Wednesday concluded the MLB draft with rounds 31 through 50 being completed. On Day 3, the New York Mets took 12 pitchers and six high school players in their 20 picks. It's very possible that a good amount of these guys don't sign, but there's also always the possibility the Amazin's have found a possible everyday player, or potential all star -- just look at Mike Piazza, who was drafted in in the 62nd round, 1,390 overall. The obvious moral of the story is to try to get as many of your draf picks signed, no matter what, because you just don't know how a player will adjust and mature.
In reality, it's really tough to analyze today's picks. Many of these guys the top scouts across the media barely even know, or they just don't expect them to have a legitimate chance of making an impact.
With that being said, ESPN's Keith Law did assess the Mets' Day 2 group of picks, saying:
The Mets went more conservative on Day 2 with back-end starter or reliever types such as Cory Mazzoni (2), Logan Verrett (3) and Tyler Pill (4), followed by pure relieverJohn Leathersich (5), a lefty with good velocity. Philip Evans (15) fell on signability concerns; he is probably more second baseman than shortstop long term but has good feel for the bat, and there's a rumor the Mets might try to convert him to catcher. Christian Montgomery (11) showed an above-average fastball last summer but a bad body, and shoulder trouble earlier this spring brought his velocity down.
It's also worth noting that Law did not consider the Mets in either his "best of" or "worst of" segments in Day 1, which can be seen as good and bad.
With the draft complete, I'd just like to wrap up the Mets' coverage by providing some of my own quick thoughts. Because I can only base my analysis on what I've read, it will obviously be more slanted toward the earlier rounds -- and for the most part, it was an encouraging haul. To see the Mets go against what nearly every "expert" projected them to do in the first round (college pitcher) and instead take two high school players -- and one a project with great upside at that (Brandon Nimmo) -- was a very good sign in my view. The last time the Mets took a high school position player in the first round was 2003 (Lastings Milledge) at No. 12. Despite his lack of success in the major leagues, the Mets need to take chances like this to really get this right. David Wright was a high school pick in 2001. Scott Kazmir in 2001. Wright is an excellent player, and Kazmir was once thought of as a front-of-the -rotation type before dealing with injuries. Taking two high schoolers means the Mets may have to pay a little more to get them to sign, which is also a positive sign for their finances,, at least even if it's only slightly.
Taking college arms in in Day 2 was also a great idea. You can't build the team around a bunch of raw unknowns. At the very least, some of these college pitchers fill the back-end of the rotation, or become good relievers. And at the most, some pan out to become early-rotation pieces. As for the position players, it will take time for them to move through the system and get acclimated to pro baseball, but you always hope it pans out and they become pieces to a winning ball club.
While the early indications are that this draft marked a shift in draft philosophy and aggressiveness from the new regime, it ultimately will not be decided until maybe five years from now when we all see whether any of these players become big leaguers and people the Mets can rely on in their organization. No matter how soon we want these guys to make an impact, patience is necessary. We must assess the progression of all these picks and not necessarily think that an 18-year-old draftee like Nimmo will become a star from Day 1. It's about building a foundation for the future and not looking for quick fixes.