The Mets signed Michael Cuddyer in the offseason to a seemingly modest two-year deal that, in turn, cost them their first round pick in the 2015 Amateur Draft. While Cuddyer hasn’t worked out fantastically, the Mets seem to have made the most out of their second round pick.
The Mets selected Desmond Lindsay 53rd overall in this year’s draft and some fans may have scratched their heads. Baseball America had Lindsay ranked 102nd and Keith Law had him ranked 71st. The obvious course for the Mets was to make a stab at the most talent left, so you’d expect them to look for a player ranked 53rd or better, but rankings don’t take everything into account.
Here are six reasons fans should be completely happy with the Met draft pick:
- Lindsay Can Hit – He was noted for having the fastest swing in the draft. This means that he lacks the looping holes that some power hitters are prone to. This is not a swing that will produce a ton of home runs but he has natural power and the swing should minimize strikeouts and help him hit for a higher average.
- Lindsay Can Run – Some analysis that had Lindsay ranked lower marked his size 6’0” and 200 Lbs and saw him bulking up and being forced to shift to the corner outfield or to first. The reality is that Lindsay is a plus runner and that at the moment and for the foreseeable future he should be able to play above average centerfield.
- Lindsay Has Flexibility – He had been playing first and third base in high school and scouts wanted to move him to the outfield because of his arm strength. His arm is likely not a great fit for third base or shortstop but his fielding makes second base an option. We should also note that a below average arm at third could easily become a plus arm in left field or center.
- Lindsay Is Already Hitting – He played 21 games for the GCL Mets and led his team with an .864 OPS. His batting line of .304/.400/.464 is pretty much everything scouts could want out of a first-year player breaking into the big leagues.
- Lindsay Is Moving Along – He was promoted quickly to the New York Penn League and is now taking swings against players who, on average, are about 4-5 years his senior. It’s early, but if he can finish the year well, there is a shot the Mets send him to the SAL in 2016.
- Sandy Alderson Has Been Pretty Sharp – Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini, Matt Reynolds, Dominic Smith, Michael Fulmer (Traded), Logan Verrett and Kevin Plawecki point towards Alderson and company doing a pretty good job of evaluating amateur talent.
All things considered, there is plenty to like about the Mets top pick from 2015. Let’s Go Mets!!!
AAA:
Darrell Ceciliani might have Juan Lagares’ roster spot soon – Lagares is not hitting well in the majors and Ceciliani is hitting fantastically in AAA.
Seth Lugo looking smooth in AAA – Only through four starts at AAA, Lugo already seems to have taken strides.
AA:
Gavin Cecchini still on the shelf – He’s been sidelined since 8/19.
Robert Gsellman is more good than bad – He’s not a top starters but he is a gamer and might have a future eating innings at the major league level.
A+:
Jeff McNeil non-challantly hitting .300 – McNeil does a lot of things but going into a slump doesn’t seem to be one of them.
A:
Luis Guillorme is earning a chance – The shortstop picture is mighty muddy right now but Guillorme has hit well enough to get playing time.
Eudor Garcia staying strong – He’s definitely moved ahead of Jhoan Urena in a few people’s minds.
Martires Arias is hard to score against – He’s given up 8 runs over his last 10 starts and thrown 57.2 innings in that time.
Don’t forget Chris Flexen – He’s one of the last remaining pitching prospects of note and he’s starting to find his footing.
A-:
Jeff Diehl is powering Brooklyn – Nobody else has really hit for the Cyclones but Diehl has provided a very healthy .829 OPS.
Forgetting last night, Kevin Canelon has been good – Last night was awful, but his game on 8/25 was outstanding.
R1:
Patrick Mazeika leaving his bat on his shoulder – He has 6 walks in his last 10 games and only 1 strikeout.
Milton Ramos woke up – He’s hitting .389 over his last 10 games and doesn’t want to be forgotten in the over-crowded shortstop depth charts.
R2:
Walter Rasquin has his average on the rise – Hitting .389 for 10 games has his season average back over .300 for the year.
Lagares has had two awful games in a row, but before that was effective against LHP, a club weakness. He can also field a bit, too.
Ceciliani appears to be another den Dekker, Kirkkkk type. Players you shed when you get serious about winning.
Could DC be a useful 24/25th man? Sure, possibly. I don’t think he pushes Lagares off the club.
+1
I agree. Ceciliani got a chance to play for the Mets this year and suddenly he couldn’t hit. The Pacific Coast League tends to nourish outlandish batting averages. If those averages were at all trustworthy re major-league readiness, Monell would be the Mets’ catcher, Ceciliani an outfielder for them, and Campbell would be an every-day player.
