Draft Notes 5-30-12 – Patrick Kivlehan, Lucas Giolito

 

Patrick Kivlehan

PROSPECT ON THE RISE: Patrick Kivlehan, 3b, Rutgers University. Kivlehan has progressed in the brief period of three months from not even existing on the baseball map, literally, to being a potential top 3-4 round pick in this year’s draft. Once a dominant high-school baseball player, Kivlehan put away his baseball bat and glove for four years while playing defensive back at Rutgers, and contributing to three bowl-winning football teams. With his football eligibility expired and still needing credits to graduate, Kivlehan decided to try out for the Rutgers baseball team this spring, but not before fulfilling an internship with Major League Baseball Advanced Media over the winter. He was an overnight sensation for the Scarlet Knights, and nearly won the Big East Conference triple crown by leading the league in batting (.392) and home runs (14), while finishing second to Louisville’s Stewart Ijames in RBIs (50 vs. Ijames’ 60). He also stole 24 of 28 bases to finish third in the Big East in that category. How high he rises before the draft is still uncertain, but his superior athleticism is certain to stand out in any number of team workouts he will participate in before the draft.

Duke head coach Sean McNally resigned after compiling a 192-198 record during his tenure

                        Mack – maybe he’s in a package deal with Stroman….

Ty Moore is Mater Dei Baseball's first ever Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year 

Kevin Goldstein‏ -

He's in their mix. No such thing as a lock at 12. RT @JohnMackinAde: @Kevin_Goldstein -does it still look to be Cecchini to Mets? 

Todd Gold -

Mater Dei goes down in semifinals. Really drives home just how tough it is to win CIF SS D1 tourney. Playoffs are a mine field.

OF Nick Williams, who was committed to #Texas at one point, signed with TAMU

 

Washington RHP Aaron West -  90-93

Keith Law -  

Q - Do you think teams should be allowed to trade picks?

            A - Yes, always have.

The Big Ten has suspended Purdue's Eric Charles from Friday's NCAA gm vs. Valpo for his part in Saturday's fight in Indiana game

Luc

Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA) - Who he is: Among the best high school righties in recent memory, as he has everything scouts look for. He's 6-foot-6 with long levers, throws in the mid-to-upper 90s while touching 100, and he's much more than just a pure arm, as many teams also saw his power curveball as one of if not the best breaking ball in the draft. He also has an advanced changeup for his age. Draft skinny: Giolito is the biggest enigma in the draft after an elbow injury shut him down in March. While there is no structural damage, he's only to the point of throwing off flat ground, and his UCLA commitment is considered stronger than ever because he had a chance to be the first high school right-hander ever taken at No. 1 overall before the injury, and teams assumed he'll still want to be paid like one. If he goes in the top five picks, I will not be shocked. If nobody touches him in the first round due to signability fears, I will not be surprised.

Rock Rucker Q and A- Jokester, Scholar-Athlete, Two-Way Talent

Today we get the pleasure to interview draft prospect Rock Rucker out of Russell County High School in Alabama. We corresponded over email and we thank Rock for taking the time to answer some questions.

Stephen Guilbert: Thanks for joining us, Rock. Let's start out in the classroom and move to the playing field. Perfect Game recently reported you carry a 3.5 GPA thus far and have already been accepted to Auburn University. How have you balanced athletics and academics and done so well in both?

Rock Rocker: My mother plays a huge role when it comes to education. I started my freshman year of high school with good study habits and with my mom’s love and support I gradually used them in life and in school. Another thing I was taught by my father was to be a student-athlete. Then he'd say, “you see which word comes first?” 

SG: Do you have a favorite subject in school?

RR: My favorite subject has to be Social Studies. I love learning things about our country and events that have made a huge impact on the United States.

Do you find that your intellect helps you be a better ball player? 

Intellect in school and intellect on the field are two different things. Book smarts can't help you if you get picked off, haha! Some aspects may help but I don't think it affects that much of the baseball world.

