Mets Minors: Shane McClanahan and other draft targets

The regular season is looming large on the horizon and we are eager to start talking about the play of our minor league talent but before we have any games played under our belt we are going to take a peak at prospects the Mets might be looking at, come June.

Thanks to a decidedly bad 2017, the Mets are looking at the 6th overall pick in 2018 and three choices among the Top 100. We’ll be looking at several players at each of the Mets pick positions. The player that MLB.com ranks at that number on their 2018 Prospect Watch, the player that DraftSite picked for the Mets in their early mock draft and the player that I would be hoping for the Mets to get.

Now, obviously, I could hope that the Mets will come away with Ethan Hankins or Brady Singer but as they are likely to go #1 and #2 I won’t be doing that. I’ll constrain my picks to the names within reasonable reach of the Met’s draft position and explain why.

Pick 1: #6 Overall

MLB.com: Nander de Sedas, SS – The Mets love picking athletic shortstops, so we can’t discount this pick as being unlikely. De Sedas’ draft profile reads like many though. A great player who is athletically gifted but more likely to shift to 3rd base because of his size. He isn’t huge, at 6’1” but his speed is pedestrian (not slow but not fast) which suggests his range will be limited. It would be hard to be too upset about the Mets drafting him.

DraftSite: Casey Mize, RHP – The mock draft sends the Mets home with Mize, who is the second ranked college righty pitcher available. The Mets have drafted college pitchers in the previous two drafts and could look to continue their trend. The idea being that Mize could reach the majors in three seasons when a number of the Mets talented pitchers would be leaving for greener (with cash) pastures.

David Groveman: Shane McClanahan, LHP – I guess I half agree with the DraftSite but they see McClanahan going 3rd overall to the Phillies. MLB.com ranks the college lefty 5th overall which puts the Mets in fine striking distance of nabbing him. He’s scouted with a 92-97 MPH fastball and solid complimentary pitches. McClanahan has already been through Tommy John surgery and seems like a good power pitching fit for the Met system.

Pick 2: #47 Overall

MLB.com: Noah Taylor, C – The Mets selecting a left handed hitting catcher in the second round of the draft actually makes a ton of sense. Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki might finally be coming around in the majors but, even if they do, the Mets need to plan for the future. Getting a power hitting backstop with reasonably solid defensive scouting this late in the draft would be a coup. I simply think that MLB.com ranks him too low. DraftSite agrees, having the Reds steal Taylor with their 46th overall pick.

DraftSite: Cole Winn, RHP – Winn is ranked 42nd overall in the MLB.com rankings and comes across as a solid 2nd round pick based on his scouting. He reaches 94 MPH on his fastball and has showcased his stuff at Perfect Game’s World Wood Bat Association Championship. He’s got some room to bulk up and grow but he’d be a longer term project than some of the college arms who might be available this deep in the draft.

David Groveman: Connor Scott, OF – MLB.com ranks Scott 41st overall but Draftsite has him going 48th so I think he’s a reasonable target. The tall, left-handed, outfielder is a speedster who can also toss a 93 MPH fastball. His arm and size (6’4”) lend credence to the idea that he’ll add some power as well, given time. The Mets are rather bereft of drafted outfield talent behind Desmond Lindsay and that isn’t a recipe for success.

Pick 3: #77 Overall

MLB.com: Ranks only Top 50 Prospects

DraftSite: Sam Bordner, RHP – The fellows at DraftSite have the Mets selecting a gimicky reliever out of Louisville with their 3rd round pick. Bordner only has an average 90-92 MPH fastball but is said to pitch a “Ivisiball” which is a version of the same pitch with “Plus Plus” movement. Color me skeptical.

David Groveman: Grant Koch, C – Assuming the Mets can’t nab Noah Taylor, I would hold out hope for Grant Koch to fall to the team in the 3rd round. The righty catcher out of Arkansas makes good contact, has discipline and has shown solid power. I don’t foresee him being a superstar but he has the makeup to potentially become a starting catcher in the majors. Unlike Taylor, d’Arnaud and Plawecki, Koch’s defense is scouted as being fairly solid.

I’ll likely do another piece closer to the draft which will likely have a better idea of the player rankings, if not a clearer idea of who the Mets will draft.