Mets Draft Target - OF Ryan Boldt

Okay, this could be an interesting situation.

Ryan Boldt is a high school senior outfielder, out of Red Wing, Minnesota, who has been projected all season as a late first round draft pick. Everybody loved him as either a sup-1 pick or a late one in the first and he probably was in that Mets dead zone...  not the best on the board at #11 and long gone at #48.

Well... that changed with this:  Senior outfielder Ryan Boldt of Red Wing, the state’s top baseball prospect, left the second game of a doubleheader at Farmington on Friday because of a knee injury. The Nebraska recruit has been projected as a possible first-round pick in the major league draft in June. The Wingers swept the doubleheader. Boldt was recently ranked No. 13 among the nation's top MLB prospects for June's draft by ESPN.com. The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported that Boldt "tweaked his right knee when he slid awkwardly into third base in the third inning of Game 1. After a brief conversation with the Red Wing coaches, he opted to stay in and completed the opener without further incident. link


Well, on 5-9, he had arthroscopic surgery to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee and his season, and probably, his big bonus day is gone.






The MVP of the Perfect Game All-American Game, Boldt is an athletic outfielder with the potential to stay in centerfield at the next level. He’s a plus runner with 60 times around 6.6 second range and he shows good range, instincts and a strong throwing arm from the outfield. At the plate, he profiles as a leadoff hitter and has the swing and tools necessary to stay at the top of an order. His swing from the left side is simple, clean and loose and he makes consistent solid contact. He squares the ball up with regularity and he has shown that he can do so against good pitching throughout the recent run of showcases. There’s not a lot of power to speak of here and Boldt reminds us of a slightly less toolsy David Dahl. - Link

Players Name:  Ryan Boldt

Position: OF

Hometown: Red Wing, MN

HS Senior

HT: 6’1

WT: 190lbs

Bats/ Throws: L/R

Swing:  Boldt has a quick and sweet swing.  He uses the whole field and seems very comfortable going the other way. His approach in batting practice seemed to be working from the middle out.  His swing is a line drive swing at the moment but still generates power.  The only problem with his swing and it’s not a real problem, is it doesn’t have much loft in it.  But this could be fixed with minor adjustments.

Base running:  He has plus speed, running the 60 in under 6.5.  His base running skills are good but still very raw.  He could easily translate into to a threat on the base paths in the future.

Defense: Boldt should be able to stay in CF and could be, at the very least,  above average in CF.  He has a plus arm that shows he could handle RF defensively.   He takes excellent routes in the OF and has a possibility of being a Plus Ofer in the Future.

Summary:   I like Ryan Boldt a lot more then I think others do but I have seen him in 5 games over the summer and believe he has chance of being a 5 Tool player.  If his bat speed is any indication of what his power will develop into,  his power will come.  Given his body type, I don’t see him losing much or any speed as he gets older.  He a diamond in the rough and will shine in time.  -  link 

Mack Observation  -  First, this is not a major injury, but it will lower Boldt's draft status. 

Here's the problem now. This is a classic case of now healing and going to college. If so, you simply can't waste an early pick on someone that isn't going to sign.

The Mets, or any team, needs to determine the mindset here and act accordingly. Was he going pro before the injury? Does he still want that now? 

You walk away with yes to both those questions, you pick him at #48 and you may have the steal of the draft.