I am afraid that Mr. Groveman doesn’t do his homework thoroughly
Thanks Mr. Grudin,
Juan Lagares is playing hurt and not playing often (with Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto and Michael Cuddyer all farther up on the depth chart). The Mets are mostly using him as a defensive sub or to start against lefties. While Ceciliani is nothing more than a bench bat, it makes sense to me that Lagares (and the Mets) would be better served by having Lagares healthy for 2016. Is Lagares making that much of an impact for 2015 that Ceciliani couldn’t serve in his role?
I appreciate you taking the time to read the article.
The last thing Mets fans want to see is another Ruben Tejada/Wilfredo Tovar type from the left side. Yes, Milton Ramos can play stellar defense like Tejada and Tovar but all three can’t hit (although I give Tejada credit for his fearlessness at the plate).
It was not surprising to see that Ramos can’t hit lefties for his life, and it was certainly not surprising to see that his SLG% was less than impressive. What makes it worse is his lack of plate discipline- something that Tejada and Tovar actually have. I’m not going to look forward to his arrival in the coming years because something tells me he will hit .220 with no power, no speed, and continue to get at-bats.
Julian,
Hold off sweeping judgements on players until they reach Advanced A. Right now Milton Ramos is a Plus Plus defender with Plus offensive upside.
BTW, looking forward to seeing Lindsay and the hapless Cyclones tonight. Weird team. Outside of Lindsay, not a single exciting prospect. Everybody is at Kingsport.
Freakin’ Omar.
I saw him last night against the Valley Cats. Did not look good at the plate in his first few tries but I left early because my kids can’t sit through a ball game.
Dallas, I saw him last night and in 4 ABS, he never hit a ball remotely hard. Two K’s and a walk and a flare single. He’s very young for that league. The body looked good, athletic. Listed at 6-0 and 200 lbs, he looked smaller to me. Narrow hips, waist. In the field, he had two opportunities to show off the arm and failed to impress. Again, he’s just very young.
The whole squad looks pretty weak. I wrote this up in more detail at Mack’s Mets in comment section so don’t want to repeat myself here. Pasha came into the game late in relief and looked really, really good. I saw Leathersich up close last year and came away disappointed. This was different.
Thanks for the hands on scouting.
If Lindsay doesn’t get rolling he’s likely going to be slated for Brooklyn in 2016 which still puts him ahead of the curve.
Cecchini’s injury hurts big time. He could make a run towards the MLB team at some point next year, but it is going to take more time. It seems he’s going to hold down the shortstop position until Rosario is ready to go, so he should get a good look in the majors once he is ready.
Agreed. It would have been nice to give him a “Cup of Coffee” call-up. Should he be healthy in time for the AFL, I think the Mets try to get him up to speed ahead of Spring Training.
I don’t believe the Mets are in “cup of coffee” mode this season.
You either help the team win now or there’s really no need to have you clogging up the clubhouse with your saucer eyes.
Cecchini would be getting the chance to see if he could take hold of the spot. With Tejada the weakest link on the offense, it would be a small risk scenario. It doesn’t matter either way.
Again, the kid is untested, unworthy. Also, I just don’t think it’s right for a team like the Mets to dump Lagares at this point in the season. It’s not how you treat (or value) an employee. Nobody in that clubhouse would like that move, and these things matter.
In addition, Ceciliani won’t help at all against LHP.
This is just not the time to take a marginal talent — easily duplicated, and probably exceeded, by Kirkkkkk — and bring him up at the expense of Juan Lagares.
I actually think, no disrespect Dave, that it’s crazy. I mean, completely nuts. He doesn’t belong in that clubhouse. Not now.
That said: I appreciate all your posts and thoughtful insights. Just not going to agree with everything, which is different.
I appreciate it James,
I just want Lagares healthy. His arm is seriously hurt. I don’t think Lagares adds enough to the team right now to not have him getting surgery and being ready for 2016 on the table.
Gsellman brings back fond memories of the game you, me and Joe saw him pitch and we didn’t know how to pronounce his name. If you recall, he pitched good on that day. He is just another good pitcher in the minor league stable that will probably not see Citi Field because of the current rotation. That is why I approve of Sandy’s moves this summer.
Guillorme is another “no power” shortstop with a high batting average that has a nice glove. He would have to maintain that average at every level and he would still be buried in the system.
If Cespedes isn’t signed, then I think the spring competition in 2016 is between Cecilianni and Kirk to take some at bats from Lagares. It may be moot by summer if Nimmo has a good AAA first half. Lagares glove and ability to hit LHP and $3m salary will keep him on the roster.
Is it just me or does it seem like we’ve been talking about Brandon Nimmo since Bernard Gilkey was a Met?