Zaid Walker
OF 6-1 205 Michigan State
6/6/18 - Drafted in the 36th round by the Cincinnati Reds out of Homewood-Flossmoor HS.
Prep Baseball - Freakish athleticism is a term that comes to mind when evaluating Zaid Walker. His muscular build from head to toe is rare to find in a high school baseball prospect, and Walker does well to put it to use. Michigan State committed Walker in the summer following his sophomore season at Homewood-Flossmoor, back when he was a raw, toolsy talent with quick-twitch traits. His physical projection has only skyrocketed since and he’s set to make good on the early faith the Spartans had in him.
2020 Michigan State stats - 13-G, 45-AB, .267/.292/.422, 1-HR
Mack observation -
Walker came out of high school with first round cred, but it hasn’t panned out for him yet in college.
There is no problem defensively and he still is projected as a 5-tool player. He simply needs to hit.
I would pick him in the 5th-10th round range.
Gage Jump
LHP 17/yrs. 5-11 180 JSerra HS (CA)
Small stature, but still throws a 91-93 fastball. With movement. Low release point makes it look like it is rising into the zone. Also a slide, but this is a fastball pitcher.
PG - Gage Jump is a 2021 LHP/OF with a 5-11 180 lb. frame from Aliso, CA who attends JSerra Catholic. Medium athletic build. High leg lift delivery with a good hip turn at the top, very compact arm action in back the really hides the ball well, high 3/4's arm slot, hitters absolutely do not see the baseball, shows athleticism and repeats his mechanics well. Primary fastball pitcher, worked 90-93 mph with his fastball for two innings, gets high spin rate angle through the zone, will occasionally get under his fastball but got nothing but swing/miss in the zone. Has some spin to his curveball but it is a secondary pitch at present, would be interesting with a fading change up to play off his out pitch fastball. Very high performance left hander who knows his strengths and pitches to them.
Mack observation -
A 5-11 pitcher with primarily only a fastball is, in my books, a reliever.
I would not be interested in him as a pick in my first 10 rounds.
Kristian Campbell
SS 17/yrs. 6-3 190 Walton HS (GA)
Regardless of his height, Campbell is projected to stay at short. Quick hands. Strong arm.
The problem here is his projected 30 bat.
PG - Kristian Campbell is a 2021 SS with a 6-3 191 lb. frame from Marietta, GA who attends Walton. Long and lean young build with lots of strength potential. 6.70 runner, smooth defensive actions in the middle infield, stays balanced well on the move, short and quick arm action and can throw from different arm angles effectively. Right handed hitter, aggressive move to his front side with multiple toe taps at times, fast hands with some barrel whip through the ball, projects power moving forward.
Mack observation -
A projected 30 bat??? Come on, man!
I’m not going to place the name of anyone on the top of my charts that project at a 30 bat. Maybe a pitcher, but that’s it.
I pass here.
Sam Novitske
2B R/R 5-11 190 Oregon
Novitski can really hit, but there isn’t much power here. Very patient, picks up pitches well, and can find the barrel easier than others, throughout the strike zone.
Career .315/.420/.396 in two seasons in the Northwood Leagues.
2020 Oregon stats: 15-G, 62-AB, .242/.347/.306, 0-HR, 2-RBI
Mack observation -
Scouts in the Northwood League have said that he needs to pull the ball more. They also project him as a middle round pick.
Horrible start in 2020.
I pass here.
Chase Petty
RHP 6-1 185 Mainland HS (NJ)
We have a live one here…
Petty might be the first prep pitcher to be picked this year. He is already hitting 100 with his fastball. It also rarely goes under 95. Add to this a plus slider and an improving change.
Scouts say he looks like a shortstop which is the position he plays when he is not pitching. 3/4 arm slot at release. They also say he looks better every time they see him.
Mack observation -
Petty looks like one of those rare prep arms that come around every draft season. He supposedly is well committed to the University of Florida but we know that money talks.
I don’t expect him around when we get to pick in the first round… and I am sure he will be gone by our second pick. I remain college pitcher first this draft, but Petty would be on my short list to decide on when I’m on the clock.
Tell you one thing… I’m sending scouts out to cover his every move.
8 comments:
Chase Petty: 100 in HS? You can't teach 100. Get him if available.
He could be there when it is our turn to pick
I'm 73 years old born and raised in Brooklyn and I'm a Met, Jet AND Giant fan (remember the Giants and Jets were in different leagues before the merger) and after the last 3 weeks watching ALL 3 crash and burn AGAIN I REALLY need some encouragement or psychiatric help or both. I'm not asking for the moon here but can they not all suck this badly and at the same time ugh! Back to the Mets were all we had to do was finish near .500 for a playoff spot no problem right? WRONG but there has to be hope this winter with Stevie at the controls...RIGHT? P-L-E-A-S-E Steve give us some hope. Thanks guys I just needed to vent.