Could you give us here at Mack's Mets a bit of a scouting report on yourself? Both as a pitcher and a hitter.

As a hitter I have a left handed bat with a projectable power, I also hit for average my senior year and I plan to get better. As a pitcher, my fastball sits 90-94 and touches 95. My curveball is my go-to pitch and I also have a splitter. 

Which do you enjoy better? 

I don't mind pitching but I'd love to be a hitter at the next level.

In an interview with MaxPreps, you said: “in the draft they want me as a pitcher. Lefties who throw in the low-to-mid 90s are rare. That's my ticket." Have you been told by teams that they would draft you as a pitcher or as you deducing this from what you know of drafting tendencies? 

Well, from what I've heard, most teams don't know what I am yet. Some teams like my power bat and some teams like my power arm. It all comes down who drafts me first come June.

I hear that you're a bit of a jokester. Any good practical jokes you can share with us? 

Yeah I am a funny guy! When my high school team (Russell County) traveled to Mobile for the Elite 8 of the state playoffs, we went to watch my coach’s (Tony Rasmus) son (Cory Rasmus). My coach had on a pair rainbow plaid shorts and a pair of neon shoes and I cracked jokes until we were back at our hotel that evening. 

What has been the highlight of your year thus far? 

As a hitter, we played in a tournament during our season and I went 8-10 with 9 RBI and 2 homeruns. As a pitcher, I threw a no hitter against Beauregard high school.

Is there a draft party planned?  

No draft party planned. My dad and some close friends are going to go to the driving range and hit some balls and have some lunch. Jeremiah 29:11 is what I go by.

Can you share something with us at Mack's Mets that fans might not know about you?

I was born in Flushing not to far from Shea Stadium, and my mom’s side resides in Queens. 

----------------------------------

Mocks currently have Rock going anywhere between the late first round and the rounds 3-4 range. My guess? Some team jumps on him and we see him selected in the supplemental. 

We wish Rock the best of luck and hope to see him in a Mets uniform before long.

Note: Jeremiah 29:11 reads: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". 

Mack - Darius "Rock" Rucker did have a private tryout with the Mets in the past two weeks... as a pitcher

MLB - 5 Prospects to Attend Draft LIVE

Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday that five players have confirmed they will attend the Draft broadcast on Monday at MLB Network. Four are high schoolers, and at least three of the five players could be selected in the first half of the first round.

The quartet of prepsters are shortstop Carlos Correa of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, shortstop Gavin Cecchini of Barbe High School in Louisiana, outfielder Courtney Hawkins of Carroll High in Texas and catcher Clint Coulter of Union High in Washington state. The first three are mentioned prominently in conversations about the top 15 or so picks, and Coulter shouldn't be too far behind them. All four are in the top 50 of MLB.com's Draft Top 100 prospects rankings.


CLICK HERE FOR THE 5TH

INJURY UPDATE - C - Josh Thole

Michael Fisher batted for Josh Thole in the first inning... ???

will add as I find out why...

Adam Rubin‏@AdamRubinESPN

Wally Backman, during in-game interview on Bisons radio, says nothing wrong with Josh Thole. MLBPA has to approve Thole's rehab assignment. They did not do so in time for Thursday's game. Paperwork thing.

Never mind  :)


New York Mets‏@Mets

Josh Thole cleared to play. Should get a couple of at-bats for

FLASH - Minor Roster Moves

INF Joe Bonfe transferred from St. Lucie (High-A) to Binghamton (AA)

Mack - this creamed of Joe taking over at 1B until Alan Dykstra comesback, scheduled in 2 weeks


OF Raul Reyes transferred from Binghamton (AA) to Buffalo (AAA)

Mack - interesting...  CF is clogged with den Dekker/DC/Taijerson so it had to be either Reyes or Lagares

Writer John Coppinger to Mack's Mets

Mack - just dreaming...

