First Round Picks

Pick #18: Ike Davis, Arizona State
Keith Law, ESPN - "The Mets said they wanted to focus on college bats with their first two picks, and Davis was probably the best hitter left on the board. His pitch recognition is good, and he has a clean swing once he gets it started. He has 30-plus homer power in the big leagues if everything clicks. He's also a good defender with a plus arm at first base. "

MLB Ticker - "On radars since high school, the son of ex big leaguer Ron Davis has a sweet left handed swing that sould generate more power in the future. Not speedy, but a solid baserunner and would be fine as a corner outfielder or first baseman at the big league level."

Pick #22, Reese Haynes, South Carolina
Keith Law, ESPN - "This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordination. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets' system."

MLB Ticker - "A legitimate prospect in high school, teams were scared off because of a strong commitment to South Carolina. He's improved steadily in his three years there and has evolved into a good all-around hitter with outstanding plate discpline. He may need to move to third down the road because of his lack of range, but his smarts in the field may at least give him the opportunity to play his way off of short as a pro. At either spot, he's sure to go off the board pretty quickly."

I thought the Mets might select Christian Freidich from Eastern Kentucky, a lefty starter who dropped all the way to the Colorado Rockies at #25. Unless they are projecting Haynes as the eventual replacement for Luis Castillo, I think Friedrich might have been the better pick. I don't know if bonus demands played a role, but if so I will be mighty disappointed. The suppelemental pick is coming shortly.

EDIT: Goddammit.

Gerrit Cole, Orange Lutheran HS
Keith Law, ESPN - "This is a great pick; he fell to the Yankees for financial reasons. Cole has the best arm among the prep pitchers in the draft. He has a loose, quick arm. He has the best fastball of the high school pitchers; it tops out 97 mph. He needs more consistency on the breaking ball. And he needs to just throw his changeup instead of guiding it. He's a high-ceiling arm that could be a No. 1 starter. If that doesn't work, he could be a dominant reliever."

I am going to choose to assume that the Mets simply had no interest in pitching early on and therefore passed on Cole because of that and not because of bonus recommendation concerns. And yes, I am following Mack's advice and not getting too excited over any one player. Most of these guys will never reach the lofty heights predicted for them on Draft Day. But if the Mets are still playing nice in the sandbox and refusing to draft bonus babies, it's a terrible indictment on the entire organization.