Mets pick 10th. Let the fun begin.
Suggestions, suggestions, suggestions, NINETEEN.
After this weekend, many of the Mets faithful are offering up their own suggestions. Well, at least watching the Mets was better than watching the NYG, NYJ, or NYK. Right?
There is hope people. Don't despair.
John from Albany had a couple good ideas. But be careful with the over 30+ veterans is my only warning with some of it. Why you ask? because they have normally already made their money and accomplished good things. So where is their motivation now? Some stay motivated. But the Mets hardly ever get the Robbie Cano type players of the world.
First I will look at some of the brighter spots of 2020.
1. Pitching wise: It's easy Jake deGrom, David Peterson, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo until very recently, Edwin Diaz, and Miguel Castro for the most part. That's seven pitchers for the twelve man pitching staff. Five more will be needed to enter this sacred Mets grouping. The key one, being a top-three starter preferably a lefty if possible to balance out the rotation in 2021. I think Peterson is definitely for real. He can get strikeouts on more than just one really good pitch and baffle batters. He's a keeper.
2. Offensive wise: There were seven good ones here as well. Five hit over .300 BA so far. Jeff McNeil .318, Dom Smith .316, Robbie Cano .315, Michael Conforto .322, and Luis Gillorme .333. Not bad Mets fans!
And then in the special folder we have...
Two players coming on strong offensively now: LF Brandon Nimmo .280 BA and SS Amed Rosario .252 BA. And Pete Alonso is alive again! Take cover and don't park to close to the outfield fence I tell ya'!
If my call, I bring back all 17 of these players for certain. And then too, JD Davis and Jake Marisnick as well. Nineteen.
Grading the New Manager
He inherited a good team, but key players got hurt or sick and that hurt the Mets chances in 2020. So to grade fairly the new Mets manager (Luis Rojas) you have to take all this into consideration somewhat.
What I liked.
Manager Rojas handled the press reasonably well. He stayed calm and he stayed focus. He was a rookie manager and every rookie goes through a learning curve (at their own pace) before they establish themselves as who they will become. Every manager.
What I disliked.
I don't see the purpose of running starting pitchers out there, time after time, that you know full well (from their repeated bad performances) do not have it together at all. No one wants to see Matz, Porcello, or Wacha pitch. The fans don't. The team probably does not by indication of their own lack of hitting in those games.
The Fans would probably have rather seen good AAA/AA Mets pitchers get a shot, as opposed to this misery. Bad pitching is bad pitching. And it has got to end now. If I pitcher has nothing repeatedly in games, no buffet for him!
Plan the staff deeper.
Forget about other teams inexpensive, recently broken down, and older veteran pitchers. It hardly ever works. Instead, just get one pitcher for the rotation and one for the bullpen who are still young enough and very good.
The Mets will benefit by such thinking I believe.
To Venting Gary
I have pity for you.
Here is the real problem, according to me and Garp.
This is NY and we all expect really good teams every season. But the ownership is not really up to providing that. They are unable to choose the right people to run things under them. I was an NYG, NYK, and NYR fan. Not anymore. I just refuse to watch ineptitude season after season from ownership and management. It's insulting to me and all the longtime fans of these teams to have to lumber through another season of angst and hair pulling.
It's clearly the ownership.
They do not get it. And probably never will. Sure it is brutally competitive now. It always was. They just simply need to be changed out (sell) or be sent to Siberia. Like have the league step in and give them say five seasons of repeated failure, then they must sell for the mental health and welfare of their team's fans.
NO BUFFET FOR THEM!
Trading
What They Need:
1. A top-end starter more. To absorb a potential slower return to helth by Noah Syndergaard, and to strengthen the overall rotation once Noah gets back.
2. Is the AAA level full enough of options starting wise or does it too need strengthening. Strengthening. Maybe sniff around for guys like LSP Jay Groome (Boston MiLB) who could nicely fit in here.
3. I like the starting eight in the field here now. Personally, I'd leave it alone. No need to fix it, it ain't broken, and it's more than fine. "John from Albany" wants a new CF, Pilar. But I stick with Jake Marisnick. He's only 29 and he showed us something this season. LF Nimmo CF Marisnick RF Conforto.
4. One more younger catcher who can platoon with Tomas Nido.
5. They need to restore finite roles to the bullpen staff. One smoothly transitioning into the next. Two closers and not just the one maybe too.
6. I like Todd Frazier for a coaching role here. Let JD and Guillorme or even Cano get sometime in on third base.
7. They need to get Bartolo Colon back in here too, as a coach of some sort. Batting Coach not remote?
The 2021 NY Mets should be all about playing hard, staying connected as a team (which appears to come very naturally for these players), and having a lot of fun out there playing the greatest game ever in sports.
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