#3
Gavin Cecchini, SS
Biography: Born December 22, 1993 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Cecchini was drafted out of Alfred M. Barbe High School by the Mets in the first round (12th overall) of the 2012 draft. It was the second draft of the Sandy Alderson era and, just as they did in 2011, the team selected a prep player with their first pick. This was not a surprise, as the team had an eye toward rebuilding the organization through both the draft and trading major league assets. What was surprising was that the team picked Cecchini, specifically, when it appeared that there were more talented players still on the board. Although Cecchini was a prep player, he was about as “safe” a pick that a high school player could be on draft day. The thinking at the time was that the Mets had elected to draft a player with solid-if-unspectacular tools that had a great shot at reaching the big leagues while sticking at a premium position. Cecchini has been one of the most divisive prospects in the Mets’ system as a high-floor, low-ceiling guy.
Scouting: As stated, Cecchini didn’t really have any standout, plus tools at draft time. Instead, he was pretty solid-to-above-average across the board. He was built well for a shortstop and didn’t project to fill out to the point where he would need to move off of the position. He had a strong arm and hands, as well as good footwork. His bat was seen as one of his best tools, as he had an advanced approach for a prep player with a good eye and projected for respectable power. How those tools have evolved (or devolved) over the course of his young career has been interesting to see. His offensive performance during his first couple of seasons was underwhelming and he didn’t break the .650 OPS mark until his third season in 2014. He showed some ability to get on base but didn’t hit for all that much power. Honestly, there didn’t appear to be anything exciting about the player Cecchini was becoming and fans noticed. Then, 2015 happened.
2015: Cecchini’s offensive production in 2015 went a long way to restoring some of the prospect status he’d been losing through his first three uninspiring seasons. He slashed .317/.377/.442, all career highs by a good margin. His .819 OPS eclipsed his previous high by over 100 points and his K rate was great while his BB rate was about average. In short, he had the best offensive season of his young career while making what most consider the hardest jump to make in the minors: A to AA.
On the flip side, reports on his defense have not been as glowing. While whispers of him not being cut out for shortstop started in 2014, Cecchini did nothing to quell those concerns in 2015 with 28 errors. While the errors can be mostly attributed to rushed throws and the like, the basis of the issue appears to be an arm that has been getting lukewarm reviews recently. This is a problem because none of his other defensive tools, while perfectly fine, play up enough to make up for a below-average arm. There’s been some grumbling that a move to second base may be in the cards, impacting his overall value, but it’s a bit premature to consider that the likely outcome. Not all reports are in agreement, and 2016 will be an important year for the 2015 Eastern League Rookie of the Year to prove he still has the defensive chops to stay at short.
Brian: “I wrote a bunch of negative things about him from the time he was drafted until late in the 2014 season, when he started having what appeared to be sustainable success. Now he might be my favorite prospect in the system. Funny how the questions about his defense started appearing once he started to hit.”
David: “What a difference a year makes. I was full of bitter venom at the mention of Cecchini but now he’s one of my favorites. He’s a contact hitter with good on-base skills and solid power (for his position). His defense took a hit when his offense went soaring. We need the prior to improve and the latter to maintain.”
Rob: “Cecchini appears to be putting it all together offensively and had a great year in AA. There remain concerns, however, about his defense. His ability to stick at short wasn’t really in question until recently, so 2016 will be an important year for him to prove that he can handle the position.”
James: “While he had a breakout offensive year in Double-A, his 28 errors and .943 fielding percentage is something to be concerned with.”
I did not like his arm when I saw him in Brooklyn, just didn’t have that zip I like to see. The 28 errors from last season are also a concern. Hopefully he can become adequate — which, honestly, isn’t what I look for in a SS on a team built around pitching. However, it was encouraging that the bat has come along. I’m curious to see him on a major league field. This year, perhaps.
Might just be a solid utility player, I don’t know.
Checchini was a .348 babip at Bingo— 11% strikeouts, 9% bb…… I’d like some more walks, but that’s a lot of contact!!!
Even a “normalized” babip would norm him to a pretty strong year for that league.
I expect him to anchor SS at Vegas. that will allow the SS Line to keep moving and developing.
Reynolds should probably play all over the field–add as many golves as possible (even OF, if he has not yert done that)—– he needs to be ready for spot patch work at the MLB Level.
Cechini,Reynolds and of course Rosario, the best of the three, The middle infield should not be a concern for a while.
…. and Milton Ramos and Luis Carpio. And there’s Luis Guillorme, who can’t drive the ball at all but still finished second in the South Atlantic League in hits, 8th in batting average. He’s another of the Mets’ glove-first options, and hardly a Jason Tyner at the plate (to mention a similar player the Mets actually pinned some hope on once upon a time).
So, yeah.
I’m not a big believer in over weighting Stat analysi for minor leaguers—untile they are at a level/on the cusp of being big leaguers.
Reynolds Struck Out 19%…bb on 6-7%….. almost 800 ab’s at AAA
the “good season” was a 404 babip—- the recent 490 ab’s are a 319 babip—a “normal rate”….. when it adds up to a 720’ish OPS at Vegas…Vegas!!!!…. that doesn’t hint at a top shelf Prospect.
He’s a Utiliy Target, if he can improve his bat.
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=sa579039&position=SS
Many of those errors were from a flawed approach which he started addressing. Let’s see what he does in 2016.
Unmentioned in this review, is his unrelenting competitive fire and desire to be a big city star. He’s very hungry, very focused, very determined, and comes from a family of baseball stature. His father, a highly regarded high school and Team USA coach, and his brother, Garin, has already made it to the majors with the Red Sox and was a 2014 Top 75 prospect, nealry top 50.in judgment of some.
Gavin is a winner, and may become a Mets fan favorite in that we love blue collar, hungry homegrowns who play their hearts out, are in love with the game, and crave improvement.
I did neglect to mention his competitiveness, hard work, high baseball IQ, and coach-ability. Thanks for adding!
I appreciate that Cecchini has all the intangibles.
Two things: 1) Most of these players that have made it this far, starting SS anywhere in a major league system, are “winners.” A lot of these kids have great intangibles, just ask Mike Baxter. 2) My core belief is that intangibles ultimately show up on the field as results. Or not. The value of those qualities is that they will help make you a better player, increase your performance in measurable ways. That is, intangibles — if they are to be of any value — ultimately transform into tangibles.
What we “say” about any of these kids is irrelevant. All they have to do is play great.
As someone who has managed a lot of youth and men’s baseball, I’ve learned that managers don’t often make decisions about players. My take is that players reveal themselves over time. If you can make the plays at SS, that’s great, you’re a SS. If not, oh well. I root for all of these players to go up there and hit doubles.
They will tell us who they are.
“They will tell us who they are.”
In the case of Cecchini, I think this statement applies particularly well to his 2016. It will be a big year for him to show us the player he is.