Last night, the New York Mets first two picks were perhaps an embodiment of what the draft night was in its entirety: a perceived sure thing followed by what some considered to be a head-scratching move. In what was an interesting night for the Mets, here is a breakdown of each draft pick made and where the Mets could go with their draft picks later today:
Jarred Kelenic, OF (First Round, Sixth Overall)
MLB Pipeline Tools Grade: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Yesterday on MMN, Kelenic was named as one of the five possible players the Mets could draft with the sixth overall pick in the draft. In the hours leading up to the draft, Kelenic’s name had increasingly become linked to the Mets making this selection not much of a surprise.
Baseball America was sold on his hitting saying, “One of the more polished hitters in the class, Kelenic has the frame and strength to continue to add more power as he gets into player development and could wind up with plus raw power down the road.”
Defensively, many believe Kelenic will ulimately find himself in a corner outfield position. Overall, MLB Pipeline was the most bullish on Kelenic’s ability to stay in center saying, “Scouts aren’t sold that Kelenic can stay in center field all the way up to the big leagues, but his quickness and instincts give him a chance.”
Fairly respected, but perhaps not as much as it should be is Kelenic’s arm. To the naked eye, one could see that he not only has a strong arm, but a fairly accurate one, too. According to Perfect Game, Kelenic throws 96 MPH from the outfield.
Simeon Wood-Richardson (Second Round, 48th Overall)
MLB Pipeline Tools Ratings: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45
With an early commitment to Texas, it seemed that would take a lot to lure Wood-Richardson to sign. However, it appears the Mets are going to be able to entice his to sign as Wood-Richardson’s tweeted “I thank God above, and I can’t wait to be in the Mets organization!”
At just 17 years old, Wood-Richardson is going to need more time to develop. That said, he has been impressive for his age. Perfect Game describes his repertoire saying”Richardson consistently worked in the 90-93 mph range and peaked as high as 95 mph to go with a big breaking downer curveball in the mid-70s that really changed hitters’ eye levels well when he was on top of it, plus an 80 mph changeup that showed promise.”
Drafted as a pitcher, but also playing third base in high school, Wood-Richardson showed some impressive power from the right side. As noted by Baseball America, “If he did make it to campus at Texas, he would be a two-way talent with some impressive raw power with the bat as well.”
Potential Day Two Draft Picks:
Kumar Rocker (North Oconee High School, Georgia):
Ranked 13th by Baseball America and 23rd by MLB Pipeline, it was fairly surprising he hasn’t been drafted in the first two rounds. Rocker has a smooth, repeatable motion that’s definitely pivotal enough to be mechanically sound. Rocker’s fastball reaches 98 MPH, and he has also has a changeup that reaches 91 MPH. His breaking pitch is a curve to some, a slider to others. Ultimately, Rocker may have to be overwhelmed with an offer to leave his Vanderbilt commitment.
Cole Wilcox (Heritage High School, Georgia):
Much like Rocker, Wilcox has a commitment (Georgia), which could explains why he wasn’t drafted yesterday. Wilcox was ranked as the 19th best prospect by MLB Pipeline and as the 37th best by Baseball America.
While the commitment to Georgia is a potential issue, there is some question about his pitching mechanics. Overall, Wilcox is a big guy standing at 6’ 5” and 220 pounds. That large frame has him throwing his fastball in the mid-90’s. He has two secondary pitches in a slider and changeup, both which flash plus, but could use some refinement. Overall, Wilcox is a strike-thrower who looks like he could move quickly through an organization.
Adam Kloffenstein (Magnolia High School, Texas):
Like Wilcox, Kloffenstein is a 6’ 5”, 220 pound, right-handed pitcher. However, unlike Wilcox, his fastball stays in the low 90’s. Due to a mechanical change earlier in the year, his curve has become more slurvey and more closely resembles a slider. His changeup sits mid-80’s, is thrown for strikes, and does produce some swings and misses. Kloffenstein was ranked as the 35th best prospect by Baseball America and 43rd by MLB Pipeline.
Again, much like Rocker and Wilcox, the team drafting Kloffenstein will have to deal with a commitment as Kloffenstein has already commited to Texas Christian. Like any player with a commitment, the team drafting him will have to entice him to forego college.
Other Potential Second Day Draft Picks:
Nick Northcut 3B/RHP (Mason High School, Ohio)
Landon Marceaux RHP (Destrehan High School, Louisiana)
Blaze Alexander SS (IMG Academy, Florida)
