewell in 13 seasons? Really?

Focusing on today’s game, if I am a Mets minor leaguer struggling with strikeouts, I would be studying what guys like Sewell, Tony Gwynn, Matty Alou (all .300+ hitters) and others did to strike out at extraordinarily low rates. 

“Can ANYTHING past stars did help bring your strikeouts down to a good level?”

Otherwise…you’ll play for peanuts for a few years, and then be shown the door.

One recent such player was Sherveyn Newton. He started at age 17 in the Mets system, and just turned 25. He had 2 at bats for Kansas City in spring training and has no minor league stats this year, so I presume his Ks finally caught up with him. He was career .232 in the minors (not terrible, at first glance), but fanned 652 times in 2,124 plate appearances, about 1 every 3.3 times up, and he never got above High A. 

His K rate above DSL ball was roughly 1 every 3 times up, way too high.

- Could avidly studying ultra-low K stars of years past have helped him at all?

Another whiffer: Khalil Lee was a very athletic player who fanned far too much.  He did go 2 for 20 with (naturally) 13 Ks as a Met.  Now 26, he has had a handful of at bats in Mexico this year. But the ship has sailed….910 career Ks in 3,207 minors PAs was a far too high rate and did him in.

My article is not meant as criticism. It is meant to be an offered as a lifeline to scuffling, high K players. 

Just to name one ranked current Mets prospect player, Jeremiah Jackson has fanned 164 times in 134 games in 2023 and 2024, That is rough 6 Ks every 5 games, too high. 

He likely needs, at a minimum, to flip that, to 5 Ks every 6 games. Sounds like a minimal difference, at first, but JJ’s pace is 145 Ks over 120 games. A “5 Ks in 6 games” pace would instead be 100 Ks over 120 games, a huge difference.

Jeff McNeil (majors and minors) has just 597 Ks in 5,544 PAs, or a K every 9.3 times up. That much lower K rate has led to $60 million in current, prior and future career earnings. Limiting strikeouts can be very lucrative.

HOME AND AWAY SPLITS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

Once upon a time, in an NL city far, far away, there was a ballplayer who had 33 HRs, 116 RBIs, and had a slash line of .388/.501/.796.

Amazingly, those were only his home stats that year.

Hack Friggin' Wilson put up those numbers in 78 home games and 289 at bats.  He knocked in "just" 75 runs on the road, a very pedestrian number by comparison. 33 of his 56 HRs were hit at home. (He actually hit a 57th, but the ump lost sight of the huge blow and he was not credited for it).

He did that at age 30. At age 31, he knocked in 130 fewer runs.  At age 32, he was back up to 123 RBIs.

At ages 33 and 34, he only played in 191 games, with 15 HRs and 84 RBIs in 552 at bats.  He then couldn't Hack it any more and retired.  His last game was 8 months before his 35th birthday.  Apparently, drinking etc. got to affect his game adversely, so it is unclear how he would have done if he had lived on the straight and narrow.

Imagine today if he became a free agent after that 56 HR, 191 RBI, .356 MVP season at age 30?  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Oh, and for the Mets' shorter prospects, they might be pleased to know Hack Wilson was just 5'6" tall.

He had an extremely interesting life story, filled with ups and downs, and died from injuries sustained in a fall at age 48.

LAVENDER SEASON-ENDER

The pitching injuries just never stop, do they? It has been reported that Nate the Great Lavender will likely need TJS shortly. So, instead of debuting with the Mets, it seems he will miss the rest of 2024 and likely all of 2025, if he does in fact require that dreaded surgery. Calvin Ziegler just got the despised procedure. 

Geez. Quick and full recovery, gents.

MEANWHILE, AN AWARD…

Dom Hamel has been named International League Pitcher of the Week on the strength of 8 Ks in 5 1/3 shutout innings!  

I’d walk a mile for a Hamel. I’m sure in those 8 Ks there were no Lucky Strikes.

Tom Brennan: Chris Suero Sneaking Up; Vientos Roars; Peterson Pearl: Mercedes High Performance

Rod Stewart sings, “Some guys get all the ink”. Then some of them stink.

Some other guys get little ink, and turn out better than you think.

Such is Chris Suero.  Little ink, no stink, much better that we’d think.

Born in the Bronx, he played DSL ball as an 18 year old in 2022. Just .204, but he walked 25 times, giving him a.386 OBP.

In 2023, up to the Complex League headed Suero. 

Just 22 games, but NICE: .281/.421/.469.

OK, in 2024, he heads to St Lucie. In his first 17 games, he’s had a 5 hit game AND a 4 walk game and is hitting .316/.451/.491.

“Just” 15 Ks in 71 PAs, too, is excellent in the K-happy Florida State League.

