Havens was placed on the 7-day disabled list Sunday for soreness in his left obique. This is the same oblique that put him on the DL earlier this season, so it’s obvious that things aren’t healed yet. I have been told that this new hiccup is just that, a small set-back; however, I would hope that the Mets sit the boy down until he is fully healed this time. This, of cource, may not be the Mets fault and the player could have sent the wrong signs to the trainer. It looks like Havens has a bright future with the Mets and he’s not part of any trade package, so let him heal, even if it takes the rest of the season.
Havens was drafted in the 1st round of the 2008 draft by the Mets. He signed days later which included a $1.4mil signing bonus.
MLB.com’s comments on draft day: Hitting Ability: Havens has improved over time as a hitter and makes good contact with a very patient approach. Power: Excellent bat speed does generate some pop and he could hit 10-15 homers, maybe 15-20 at best. Running Speed: He's a well below-average runner. Base running: Very alert on the bases and armed with good instincts, he won't hurt you. Arm Strength: He's got a plus arm at short. Fielding: He catches the ball well when he gets to it. Range: His range is restricted because of his lack of foot speed. Some feel he'll have to move to third. Physical Description: Havens is really put together with a strong, athletic body. Medical Update: He had a sprained thumb in the fall, but he's 100 percent now. Strengths: A good approach at the plate with the ability to make solid contact; good knowledge of how to play the game.
College Stats on Havens: 359 BA/.486 OBP/.645 SLG%/ 248 AB, 76 R, 89 H, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 18 HR, 58 BB-44 K, 13 E in 66 games, .953 FPCT
Scouting Report: Summation: Swing mechanics and theories towards what makes up “the best swing” are very diverse. But, there are many standards that I like to think are pretty constant when it comes to making a good stroke. That is why I chose to examine Reese Havens first. What you see in the video, and in the photos is a very refined hitter with a polished swing. He has some small flaws here and there and other things go into make a good hitter besides mechanics of his swing, but it is a good place to start. Havens’ stroke is built to spray line drives to the gaps and to all parts of the field. I’d be quite surprised if that polish doesn’t easily carry him to a big league career.
From Keith Law on Draft Day: This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordnation. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets' system.
From Kevin Goldstein (BP) on Draft Day: I actually kinda like this pick. He's got some pop, he's got some holes in his swing, but he's a monster makeup kid who could move quickly, and is probably now the Mets 2B of the future
From Adam Rubin the day after the draft: Havens, born during the 1986 World Series, hit .259 as a freshman and .274 as a sophomore in the Southeastern Conference, but took off after shortening his swing under the tutelage of Mike Roberts (the Orioles’ Brian Roberts’ father) while hitting .315 in the prestigious wood-bat Cape Cod League. Havens hit .359 with 18 homers and 57 RBI in 63 games this season for the Gamecocks. The Mets’ recent philosophy has been to keep shortstops and center fielders at their natural positions until they’re close to the big leagues, including Fernando Martinez remaining in center field, but there already was draft-day speculation Havens could be converted to catcher, which he’s never played, or second base.
Havens was considered a potential first-round pick out of high school, and the Red Sox were prepared to draft him 26th overall in 2005, but he was seeking a reported $1.7 million signing bonus - and Boston’s offer would have been $1.35 million. With teams shying away, he dropped to a 29th-round pick by the Rockies and instead headed to South Carolina.
SNY the day after the draft: I love the Reese Havens pick. This is not a guy I expected Omar Minaya to pick, as he’s been leaning more toward tools and Havens plays much greater than the sum of his parts. He is not an athlete, per se, but definitely a baseball player. Through hard work and smarts, he proved capable at short and may even project there, but not on the Mets. Some teams, including the Red Sox, were rumored to want to move him to catcher. Havens, according to the reports Thursday, was not enthused about that switch. Perhaps it’s still in the cards for the Mets. He’ll sport a plus-lefty bat no matter where he ends up, but expect it to be second base for New York. This year at South Carolina, Reese had a .485 OBP/.628 SLG/1.113 OPS, walking 19 percent of the time.
