The MLB draft is under an hour away and so comes a very important few days for the future of the New York Mets. On Day 1, the Mets pick No. 13 overall. They also have a first-round "sandwich" pick at No. 44 which they certainly will hope to capitalize on. Day 1 features only round 1 and compensatory picks. Fans can watch the MLB draft on MLB Network and MLB.com, starting at 7 p.m. EST tonight.
Day 2 will begin at noon EST on Tuesday with rounds 2 through 30 being completed throughout the day. The Mets will have the 11th pick in the rest of the rounds of the draft (Nos. 71, 101) with No. 132 pick in round 4 because the Seattle Mariners have a compensation pick after round 3.
Day 3 also begins at 12 p.m. EST with rounds 31 through 50 being completed.
The MLB draft is one of the toughest in all of the pro sports to "nail" down. Guys don't move particularly fast unless they're an elite talent (like Bryce Harper) and often times teams have to wait at least a year for their prospect to even sniff the major leagues. Even then, it may take some of these or four years to even make it to the big show.
Despite all this, the Mets need to have a successful draft. They need to hit on their early-round picks and they need to infuse a good amount of talent into a farm system that's craving it right now. For their earlier picks, they can really ill-afford to wait a number of years for a guy to develop and they need a few guys who can move up their system quickly. Add in the financial troubles plaguing this franchise, and grooming young talent becomes that much more important.
GM Sandy Alderson is the recognizable name in the front office, but Paul DePodesta, as the Vice President of player development and scouting, is the one who is tasked with replenishing the system and making the ultimate recommendations. Let's see what the new front office (including J.P. Ricciardi) has in store for us over the next few days.