Defensively? The 5’11”, 205 righty hitting Suero is playing reasonably well as a catcher, 1B and OF.

He also has 10 career steals in 78 games.

This guy deserves more ink. He clearly doesn’t stink, ya think?

Keep an eye on Chris. I’ve got my four on him.

Hey, SOMEONE ON LOW HITTING (.222) ST LUCIE has to protect .385 hitter Nick Morabito in the line up.  Why not Chris?

MARK VIENTOS CRUSHES HIS CRITICS

He passed the point of being nice. Nice guys get sent down.

Now, he has a chip on his shoulder. Two, in fact. Those chips, big ones, had him fired up to produce perhaps the biggest hit of the Mets’ season, a game-winning 2 run shot, in a game that looked lost 2 minutes earlier and would have been their 6th loss in 7 games. 

Huge congratulations to Mark, the team’s only current .750 hitter.

A million pounds came off each shoulder.  He roared, repeatedly.  

I like roaring lions.  Roaring lions are dangerous to opponents.

And a BIG game-tying hit from Bader. The fans are "Just Wild About Harry".  (A song by that name was written in 1921 with lyrics by Noble Sissle and music by Eubie Blake for the Broadway show Shuffle Along.)  AND 5-0 for super pitcher Garrett.  Four way tie for the most wins in the majors.  Now just don't saying "Edwin WHO?" just yet.

PETERSON PEARL

Rehabbing David could not match Megill’s 2 innings, 6 batters, 6 Ks. He only recorded 5 Ks when he pitched the day after Megill. Still great.

Now, which of the two will replace Adrian Houser and his season-sinking 22 runs allowed in 23.2 IP?

MERCEDES PERFORMANCE

Following the 2 inning, 5 K "Peterson Pearl", 20 year old unknown Ernesto Mercedes (come on, you have no idea who he is, just admit it) threw the next 4 innings and fanned 10. Wow.  

So, 15 Ks in 6 innings.  20 in the works, maybe?  No.  The pen collapsed for St Lucie over the final 2.1 innings, and they ended up with only 17 Ks. And an 8-7 loss.

248 Ks in 221 innings for Lucie pitchers so far, who are led by Tong Terrific.

Paul Articulates – Approach the plate with the right approach

You may have noticed my frustration with the fact that none of the Mets starting pitchers have been able to deliver quality starts with any consistency.  As of Saturday night, the starting rotation was 4-10 with a 4.45 ERA.  They had gone 26 games without throwing a pitch in the seventh inning.  Suddenly, Jose Quintana comes out Sunday and gives them eight full innings with only one earned run on 99 pitches.  What a great, quality start!

His reward, of course, was his lineup going 0-13 with runners in scoring position (RISP) so he left the game with no decision.  This continued a trend where over the last 7 games the Mets have gone 8-58 (.138) with runners in scoring position which led to a 2-5 record.  

A lack of hitting with RISP has been a curse on the Mets for as long as I can remember.  Except for their exceptional season in 2022 when they just found ways to win, the team just struggles mightily when runners reach second or third.  How many times do you see a runner on second or third with no out and then the next two batters either hit a meek pop-up in the infield or strike out?  Francisco Lindor, the recognized team leader who does so many things to help the team position itself to win is notorious for those uneventful at-bats when a hit is needed.  During this recent streak, he was 0-8.

So is this some type of curse, or are the Mets just practicing some poor tactics at the plate in these clutch situations?  It is most likely the latter, as all of us superstitious fans are still wearing the same socks from the last time a late-game clutch hit was delivered.

I love to talk about the mental side of sports, because I find it fascinating how much state of mind can affect physical performance.  Hitting with RISP is one of the classic cases.  In close games, the competitive balance is on the line when there are runners in scoring position, which puts pressure on both the pitcher and the batter (and the fielders for that matter).  

In the mind game of baseball, the batter should realize that the pitcher’s stress increases significantly with every ball and decreases with every strike.  So early in the count, the hitter should have a very narrow window to trigger his swing.  Pitchers that nibble get behind in the count, so pretty soon they are likely to throw something in that window. 

But I see something different in the approach with Mets hitters – they seem to either anxiously leap on an early pitch, popping it up, or they stand frozen as if they are pre-determined not to swing.  Both approaches have a low probability of a successful at-bat.  Since it happens so often, it has to be how they are instructed, not a coincidence of multiple individual failures.  They are up there thinking instead of reacting, which is bad practice against major league pitchers.

So the recommendation from my armchair is for the hitters to step to the plate full of confidence, knowing that the pitcher is under pressure, and to look for the ball in that small window where they can put a barrel on it.  Don’t worry about whether you can deliver; look forward to when you can deliver.  

