Hey guys i found this article about who we drafted yesterday. It gives the lowdown on each player and I noticed we drafted mainly pitchers and outfielders.
By Tim Britton / MLB.com
NEW YORK — You can forgive the Mets if they have a certain vision for outfielder Darrell Ceciliani, their fourth-round pick on Day 2 of the First-Year Player Draft.
Call it a Jacobean tale, as Ceciliani hails from Madras, Ore., the same town that produced Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. The Mets hope the town with a population of only 5,000 can strike gold twice in the outfield.
A hometown isn’t the only similarity between Ellsbury and Ceciliani; it just made the comparison between the two easier. The two, both left-handers, are the same height and the same weight. The Mets plan on them having the same game.
“He’s a kid that’s got tremendous tools and great upside,” said Rudy Terrasas, the Mets’ director of amateur scouting. “We were very excited to be able to get him.”
Ceciliani played at Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, Wash., where he batted .374 with four home runs and 40 RBIs.
Round 5, Damien Magnifico, RHP, North Mesquite HS (Texas): At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Magnifico can bring it to the tune of 95 mph. His command and his secondary pitches — namely, a curveball — are still raw.
Round 6, David Buchanan, RHP, Chipola JC (Ga.): Buchanan is another hard thrower, reaching 96 mph on the radar gun with a four-seamer. He still needs to develop some consistency with his delivery.
Round 7, Darin Gorski, LHP, Kutztown University (Pa.): Gorski is known for his feel on the mound, as his stuff isn’t electric. He maxes out at about 90 mph with his fastball, and his curveball is average at best.
Round 8, John Freeman, C, McNeese State: A left-handed-hitting catcher, Freeman was on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List as a junior this season for the Cowboys.
Round 9, Jeffrey Glenn, C, Winter Haven HS (Fla.) Glenn, a high school catcher, hails from the same area as the Mets’ third-round pick, shortstop Robert Shields.
Round 10, Nick Santomauro, OF, Dartmouth: Santomauro, originally from New Jersey, was the Ivy League Player of the Year this season as a junior, hitting .377 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs.
Round 11, Samuel Honeck, 1B, Tulane: Honeck, a left-handed first baseman, hit .313 with 16 home runs and a team-leading 70 RBIs for the Green Wave.
Round 12, James Ewing, 2B, Southern Mississippi: Ewing has hit .314 with four home runs this season for the Golden Eagles, who are in the midst of an underdog run to the College World Series.
Round 13, Zachary Dotson, LHP, Effingham County HS (Ga.): Another southpaw, Dotson had committed to stay in-state at the University of Georgia.
Round 14, Ronald Harris, OF, Northwood University (Texas): Harris was the Player of the Year in the Red River Athletic Conference after hitting .418 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.
Round 15, Casey Schmidt, RHP, San Diego: Schmidt has missed the last two seasons — 2008 because of offseason surgery and ’09 after transferring from Creighton to San Diego. While a freshman with the Blue Jays, he went 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA.
Mets — Top five selections
Pick POS Name School
72 LHP Steven Matz Ward Melville HS
103 SS Robert Shields Florida Southern Col
134 CF Darrell Ceciliani Columbia Basin CC
164 RHP Damien Magnifico North Mesquite HS
194 RHP David Buchanan Chipola JC
Complete Mets Draft results >
Round 16, Jeffrey Greene, OF, West Boca Raton CC (Fla.): Greene, more commonly called Chase, was scheduled to attend the University of South Florida next year.
Round 17, Alexander Gregory, OF, Radford University (Va.): Gregory won the Big South batting title with a .407 average to complement 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. He is the all-time hits leader for the Highlanders.
Round 18, Cody Holliday, OF, Wilmington College (Del.): Holliday was the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year as Wilmington’s lone senior, batting .362 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs.
Round 19, Nelfi Zapata, C, Lynn English HS (Mass.): Dominican-born and Boston-bred, Zapata is known for his long home runs.
Round 20, Joseph August, OF, Stanford: The left-handed-hitting August batted .304 with five home runs and 34 RBIs while leading the Cardinal with 70 hits.