Reese's Pieces - Manager of the Year (But Not Every Game)

While you can’t help but wax poetic on the energy, enthusiasm and emotion Terry Collins brings to the Mets, you also have to consider some of his ponderous decision making that has at times cost the team games.  The most recent clear example was the Monday night Phillies game in which the Mets trailed by a single run going into the 9^th inning.  Granted, he’d used a number of his relievers already in that game – Ramon Ramirez, Bobby Parnell and Jon Rauch.  It was a crucial time in the game and he still had in his pen Tim Byrdak, Jack Egbert, Frank Francisco and Manny Acosta.  

While I could perhaps understand the theory that you don’t want to put an untested rookie type like Egbert into a must-win type of situation with the game on the line, consider the alternatives.  You could have gone with your closer who has been on something of a roll lately, since without a lead he wasn’t likely to pitch anyway.  You could have gone to the nightly dose of Byrdak.  However, the one man in the Mets bullpen who, under no circumstances, should have been entrusted with a lead was the batting practice hurler Manny Acosta.

So what did the genius Terry Collins do?  Of course, he went for proven mediocrity over untested potential.  We all knew what would happen.  We didn’t know who would have the most fun with Acosta’s pitching but it turned out to be former Met Ty Wigginton whose shot mercifully (and finally) ended Acosta’s Mets career.

If this incident was isolated then I wouldn’t have much of a beef with Collins, but it’s a pattern I’ve seen since his tenure began.  Has he played some rookies?  Sure – but usually only when his hand was forced (such as Andres Torres doing his Wally Pipp impression after the first game of the season).  However, the Nieuwenhuis circumstance notwithstanding, why did he insist on playing slugger Ronny Cedeño over Jordanny Valdespin?  What was the purpose of even having Valdespin on the roster on a few separate occasions when he was given a sum total of 20 ABs in 15 games in the majors.  What does that mean – he started twice?  It’s hard to get into any kind of hitting groove when you’re getting splinters in your butt.  On the flip side, he had no issue with putting Vinny Rottino right into action.

This same enigmatic decision making took place in the off season when contracts were tendered to both Mike Pelfrey and Andres Torres (not to mention the $1.2 million squandered on Ronny Cedeño).  Between the three of them the team with no money spent nearly $9.6 million for what?  Pelfrey is a career 4.36 ERA pitcher.  Torres is a career .241 hitter.  Cedeño slugs a robust .245.  Again the team embraced proven mediocrity instead of looking at potential for something more.  Would it have hurt to give the defensive replacement role to career minor leaguers like Quintanilla or Wimberly?  Would it have hurt to have rolled the dice on Nieuwenhuis to start the season in CF?  Does anyone think Hefner (or even Schwinden) given a full season’s worth of time in the rotation would be significantly worse than Pelfrey? 

Hindsight is always 20-20, but would you rather have had Roy Oswalt and his $8 million salary in the rotation in addition to a couple of minimum wage guys like Quintanilla and Nieuwenhuis AND SAVED $600K over what they chose to do instead?  No one knows whether or not the front office explored possibilities beyond giving Pelfrey a significant raise based on his 2011 season that resulted in a 4.74 ERA. 

Obviously Nieuwenhuis has far exceeded expectations.  No one expects Quintanilla to have three hits per night either.  There is even room for optimism considering the Mets are currently winning with nothing from Davis, Duda, Thole, Tejada, Bay and (this week anyway) Wright and Murphy, too.  Santana and Dickey are demonstrating they are as good as anyone’s 1-2 punch in the league.  Niese has been maddeningly inconsistent with his 4.55 ERA and Dillon Gee had better not sign any long term leases with the way Wheeler has been pitching and the return to health of both Young and Mejia.  It’s a fun team to watch, and perhaps they’ll even (as Jim Bouton put it in Ball Four) finish a few games ahead of their manager.