I remember how I approached it back in my coaching days with young players.  When one of those game-deciding situations would come up, I would call time, call the batter over and say, “I wish I were you.  This place will go crazy when you get this hit.”  It is all in the mind.  Confidence leads to success, fear leads to failure.  The Mets’ hitters need to stop trying so hard to do something special and embrace the joy of just hitting the ball.  The rest will take care of itself.

Reese Kaplan -- A Three Day Trial for a Hot Hitter

Have you ever been top of your class and been ignored for your achievement?  Have you ever recorded the best performance metrics at your job only to watch someone less capable getting promoted over you?  Did you ever think you were ready for the permanent migration to the best of the best only to have your employer at the 11th hour hire a six time All Star?

Well, these types of reactions are what Mark Vientos likely had running through his head during this 2024 season.  Who led the team in Spring Training HRs?  Mark Vientos.  Who led in RBIs?  Also Mark Vientos.  Who got a one-way ticket to Syracuse?  If you said ¨Mark Vientos” then you are catching on here.

With the recent horrific slump by Brett Baty and the need to replace Starling Marte on the roster temporarily during his bereavement leave, the Mets looked at Syracuse to find out who was doing well.  Imagine finding someone hitting over .300 with 5 HRs and a team lead in RBIs.  That was, once again, Mark Vientos.  In a most surprising move, the Mets opted to promote the slugging corner infielder to give him three days in the big leagues.

No one is expecting a hot three days will have him switching places permanently with Brett Baty.  As quickly as he arrived he is just as likely ticketed back to AAA regardless of what he does on the field.  It will be interesting to see if the Mets actually give him a significant number of innings, but it would seem that with Pete Alonso at 1st base and J.D. Martinez at DH the only opportunity for Vientos is at the hot corner.  If several weeks of hot hitting didn´t warrant Vientos coming north with the team, a trio of days now isn´t likely to do the trick either.

Of course, if Billy Eppler was still here and Vientos was stinging the ball then it is possible that Baty would manifest some kind of injury which would enable the Mets to send him to the IL in order for the Mets to get a 10-day longer look at how often he strikes out and how challenged he is trying to man the third base position. 

For now, it is a good to see what Vientos can do based upon his ongoing hot hitting in Syracuse.  It will be almost more impressive to see him hit line drives rather than gearing up to hit the long ball in each at bat.  That approach might inevitably make him a more valuable major leaguer as a 20+ home run hitter who threatens to fan 180 times is not nearly as valuable as a .280 hitter who can increase his contact rate and cut that number by 20% or more. 

He is still young and it is possible that his skills can be enhanced with the top hitting instructors in the organization, but you have to be playing in order to see if what is talk can be implemented.  Of course, asking a player to try a new strategy might set him back temporarily in his output which will accelerate the tens of thousands of boo birds squawking for his demotion.  

MACK - 2024 Mock Draft - Bleacher Nation

 

Cleveland Guardians: Nick Kurtz – 1B – Wake Forest

 

Cincinnati Reds: Jac Caglianone – 1B/LHP – Florida

 

Colorado Rockies: Charlie Condon – OF/1B – Georgia

 

Oakland Athletics: JJ Wetherholt – SS/2B – West Virginia

 

Chicago White Sox: Seaver King – OF/SS – Wake Forest

 

Kansas City Royals: Travis Bazzana – 2B – Oregon State

 

St. Louis Cardinals: Chase Burns – RHP – Wake Forest

 

Los Angeles Angels: Konnor Griffin – OF – Jackson Prep (Mississippi)

 

Pittsburgh Pirates: Tommy White – 3B – LSU

 

Washington Nationals: Josh Hartle – LHP – Wake Forest

 

Detroit Tigers: Thatcher Hurd – RHP – LSU

 

Boston Red Sox: Mike Sirota – OF – Northeastern

 

San Francisco Giants: Hagen Smith – LHP – Arkansas

 

Chicago Cubs: Braden Montgomery – OF/RHP – Texas A&M

 

Seattle Mariners: Brody Brecht – RHP – Iowa

 

Miami Marlins: Vance Honeycutt – OF – North Carolina

 

Milwaukee Brewers: P.J. Morlando – OF – Summerville High School (South Carolina)

 

Tampa Bay Rays: Malcolm More – C -Stanford 

 

New York Mets: Cam Caminiti – LHP – Saguaro High School (Arizona)

 

Draft Day Age: 17 yr 10 mo

 

He projects as a starter with a buttery-smooth delivery on the mound and a legitimate four-pitch mix that is led by a fastball that's already in the low-90s with life and can easily get into the mid-90s with added strength to his long and lanky frame.

 

Toronto Blue Jays: Slade Caldwell – OF – Valley View High School (Arkansas)