2012 Mets Draft Primer

Metro2007 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:56 pm

Quote:

Floor

His floor is actually pretty safe for a HS guy as he's pretty polished given his age. Besides being a career minor leaguer, his floor is that of a utility guy capable of playing 2B, SS, and 3B. He'll make good contact and put the ball in play, so he'll make a good pinch hitter as well. He could be pretty valuable on the bench, especially with spraying doubles to the gaps as a pinch hitter.

Ceiling

This depends on where plays defensively. If he sticks at SS and hits a high average with lots of doubles, you take that. He won't be a gold glove SS and he won't be Tulo with the bat. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of Elvis Andrus with little less stolen bases, somewhere around 25-30.

Projected Draft round

He'll likely be selected between 10-20 overall. He's not good enough to be considered 1-1, but guys who can hit for average and plenty of doubles while potentially sticking at SS, don't last til the supplemental round.

http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/6/1/3 ... arbe-hs-la

Metro2007 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:58 pm

Goldstein has him 17th overall

Quote:

17. Gavin Cecchini, SS, Barbe HS (LA)
Who he is: The younger brother of Red Sox third baseman Garin, but a very different player. Gavin is smaller and more athletic, and a plus defensive shortstop who should stay at the position all the way up the ladder. He's a plus runner as well, and has outstanding baseball instincts. While Garin is arguably the best pure hitter in the Red Sox system, Gavin comes with questions about his bat. He has a smooth line drive stroke but little projection for power, so he'll have to develop a good approach to find his secondary skills.
Draft skinny: Pure shortstops in the draft are always a much-desired commodity, and Cecchini's name is in play for nearly every pick in the teens.

With Tejada, Evans and Tovar already in the system I would not be a fan of this pick.

chinabox · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:01 pm

Don't understand logic in picking someone who's "ceiling" is "Elvis Andrus with little less stolen bases" in the first round. Especially given what Metro just pointed out re: Tejada, Evans, Tovar.

Metro2007 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:05 pm

Regardless what you think of the pick (or what he may eventually become) the consensus is his upside is limited (at least offensively). We need bats in the worst way. Defense has value but at 12 we need some impact.

famousdaproduct · **Joined:** Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:34 pm **Posts:** 1117

We need major upside... whether it's an arm or a bat. Sure, we could probably use a big bat in the system before an arm, but I don't think you can pass up on upside like Giolito who I'd be happier with than anyone. (I think I've said that a million times on this board though)

famousdaproduct · **Joined:** Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:34 pm **Posts:** 1117

We've done a great job in the past few years drafting solid low risk guys in the later rounds. Our system has a bunch of them. No reason to play it safe here. You take the risk with the first pick.

acerimusdux · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:45 pm

Elvis Andrus is probably a top 5 SS in MLB right now. He spent 4 years on BA's top 100 prospects, ranking as high as #19 overall in 2008, made the all-star game in 2010, and still only 23 years old is currently rocking a .793 OPS on the season.

Cecchini looks like a pretty good SS prospect to me. He's not as exciting as Manny Machado or Jurickson Profar, but if there were a guy like that in this draft he'd be gone in the top 5 picks. There are very few SS prospects who get high grades for both the bat and glove, and Cecchini seems to be one of them. He's a guy who will play good defense, hit for average, get on base, and steal 20 bases, and maybe hit 10-15 HR.

Metro2007 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:58 pm

acerimusdux wrote:

Elvis Andrus is probably a top 5 SS in MLB right now. He spent 4 years on BA's top 100 prospects, ranking as high as #19 overall in 2008, made the all-star game in 2010, and still only 23 years old is currently rocking a .793 OPS on the season.

Cecchini looks like a pretty good SS prospect to me. He's not as exciting as Manny Machado or Jurickson Profar, but if there were a guy like that in this draft he'd be gone in the top 5 picks. There are very few SS prospects who get high grades for both the bat and glove, and Cecchini seems to be one of them. He's a guy who will play good defense, hit for average, get on base, and steal 20 bases, and maybe hit 10-15 HR.

That sounds on the high end for his power. Keith Law on the draft podcast said he has below average current power, obviously that can change but projected 10-15 homers seems high with that in mind and the questions about how much power his swing can generate to begin with. He has a draft grade in the 20-30 range in a very weak draft at a position of need around the league so odds are your opinion of him is strongly on the high-end. Plus glove SS who hits for a high average, steals 20 bases and 10-15 homers is a lock top 10 pick in a very good draft let alone a bad one.

Shefayim18 · **Joined:** Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:26 pm **Posts:** 173

I think a solid upside bat with potential power would be first unless if the FO sees Giolito or McCullers a better fit.

Question: how much difference is there between Wacha and Mazzoni?

famousdaproduct wrote:

pennst92 wrote:

I'm confused by the statement that Cecchini doesn't have huge upside. I've heard nothing to indicate that...furthermore in the few mocks I've seen he's a first rounder, going in the mid-first round.

Admittedly I'm not one to follow prospects as closely as I once did, but I think if a kid is generally rated fairly high across the board he's got some upside...

He has solid tools across the board and is a ss. I'd rather go with Dahl or Hawkins bat wise, hs pitchers Giolito or McCullers, college arms Stroman or Wacha.

Metro2007 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 3:06 pm

I'm not a Wacha fan but he has a good FB and a plus changeup. Mazzoni doesn't have a plus pitch. His FB is good (above average) but not "plus". I'm not hoping for Wacha (because I think he'd be behind

Wheeler, Harvey, Familia, Mejia, Fulmer, Tapia on my personal Mets pitchers list but he's a better prospect than Mazzoni.

A team taking Wacha high believes they can improve his curveball enough to give him 3 weapons. Teams that don't like him will see a FB/changeup guy who will struggle with a weak breaking ball.

Dog · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 3:34 pm

I have to agree. I want a power hitter at #12...Hawkins sounds nice there. I like what I've read about Almora and Dahl, too. I'd love that Zunino kid out of Florida as we could use a catching prospect in the worst way, but he won't last past the top 10, maybe even top 5. If there are no impact bats left at #12, go with a flamethrower. McCullers has a nice pedigree and this Stroman guy looks killer. But I'm not a draftnik as I don't follow it as closely as I have in the past. I agree with Metro. Taking a light hitting SS prospect in Cecchini, who might end up being pretty good, is not what the Mets should be doing with the 12th pick. I bet they could find another comparable SS at pick #35.

acerimusdux · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 3:37 pm

My biggest problem with Cecchini is that I like Addison Russell better. I think Russell has less risk and more upside. I don't think I actually like Cecchini higher than about 15 here, I'm just saying I wouldn't dislike the pick as much as some do.

2012 Mets Draft Primer

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