7:05 PM - Miquel Batista is Pitching v2.0

Binghamton Mets (24-25) at
Reading Phillies (28-21)
Double-A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies

RHP Miguel Batista (0-0, ---) vs. RHP Julio Rodriguez (3-0, 2.64)
Game #50 • Wednesday, May 30, 2012
FirstEnergy Stadium • Reading, PA • 7:05 PM

RAINED OUT: Last night’s game between the B-Mets and R-Phils was washed out. No makeup has been scheduled.

LAST GAME: Collin McHugh struck out a season-high eight and the B-Mets scored five runs in the sixth inning to defeat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6-2 Monday. Binghamton took the final two games of the four-game series to earn a split. Outside of a two-run fourth inning, McHugh faced four batters or fewer in each of his other seven frames. He set a season-high by going eight innings. Fisher Cats starter Deck McGuire had a perfect game through five innings, but watched thing unravel in the sixth. The B-Mets scored five runs on two hits, three walks and two hit batsman against three different Fisher Cats pitchers in the frame.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Miguel Batista (0-0, ---) takes the mound for the Binghamton Mets in a rehab start. The righty began the season on the New York Mets (NL) Opening Day roster. He went 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA in 13 games (4 starts) before being placed on the disabled list with lower back stiffness on May 20. Batista is in his second year in the Mets organization after signing with the club in July 2011. The veteran has pitched for 11 different clubs during his 23-year career.

RHP Julio Rodriguez (3-0, 2.64) makes his tenth start of the season and first career start versus the B-Mets. Rodriguez comes off a no-decision in his previous start against the Erie SeaWolves on May 24. He allowed five runs on six hits over 4.2 innings, the second-shortest outing of his season. Selected in the 8th round of the 2008 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (Gurabo, PR), Rodriguez is in his fifth professional season. He spent all of last year with the Clearwater Threshers (High-A), going 16-7 with a 2.76 ERA in 27 starts. He led the Florida State League in wins and was second in innings pitched (156.2) and strikeouts (168).

team press release

FLASH - Mack is Back on Twitter !!!!!

@JohnMackinAde

7:05pm - Holy Thole.... Jenrry Mejia is Pitching

Buffalo Bisons (30-22, 2nd(-2.5), North) vs. Columbus Clippers (24-27, 2nd(-6.0), West)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 (7:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola Field
RHP Jenrry Mejia (NR) vs. LHP David Huff (3-1, 3.08)
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

photo by Michael G. Baron

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons host the Columbus Clippers in the third game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). This is the final series in the Herd’s modern era record 16-game homestand. Buffalo has already picked up a 3-1 series win vs. Gwinnett, lost a 3-1 set to Indianapolis and split a four-game series with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

vs. CLIPPERS: The Bisons have won the first two games of their series with the Clippers, 7-1 and 3-1. Buffalo can earn a series win with just one more victory over Columbus. Last year, the Clippers swept four straight from the Bisons at Coca-Cola Field, June 11-14.

OH, JENRRY!: RHPJENRRY MEJIA takes the hill for the Bisons for the first time in over a year. The righty had ‘Tommy John’ surgery on May 16, 2011 after making five starts with the Herd that season. He went 1-2 with a 2.86ERA last year. Mejia began 2012 on the Bisons DL before being sent to St. Lucie (A) to continue his return. He went 1-0 with a 2.45ERA in two starts with St. Lucie and 0-0 with a 5.63ERA in two more starts with Binghamton (AA).

HOLY THOLE: CJOSH THOLE will join the Bisons tonight on a major league injury rehabilitation assignment. Thole will serve as Buffalo’s DH tonight and then catch for RHPCHRIS YOUNG on Thursday morning. Thole was placed on the Mets disabled list on May 8 with a concussion. Thole hit .267 (44-165) with 19 doubles, two home runs and 17RBI for the Bisons in 2010.

from team press release