The Mets have homegrown players Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee playing key roles on the 2011 team but you constantly hear about their need to build a stronger farm system.
Sandy Alderson gets to oversee his first draft for the club when the 2011 MLB Draft begins on June 6th. The Mets have seven picks in the top 200, a normal amount, including the 13th overall pick. New York picked up one extra pick this year, a supplemental pick for the loss of free agent Pedro Feliciano, which is the 44th overall selection.
Omar Minaya is unfairly criticized for the drafts on his watch, but one thing no one should complain about is how he did the times he had a first-round pick. Minaya oversaw six drafts and in the three years that the Mets picked in the first round, they came away with Mike Pelfrey (2005), Ike Davis (2008) and Matt Harvey (2010). The Mets also grabbed Reese Havens and Brad Holt in the first round of 2008.
Will Alderson experience the same success that Minaya did? We can only hope. One thing that is clear is that there is no consensus among the experts who the Mets are going to take at 13. There have been at least 11 names attached to the Mets and four of the leading draft experts each have a different take on who the club will take. Let’s take a look at these four:
Jim Callis (Baseball America) – In his second mock, dated May 27th, Callis has the Mets taking Louisiana State outfielder Mikie Mahtook. Currently a center fielder, there are concerns he may wind up in left field. But Mahtook is much more interesting due to his bat. He finished the regular season with 14 HR in 196 ABs and had a .383/.496/.709 slash line. Mahtook is one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.
Keith Law (ESPN) – In his second mock, dated May 30th, Law has the Mets taking North Carolina shortstop Levi Michael. There are some concerns that Michael may not stick at shortstop (he also played 2B and 3B at UNC) due to questionable range. But scouts like his arm and think his bat will play. Michael has a .313/.459/.476 slash line and has 14 SB in 15 attempts.
Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com) – In his first mock, dated May 20th, Mayo has the Mets taking Kentucky RHP Alex Meyer. The first thing that stands out about Meyer is his height, as he’s 6-foot-9. In 14 games this year, Meyer was 7-5 with a 2.94 ERA. He struck out 110 batters in 101 innings and walked 46. Meyer throws in the mid-90s and also has a slider and changeup. He was drafted out of high school by the Red Sox, but turned down a $2 million offer to go to college.
John Sickels (Minor League Ball) – In his second mock, dated May 30th, Sickels has the Mets taking Connecticut outfielder George Springer. The number-two prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer, Springer is always mentioned whenever scouts talk about players with the best tools. A center fielder, he has a .361/.462/.644 slash line, with 12 HR and 31 SB. Like Mahtook, he is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Other players linked to the Mets include pitchers Danny Hultzen (UVA), Taylor Jungmann (Texas), Taylor Guerrieri (HS/South Carolina), Jed Bradley (Ga. Tech) and Josh Stilson (Texas A&M). Other hitters mentioned in conjunction with the Mets are Javier Baez (HS/Florida) and Brandon Nimmo (HS/Wyoming).