Round 21, Joseph Bonfe, IF, Sierra JC (Calif.): Bonfe, who played primarily at third base, hit .402 to lead Sierra. He added nine home runs and 53 RBIs.
Round 22, Zachary Von Tersch, RHP, Georgia Tech: The 6-foot-4 Von Tersch was 6-2 with a 5.79 ERA for the Yellow Jackets as a junior in 2009. He was 7-5 with a 4.33 ERA for Georgia Tech as a sophomore.
Round 23, John Church, RHP, West Florida: Church worked out of the bullpen, compiling an 8-3 record with a team-leading 1.55 ERA. He worked 75 1/3 innings in 21 appearances for the Argonauts.
Round 24, Michael Johnson, RHP, Concordia (Texas): Johnson was the Pitcher of the Year in the American Southwest Conference, going 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA. The right-hander struck out 109 in just 68 innings.
Round 25, Josh Dunn, INF, Sickles HS (Fla.): Dunn hit .452 with six home runs and 27 RBIs while playing third base for Sickles.
Round 26, John Semel, OF, Chapman University (Calif.): Semel hit .415 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs while also saving nine games as the Cougars’ closer.
Round 27, Kurt Steinhauer, OF, Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.): Steinhauer batted .379 while clocking a school-record 19 home runs to go along with 52 RBIs and sterling defense in center field for the Sea Lions.
Round 28, Brian Needham, RHP, Lamar University (Texas): Needham recorded a 4-3 mark with a 4.26 ERA, striking out 58 in 61 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.
Round 29, ZeErika Hall, OF, East Central CC (Miss.): Hall, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound outfielder, had signed on to continue his college career at Mississippi Valley State.
Round 30, Jordan Harrison, LHP, New Caney HS (Texas): A 6-foot southpaw, Harrison was ready to attend North Central Texas College next season.
Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
In my opinion the players from day 2 that I would be watching if we sign them would be -Round 6, David Buchanan, RHP, Chipola JC (Ga.):Â because he is a power pitcher that can have to potential to be a front end starter or dominant reliever.
Next would be our 19th round pick Nelfi Zapata, C Lynn English HS (Mass) -a power hitting catcher?? If all works out who knows he can be the second coming of Piazza or at the least Hundley.
And 27th round pick Kurt Steinhauer, OF, Point Loma Nazarene University – he hits for power and average
5 comments
stickguy
6/11/2009-10:29am at 10:29 am (UTC -4)
Now this summary, and the blog it is on, is exactly why I think the internet was the best invention (thanks, Al Gore!) since bottled beer.
It probably makes sense to take a lot of pitchers, OF and Cs. They already have a glut of IFs at the lower and middle levels (and most of the best position prospects), and you can never have enough pitching.
And, we all know how hard it is to develop a catcher. What have the Mts had, 3? Grote, Stearns and Hundley? And I can’t remember if Stearns was drafted or acquired in a trade.
Also my favorite Mets catcher of all time (he jus tis). Then again, I always liked Pepe Manquel in LF too! Hey, the dude had 100 RBIs one year in the 70s, when 100 ribbies still meant something, and on a lousy team.
rustyjr
6/11/2009-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
stearns was aquired via trade as was grote ( colt 45′s) but i tend to think that our scouts mightve struck gold this draft ,,, you never know we might of found the next piazza but other than that i have a question – why draft players if they already commited to play college ball?
stickguy
6/11/2009-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
plenty of guys every year ditch college for a chance to play in the pros. And it is often $$ that talks.
Usually it is these HS kids (with the college option) IMO that you are talking about going “over slot” for.
Offer a 13th round pick 5th round money, and East Armpit JC suddenly doesn’t look so enticing.
stickguy
6/11/2009-11:10am at 11:10 am (UTC -4)
My new theory: Pitching is spread too thin in baseball. SO, draft 90% pitchers. Then you should have enough to fill your needs.
Then, trade the excess for other positions.
dirtysanchez
6/11/2009-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
good strategy…works on playstation ;p