Possible Mets 1st Rounder: LHP Tyler Lyons

Tyler Lyons –

Oklahoma State… 6-2, 207… S/L… 2nd team all-Big 12… 12 wins in 2008… 7-1, 2.99 in conference… on Team USA… excellent curve… fastball command

Fr. http://www.okstate.com/ : 2008: Established himself as one of the Big 12's top starting pitchers ... earned second-team All-Big 12 honors ... ranked second in the Big 12 and tied for fourth nationally with 12 wins ... 12 victories tied for the eighth most in a single season in OSU history ... led the Big 12 with 108.2 innings pitched and tied for the league lead with four complete games ... was 7-1 with a 2.99 ERA in nine Big 12 starts ... all four of his complete games came in conference play ... earned a win in his first-career start with a five-inning effort against Gonzaga (2/23) ... did not suffer a loss in his final 11 starts ... won four consecutive starts from March 22-April 12 ... struck out a career-high 10 against Baylor (3/15) ... earned back-to-back complete game wins against Missouri (4/5) and Nebraska (4/12) ... tossed a complete game against Oklahoma (5/17) in which he did not allow an earned run and struck out nine ... named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on May 20 following his performance against the Sooners ... earned NCAA Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team honors after pitching OSU to an opening-round win over Western Kentucky (5/30) ... worked 8.2 innings against WKU and allowed just three runs while recording six strikeouts ... was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick and a second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District choice ... pitched for Team USA during the summer and was 2-0 with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings ... made 11 appearances for Team USA and did not allow an earned run ... part of Team USA club that led the United States to a 24-0 record and a gold medal at the FISU World Championships.

Fr: http://www.withthefirstpick.com/: Strengths:
Tyler Lyons is a polished college pitcher with four solid pitches. He throws his sinker at 90 mph and it maxes out at 92. His curve, slider and changeup are also good pitches. His arsenal plays up because of his excellent command & control. In 108 2/3 innings in 2008, Lyons struck out 92 and walked only 19.

Weaknesses:
Lyons has no obvious flaws, but he doesn't have any big strengths, either. His stuff is average and he profiles as a mid-rotation starter as opposed to a future ace like Stephen Strasburg or even Andrew Oliver.

The Future:
Andrew Oliver (#50) and Lyons are one of the best pitching tandems on paper in college baseball. While Oliver hasn't met expectations, Lyons has lived up to the hype. While Oliver has played his way out of the first round, Lyons could be taken as late as the supplemental round or the late first round.