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I’m thrilled to announce that Columbia
University junior, and Saugus, Massachusetts native, OF Dario Pizzano, has
joined Mack’s Mets for the upcoming season.
Here’s what Columbia University
said about his season last year:
First
team All-Ivy League for the second straight season ... started 42 of 43 games
he played ... voted team's most valuable player ... second-team All-ECAC ...
led team in batting average, base hits, home runs, RBI, doubles and total bases
... at the end of the regular season, led Ivy League in home runs and total
bases ... hit safely in first 10 games and 16 of his first 17 ... went 4-for-5
with three doubles, three runs scored and two RBI at South Alabama ... had
three hits in five at-bats, including two RBI in 5-3 win at Florida Gulf Coast
... was a single shy of the cycle at Rollins, with a double, triple and a home
run and drove in four runs in 8-7 win ... batted .467 in four-game series vs.
Holy Cross with six RBI ... went 3-for-5 in doubleheader sweep of Harvard with
a home run, five RBI and three runs scored ... drilled a two-run homer in first
inning of 6-5 win over Manhattan ... homered in each end of opening
doubleheader at Princeton ... his home run in game one gave Columbia a brief
lead in extra innings before the Lions went on to win, 8-5 ... in final home
doubleheader vs. Penn, cranked three home runs, scored six times and drove in
four.
Look for his first
sometime near the end of this month, and just before he and his team travels to
Charleston, South Carolina, for their first three games against The Citadel
.
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I know it’s only February, but we can
begin to figure out the players the Mets are not going to be able to
draft with the 12th pick overall in the 2012 draft:
o
Three pitches will be gone… RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Mark Appel,
and RHP Kevin Gausman. Mets fans can pray all
they want but, barring an injury (Anthony Renaudo)
or a flame-out (Matt Purke), these are your
prime cut pitchers in this draft.
o
Florida’s catcher, Mike Zunino is definitely a top 10 pick.
o
High School SS Deven
Merrero could possibly be the first pick overall.
o
Byron Buxton will be the first
outfielder chosen.
The + players left for the Mets to pick from are:
RHSP
Lance McCullers Jr. - High school senior… he hits the upper 90s and
has a + curve… has already hit 100… has had control problems… many scouts
project him out to the pen (like his father)…
RHSP Chris Beck – moving up the mock drafts… 6-3, 220
righty… fast ball hits 97, decent slider and changeup… is popularity lately
could be a result of being a teammate of Victor Roache… career 4.39 ERA.
LHSP Max Fried – a 6-4 lefty… fastball sitting 91-92 but still
has projected velo… go to pitch is his ++ curve (mid-70s and drops off the
table)… projected grade out: 65
LHSP Brian Johnson – control-type lefty… 6-0,185… + 12-6
curve… fastball hits low-90s… known for keeping his fb down… a little short
SS Carlos Corea – plus arm… playing 2012 as a 17-year
old… 6-3, 190… 6.83 runner… high ceiling talent…
OF Victor Roache –
comparison to Ryan Howard. Hit 30 HRs last year which is more than any
D1 player has hit since 2003.. converting from first base to corner outfielder...
defensive work in progress… scouts project him out as a 3rd or 4th
MLB hitter…
OF David Dahl – 6-2, 185… serious tools… good pop with
projectable increase… sound hitting mechanics… hits to all fields… 6.49 runner… +outfield arm…
C Stryker Trahan – this is a high school catcher that
actually projects out as a catcher. Big dude. Arm like a cannon. He looks like
a football linebacker but can really run. Oh yeah, he also can hit.
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There is a new addition this month that
will be one of the top 50 picks in this draft. C Peter
O’Brien was cleared by the NCAA to play his senior year in 2012 for the
University of Miami. The 6-5, 225 pound
O’Brien hit .304, 14-HR, 69-RBI for Bethune-Cookman and was drafted in the 3rd
round last year by the Rockies. He didn’t sign and decided to transfer so he
could be closer to his ailing mother. The NCAA ruled in his favor last week and
he enters the 2012 draft as the legitimate #2 college catcher.
Remember the name because we will be
talking about him throughout the
season.
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Interesting.... Baseball America's Jim Callis said this two days after what I wrote above:
With the college and high school seasons set to begin, five players had separated themselves from the rest of the pack: Stanford righthander Mark Appel, Harvard-Westlake High (Studio City, Calif.) righty Lucas Giolito, Appling County High (Baxley, Ga.) outfielder Byron Buxton, Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero and Florida catcher Mike Zunino
Bonus Coverage...
The Bishop Gorman Gaels scrimmaged the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines yesterday... on the mound: Joey Gallo vs. Lucas Giolito
Gallo went 2-3 and threw 93-95... Giolito: 94-96
5 comments:
Re: Brian Johnson's size--Johan Santana was 6'0, 160 when he was scouted out of Venezuela. Regardless, Johnson is 6'3, 235 according to his Gators profile. That's plenty big even if height and weight have any correlation to value...which it doesn't. I've stated this time and time again and will continue until people get it...there is no correlation that taller pitchers or heavier pitchers pitch better in the majors. They just don't. Granted, the sample size for guys Herrera's size are too small to say for certain to what extreme you can take this argument, the difference between a 6'0 pitcher and 6'6" pitcher is NOTHING. 6'6" pitchers are not better. Plain and simple. Teams drafting for size are asking for trouble when it comes to pitchers.
I agree on the players who will be gone by draft day and if Trey Williams has a strong spring, add him to that list as well.
Not huge on Beck. I do not think the Mets would take him if he is available anyway.
Of the players I think have a >50% chance of being around at #12, here is who I want, in this order, as it stands right now:
1.) LHP Max Fried
2.) SS Carlos Correa
3.) 3B Trey Williams
4.) C Stryker Trahan
5.) OF Nick Williams
6.) OF David Dahl
7.) RHP Duane Underwood
8.) LHP Brian Johnson
First 7 all high-schoolers....hmmm. I think perhaps that is because the college talent around that pick (Wacha, Barrett, Beck) lack the upside of this high school kids.
Last note on Brian Johnson: He could be our best pinch-hitter within two years. He's that good with the bat but should be a pitcher long term. I think once he focuses on pitching full time, he will improve there as well and he already has good numbers for a lefty. He's a sleeper pick in this draft no doubt and some team will be very VERY happy to get him.
I just don't want another surprise with the first pick.
I don't care how anybody plays 2012... you are never going to convince me that Brandon Nimmo was a better pick tha either Jed Bradley, Blake Swihart, Snny Gray, Tyler Beede, or Alex Meyer.
I liked Gray, Anderson, Guerrieri, and Swihart last year. Meyer was and is a huge risk. I also liked Purke (both went to the Nats, hmmm) but he came with considerable risk as well. Simply no way to know about whether or not Nimmo was a good pick until it's all said and done. I like that they went a different direction but I wondered then (and still do now) if Nimmo would have been around by the supplemental round. With the depth in the draft, I still think he might have been. No way to know, though.
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