ScoutingBook.com ranked Havens as the 262nd top prospect: A successful shortstop in college whose range is a bit of a question in pro ball, South Carolina graduate David Havens could make a heck of a second baseman for a future Mets infield that already includes two All Stars and the player picked just before him in the 2008 Draft, first baseman Ike Davis. A solid line drive hitter with plus plate discipline, Havens could be a long-term keystone for New York
In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Havens was ranked #3, with the comments: “more likely a third baseman or possibly a catcher, stands out with approach and pop. “
In late July 2008, ProjectProspect.com updated their top 10 Mets prospect list and Havens was ranked 3rd.
In 2008, due to injuries, Havens was used exclusively as a DH, at Brooklyn, going .247/.340/.471, with 3 HRs and only 11 RBIs in 23 games.
In February 2009 from MYOB: Reese signed for a little over $1.4 million. He doesn’t quite have the pop of Ike Davis, but he sent three more over the wall than Ike. His slugging percentage was .471 even though his batting average was a few points less than Davis. Reese will be more of a gap hitter. The Mets didn’t see a lot from him defensively, as groin and elbow problems limited him to DH. There are some that think his foot speed and first step quickness will not be adequate to stick at short and a move to second will be in his future. But since he wasn’t given much of a chance to show his stuff this year, the Mets will give him an opportunity to field the position next year. At least he has no less range than Mets super prospect Wilmer Flores. He does have great makeup and has the intangibles to succeed whereever he is placed.
In March 2009, Rotoworld ranked the Mets Top 10 Prospect: 5. Reese Havens - An elite performer in college, Havens hit .359/.486/.645 as Justin Smoak's teammate at South Carolina last season. No one saw him as a long-term shortstop, so it was thought he might fall out of the first round of the draft. The Mets, though, took him at No. 22 with the intention of grooming him as a second baseman. Havens hit plenty of homers in college, but he figures to be more of a doubles guy in the pros. He'll both hit for average and draw walks, so if he can deliver 35-40 doubles per year, he has a chance to be a very valuable offensive player. He should begin to move quickly this season.
9-9-9 From www.hardballtimes.com: - A big sleeper, Havens has been nagged by injuries since being taken by the Mets in the first round of last year's draft. The lefty shortstop has some serious power, as he had ISO's of .224 last year and .175 this year. A .275 BABIP has given him just a .247 batting average, but he's maintained a walk rate of 13.3%, showing that when he combines power and a good eye with some luck on balls in play, he can be a big threat. He still needs to cut down on his strikeouts and work on his defense, as many see a move to second base in his future.
2009 was an interesting year. On the down side, he only hit .247, but produced 14 home runs, which tied him for 6th in the league. His .422 slugging percentage ranked him11 th in the league and his .784 OPS put him in 10th place.
Maybe it took two loses to the Yanks, or maybe somebody finally just hit Jerry in the head, but Jenrry Mejia has been returned to the AA-Binghamton market are put back into the starting rotation. I also understand he will start on Wednesday. All this makes my prediction of Mark Cohoon being promoted from Savannah here a distant long shot, but we’ll see. I still think there’s a good chance that Mike Antonini will move on to Buffalo this month. Right now, the B-Mets rotation (Mejia, Antonini, Eric Niesen, Josh Stinson, and Chris Schwinden) is a pretty good one. And, no AAAA waste here. All pitchers that actually have a chance of getting to the Bigs. Is the Mejia move something that will enhance his value in a trade. I think so, but we’ll see.
Mejia pitched for the 2007 DSL Mets, going 2-3, 2.47 in 14 games (7 starts). He also struck out 47 batters in 43.2 IP. Mejia's arsenal includes a 91-95 MPH fastball that when low in the zone has tons of movement, sometimes tail and sometimes sink. This sets up his 77-80 mph hook that drops off the table.
In 2008, Mejia pitched for both the GCL Mets, and Brooklyn, going a combined 5-2, 2.89, in 14 starts. He struck out 67 batters in 71.2 IP.
