The first round of any sports draft differs in every sport. Football and basketball see their players reach the majors within 1-2 years while baseball players are consistently a gamble as to whether they make it at all. In the case of the Mets, the organization has seen its share of successes and failures. One could point out that Darryl Strawberry turned into an all-star while Steven Chilcott never even sniffed the majors. In recent history, the Mets have had a run of the dice with players like David Wright and Matt Harvey coming through with promising careers while Reese Havens and Lastings Milledge never amounted to anything significant. During Sandy Alderson’s tenure, he has drafted six players in the first round with only two displaying their talent (Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki) while the others are still on the fence. Here are three first-round picks that are ready to have breakout seasons.
After the 2012 season, Fulmer seemed to be in the same discussion as Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard with a 2.74 ERA over 108 innings. Unfortunately, after a severe knee injury that kept him out for much of 2013, he still has yet to reestablish himself. While his numbers are not impressive from 2014 consisting of a 4.38 ERA and a WHIP that resembles Jenrry Mejia’s, there are some positives to be noted. Fulmer was clearly overmatched at the start of the season with an 11.08 ERA through three starts, but over his next sixteen starts he posted a very respectable 2.84 ERA before imploding with his final start in Binghamton. Another overlooked positive from this season is the walk rate that Fulmer supported. After 3.2 and 3.7 BB/9 in 2012 and 2013 respectively, he lowered that number to 2.9 during his stint in St. Lucie. All of these signs are pointing to a reestablishment of his young career that could lead to a starting role in the not-too-distant future.
What a start to a career, huh? Known for his defensive prowess and an average bat, Cecchini was drafted higher than expected in 2012 at the twelfth pick. Immediately after that Cecchini had been ridiculed by Mets fans for not being Michael Wacha or Corey Seager. The kid has not performed overly well by any means, but has certainly not been a complete bust. In 2013 he suffered an injury that kept him out for much of the season, but he did have a 15-game hitting streak in which his OPS exceeded .900 and finished the season with a solid .273 batting average. In 2014, Cecchini had a respectable first full season striking out very few times and having a very solid walk rate. In addition, he showed promise as a potential solid bat with a .259 batting average in A-level Savannah. While none of his numbers pop off of the page, he still has the talent of a dependable major league shortstop and seems ready to make that leap — or at least we all hope so.
Michael Conforto:
Perhaps the safest bat in the draft Conforto was chosen tenth overall by the Metropolitans in 2014 and has not disappointed since. After being called Lucas Duda 2.0, he has disproved those claims by supporting a .324 batting average against southpaws and has actually played adequate defense in the outfield. Conforto fits the exact mold of an Alderson prospect: high walk rate, mid-level strikeout rate, and a ton of untapped power. Conforto seems to be one of those players that will slide into an outfield spot one day and he will make it seem as if he has been there for 7-10 years. He has all of the talent to transform into a 25-homerun 90-RBI .290-average type of player and it all starts in his second professional season.
Gavin Cecchini’s ceiling is Ruben Tejada. Cecchini has still not mastered the low minors. A breakout season for him will be .270 at A+. I really wish him luck because between his brother’s success and his draft position, he’s got to be bummed out at his numbers.
I drove down to the SAL playoff game in Asheville last September and saw Comforto. Only one game, but I was impressed with his defense. Three times he showed off his arm with strong accurate throws. Oh, he can hit also. He was the hired gun that was promoted for the playoffs and he emanated a confidence as if he played on the team all year. I was sitting directly behind the dugout and observed this. Only one game but I’m a believer.
I thought the idea with Conforto was that he was a polished college hitter who wouldn’t need much time in the minors. Why was he in the Sally league? How long do we have to wait?
He’s played half of a season.
Please stop referring to Gavin Cecchini as a prospect. It does nothing but tarnish the standing of each and every actual prospect.
It’s funny, I only used the word prospect once in my entire article- and it was about Michael Conforto. I also do not see why there is so much anger towards Cecchini. The only reason that people don’t like him is because he was drafted in the first round. People need to calm down and let him develop, and if he doesn’t work out he doesn’t work out, that’s how prospects work. Don’t get me wrong I am not a big fan of him myself, but at this point we just have to live with the fact that he is in the system.
He’s not primed to do anything. He’s not worth ranking or mentioning in any capacity.
Conforto should move through minors quickly barring any setbacks. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was with big club in 2016.
Conforto was a stud at Oregon State…I don’t recall any Lucas Duda comparisons unless they were in reference to body frame. He is the real deal.