2/5/12

Mack Ade's Draft Sunday



·        I’m thrilled to announce that Columbia University junior, and Saugus, Massachusetts native, OF Dario Pizzano, has joined Mack’s Mets for the upcoming season.  Here’s what Columbia University  said about his season last year:

            First team All-Ivy League for the second straight season ... started 42 of 43 games he played ... voted team's most valuable player ... second-team All-ECAC ... led team in batting average, base hits, home runs, RBI, doubles and total bases ... at the end of the regular season, led Ivy League in home runs and total bases ... hit safely in first 10 games and 16 of his first 17 ... went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and two RBI at South Alabama ... had three hits in five at-bats, including two RBI in 5-3 win at Florida Gulf Coast ... was a single shy of the cycle at Rollins, with a double, triple and a home run and drove in four runs in 8-7 win ... batted .467 in four-game series vs. Holy Cross with six RBI ... went 3-for-5 in doubleheader sweep of Harvard with a home run, five RBI and three runs scored ... drilled a two-run homer in first inning of 6-5 win over Manhattan ... homered in each end of opening doubleheader at Princeton ... his home run in game one gave Columbia a brief lead in extra innings before the Lions went on to win, 8-5 ... in final home doubleheader vs. Penn, cranked three home runs, scored six times and drove in four.

Look for his first sometime near the end of this month, and just before he and his team travels to Charleston, South Carolina, for their first three games against The Citadel . 

·        I know it’s only February, but we can begin to figure out the players the Mets are not going to be able to draft with the 12th pick overall in the 2012 draft:

o   Three pitches will be gone… RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Mark Appel, and RHP Kevin Gausman. Mets fans can pray all they want but, barring an injury (Anthony Renaudo) or a flame-out (Matt Purke), these are your prime cut pitchers in this draft.

o   Florida’s catcher, Mike Zunino is definitely a top 10 pick.

o   High School SS Deven Merrero could possibly be the first pick overall.

o   Byron Buxton  will be the first outfielder chosen.

The + players left for the Mets to pick from are:



RHSP Lance McCullers Jr. -  High school senior… he hits the upper 90s and has a + curve… has already hit 100… has had control problems… many scouts project him out to the pen (like his father)…

RHSP Chris Beck – moving up the mock drafts… 6-3, 220 righty… fast ball hits 97, decent slider and changeup… is popularity lately could be a result of being a teammate of Victor Roache… career 4.39 ERA.

LHSP  Max Fried  a 6-4 lefty… fastball sitting 91-92 but still has projected velo… go to pitch is his ++ curve (mid-70s and drops off the table)… projected grade out:  65

LHSP Brian Johnson – control-type lefty… 6-0,185… + 12-6 curve… fastball hits low-90s… known for keeping his fb down… a little short

SS Carlos Corea – plus arm… playing 2012 as a 17-year old… 6-3, 190… 6.83 runner… high ceiling talent…

OF Victor Roache   comparison to Ryan Howard. Hit 30 HRs last year which is more than any D1 player has hit since 2003.. converting from first base to corner outfielder... defensive work in progress… scouts project him out as a 3rd or 4th MLB hitter…

OF David Dahl – 6-2, 185… serious tools… good pop with projectable increase… sound hitting mechanics…  hits to all fields… 6.49 runner… +outfield arm…

C Stryker Trahan – this is a high school catcher that actually projects out as a catcher. Big dude. Arm like a cannon. He looks like a football linebacker but can really run. Oh yeah, he also can hit. 


·        There is a new addition this month that will be one of the top 50 picks in this draft. C Peter O’Brien was cleared by the NCAA to play his senior year in 2012 for the University of Miami.  The 6-5, 225 pound O’Brien hit .304, 14-HR, 69-RBI for Bethune-Cookman and was drafted in the 3rd round last year by the Rockies. He didn’t sign and decided to transfer so he could be closer to his ailing mother. The NCAA ruled in his favor last week and he enters the 2012 draft as the legitimate #2 college catcher.

          Remember the name because we will be talking about him throughout the     season.

·         Interesting.... Baseball America's Jim Callis said this two days after what I wrote above:

                     With the college and high school seasons set to begin, five players had separated  themselves from the rest of the pack: Stanford righthander Mark Appel, Harvard-Westlake High (Studio City, Calif.) righty Lucas Giolito, Appling County High (Baxley, Ga.) outfielder Byron Buxton, Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero and Florida catcher Mike Zunino

Bonus Coverage...

The Bishop Gorman Gaels scrimmaged  the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines yesterday...  on the mound:  Joey Gallo vs. Lucas Giolito  

Gallo went 2-3 and threw 93-95...  Giolito: 94-96 


5 comments:

Stephen Guilbert said...

Re: Brian Johnson's size--Johan Santana was 6'0, 160 when he was scouted out of Venezuela. Regardless, Johnson is 6'3, 235 according to his Gators profile. That's plenty big even if height and weight have any correlation to value...which it doesn't. I've stated this time and time again and will continue until people get it...there is no correlation that taller pitchers or heavier pitchers pitch better in the majors. They just don't. Granted, the sample size for guys Herrera's size are too small to say for certain to what extreme you can take this argument, the difference between a 6'0 pitcher and 6'6" pitcher is NOTHING. 6'6" pitchers are not better. Plain and simple. Teams drafting for size are asking for trouble when it comes to pitchers.

Stephen Guilbert said...

I agree on the players who will be gone by draft day and if Trey Williams has a strong spring, add him to that list as well.

Not huge on Beck. I do not think the Mets would take him if he is available anyway.

Stephen Guilbert said...

Of the players I think have a >50% chance of being around at #12, here is who I want, in this order, as it stands right now:

1.) LHP Max Fried
2.) SS Carlos Correa
3.) 3B Trey Williams
4.) C Stryker Trahan
5.) OF Nick Williams
6.) OF David Dahl
7.) RHP Duane Underwood
8.) LHP Brian Johnson

First 7 all high-schoolers....hmmm. I think perhaps that is because the college talent around that pick (Wacha, Barrett, Beck) lack the upside of this high school kids.

Last note on Brian Johnson: He could be our best pinch-hitter within two years. He's that good with the bat but should be a pitcher long term. I think once he focuses on pitching full time, he will improve there as well and he already has good numbers for a lefty. He's a sleeper pick in this draft no doubt and some team will be very VERY happy to get him.

Mack Ade said...

I just don't want another surprise with the first pick.

I don't care how anybody plays 2012... you are never going to convince me that Brandon Nimmo was a better pick tha either Jed Bradley, Blake Swihart, Snny Gray, Tyler Beede, or Alex Meyer.

Stephen Guilbert said...

I liked Gray, Anderson, Guerrieri, and Swihart last year. Meyer was and is a huge risk. I also liked Purke (both went to the Nats, hmmm) but he came with considerable risk as well. Simply no way to know about whether or not Nimmo was a good pick until it's all said and done. I like that they went a different direction but I wondered then (and still do now) if Nimmo would have been around by the supplemental round. With the depth in the draft, I still think he might have been. No way to know, though.