September 2008: Brooklyn pitching coach Hector Berrios on: Jenrry Mejia: “To be here at 18 and playing so well at this level is really impressive. He sits on 94 miles per hour and can get up to 97. He doesn’t quite have the extension of a guy like Holt has, but considering how young he is, I think he has a lot of potential.”
The Cyclones web site said: The 18-year-old Mejia (6’0”, 182) was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007, out of the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo). Mejia began his professional career last season, for the Venezuelan Summer League Mets, going 2-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 14 games (seven starts). In 43.2 innings, he allowed 24 hits, 17 runs, 12 earned, and 27 walks, with 47 strikeouts.
In September, Patrick Hickey wrote on: Jenrry Mejia- Jekyll and Hyde. When this youngster is off, he leaves the ball up in the zone and lacks the poise needed to get professional hitters out on a consistent basis. However, when he’s on his game, he mixes in a more than solid 12-6 curve with a 95-97 MPH fastball and gets outs via the strikeout at a solid pace. Considering his age, Mejia is definitely worth keeping an eye on and with plenty of confidence and charisma on the mound already, should develop into a major league caliber pitcher if he learns to develop some sort of consistency. Final Grade- B
February 2009: From Toby Hyde: - #5 - RHP Jenry Mejia - Why Ranked Here: A very late comer to baseball, Mejia brings a special fastball. Virtually unknown entering 2008, the broad chested and big shouldered Mejia introduced himself with a 93-95 mph heater that easily allowed him to conquer the GCL and then New York Penn League. His second pitch is a hard changeup with a little sink at 87-88 mph, an offering with the same velocity as some of his teammates’ fastballs. It’s just enough off his fastball to catch hitters out in front and induce lots of groundballs. His curve is his third pitch. In the NYP, he struggled to find his release spot at times, but when found his release, he snapped off a short tight bender that showed plus potential. There’s some effort in his delivery, raising concerns about command down the road and a risk of injury. However, given his age (20 in October 2009) and experience (slight) his command is ahead of where one might expect it. The Mets’ staff raved about Mejia’s work ethic and intelligence. - 2008: Mejia made clear with three dominating starts in the GCL that the rookie league simply did not provide enough challenge for him. Promoted to Brooklyn in the first week of July, Mejia walked a season-high five batters in his first NYP League start and 11 batters in his first 18 innings (5.5 BB/9). In his final 38.2 IP in the league he walked just 12 batters (2.8 BB/9). That’s an impressive adjustment for a very young pitcher. When he reached the NYP, he tried to pitch with his curveball instead of his changeup as his second pitch. Once he returned to his change as his second offering, he threw more strikes and worked himself into better counts. Also, his curve improved over the course of the summer. Projected 2009 Start: Savannah rotation. St. Lucie is a possibility, but given Mejia’s age, and the number of older, other slightly more experienced arms fighting for time in the FSL, I see no reason to push Mejia to advanced-A yet.
February 2009: MYOB on: - Jenrry Mejia RHP - signed out of the Dominican Republic for only $16,500, showing you that there are good bargains out there if you have the scouts to find them. He has a mid-90s fastball now that projects to the upper 90s as he fills out. He needs to improve his command and work his secondary pitches more, becoming less reliant on the fastball. He limited opponents to a .199 average and finished with a combined 2.89 ERA at two levels. If he improves his secondary pitches he could develop into a top of the rotation starter, otherwise he will be closer material.
9-9-9 From www.hardballtimes.com: - What's not to like about this kid? At 19 years-old, Mejia posted a 1.97 ERA in 50.1 High-A innings. Bumped up to Double-A Binghamton, his superficial numbers look weak (0-5, 4.47 ERA), but his peripherals are still solid. He's suffering from a .350 BABIP thanks in part to a mediocre defense; however, he has a 3.49 FIP and has struck out 47 batters in just 44.1 innings. His walks have increased a tick, but with his age and talent, Mejia could find his way into some Top 50 (or higher) prospect lists this year.
10-16-09 from www.projectprospect.com: Everyone's talking about Jenrry Mejia. He evoked a storm on twitter yesterday by touching 98.2 MPH with his fastball. Thanks to the Brooks Baseball AFL PitchFX tool, we have access to a detailed breakdown of Mejia's 39-pitch outing. His fastball sat in the 94-96 range and he threw it for strikes a little over half the time (54.2%). Ten of his 11 changeups were 86-87 MPH and two of them got swing-throughs -- 63.6% strikes. Of the four curveballs he threw, only one was a strike -- he ranged from 76-78 with the offering. He did not record swing-throughs with his fastball or curve, according to PitchFX. Here are a few notes that I got from a hitter who faced Mejia in the Eastern League this season: He was filthy. His fastball has hard cut and sits 94-98. His changeup was really good (good movement).
Antonini had another strong outing on Sunday, which just strengthens my theory that he will be moving to Buffalo sometime tomorrow. This outing: 7.0-IP, 2-ER, 6-K, 1-BB… He’s got a 3.37 ERA in his last 10 outings and, frankly, the Mets need to see him at a new level. Mike turns 25 in August and now is his time to prove his 2011 value. Remember, he started pitching in Binghamton during the 2008 season. He had two starts last year in Buffalo (12.27) and was returned to Binghamton to mature some more. Fine. He’s now mature.
Antonino’s senior year stats at GC&SU were 7-6, 3.97 in 15 starts, 91.0 IP, 89 H, 19 BB, and 89 Ks.
The Mets selected Antonini in the 18th round (573rd overall) of the 2007 amateur draft out of Georgia College & State University. He has been assigned to Kingsport to kick off his pro career. Antonini is a native of Aston, PA
In 2007, Antonini started the season with Kingsport (1-1, 3.71, 1.06 in 5 appearances, 3 starts), but finished it with Brooklyn (0-0, 0.46, 0.92 in 7 appearances, 2 starts).
In late January 2007, Baseball America ranked Mike as the 26th overall Mets prospect, adding: "Paul loduca caught antonini at brooklyn and proclaimed his changeup big league ready"
Antonini had a meteoric rise in 2008, pitching for Savannah (4-4, 2.71), St. Lucie (4-0, 1.84), and Binghamton (1-3, 3.74), all of which combined for 9-7, 2.77.
In October 2008, Toby Hyde on Mike Antonini: Antonini had a great year, earning his promotions first to St. Lucie and then to Binghamton. The night I saw him in Binghamton, Antonini worked off a fastball that was 87-91, but mostly 88/89. He commanded it to both sides of the plate. He faced a lineup with eight batters who hit from the right side and featured his changeup as his second pitch. It was inconsistent, without great movement and often elevated. He allowed a homerun on an elevated changeup at 83 mph. He was cautious about throwing his slider to the RHH, and with good reason, since it was a little sweeping. Note that once Antonini reached AA, his homerun and walk rates spiked, while his strikeout rate was 6.3 K/9, the lowest of any of his three stops in 2008. Likely 09 Start: AA
From Toby Hyde: Antonini graduated from both full-season A-ball leagues in his first full professional season, and that success from a left-hander counts for something. His fastball is fringe-average from the left side, sitting at 88-89 when I saw him in July. He touched 91, but did not pitch at that velocity. The fastball plays up thanks to good command as he can spot it to both sides of the plate. His changeup is his second pitch, but when he didn’t finish the pitch, it stayed up, and got hit hard in AA. 2008: SAL? Check. FSL? Check. AA? Working on it. Winter ball? No problem. That’s a great year. Projected 2009 Start: AA Binghamton rotation
February 2009: MYOB on: Mike Antonini LHP - drafted in the 18th round, he had a solid year playing at three different levels. He finished with an overall 2.71 ERA. He doesn’t throw hard and he lacks the stuff to be a top of the rotation starter, but he could be an effective back man. Currently pitching in Puerto Rico where his ERA is 3.60 in eight starts. One concern is that he gave up 10 homeruns in 45 innings pitching at AA Binghamton.
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