Kiley McDaniel released his second mock draft today. He projects Austin Meadows could possibly fall to 11th overall for the New York Mets.

The high school outfielder stands at 6’3″ and 215 lbs, and scouting reports cite he is physically mature for his age. He’s committed to Clemson, but is currently slotted to be selected in the early first round. If all goes according to plan, he may not be headed to college after all.

The offensive potential of Meadows is what has been making him a popular commodity amongst organizations with picks residing in the early part of the first round. His swing is balanced and his approach is sound thanks to solid pitch recognition and discipline. He has great bat speed, which helps him generate power, specifically when he pulls pitches.

When it comes to an eventual position for Meadows, he projected as possibly ending up in a corner outfield spot instead of his current positioning in center field.

As his body continues to develop and mature, he may not be a fit for the middle of the diamond any longer. Also, his scouting report labels him as having an average arm, and would likely be best suited for left field.

McDaniel goes on to say that Meadows has the potential to be a .280 hitter with 25+ home runs. His ability to read balls well off the bat in the outfield will enable him to not become a liability in the outfield, but his arm will eventfully push him to left.

If Meadows does fall to the Mets at the 11th pick, this would be a great selection. He has the power potential a team would want in an outfielder, and is young enough that they can develop him in either center or right. It has been noted that letting him continue playing center would be risky because of his arm, but there is still the option to at this point.

As I said earlier today, the Mets have done a good job at committing to providing the organization with more depth at catcher, and they should now be turning their attention to the outfield.

Outside of Cesar Puello and Cory Vaughn, the potential of developing MLB-ready outfielders is not as deep as it should be. If Meadows does fall to the Mets, he can join Brandon Nimmo as the potential future of the Mets’ outfield in Flushing.

Thoughts From Satish R.

I would be a pretty happy guy if the Mets ended up grabbing Austin Meadows.I like his chances to turn into a pretty good player down the line. As Matt mentions above, McDaniel projects Meadows to be a potential .280 hitter with 25+ home runs, which is excellent production from a corner outfield spot.

A few things would have to happen for Meadows to fall to the Mets, however, and for the most part we would be extremely fortunate to have him available at #11.

That includes D.J. Peterson, who was originally mocked to the Mets by BA, being taken ahead of him (Royals) – as well as Reese McGuire. In this mock, the Pirates grab McGuire with the 9th pick and they also take Hunter Renfroe with the 14th pick. A decision on their part to take an outfielder with their 9th pick could see Meadows off the board then.

Braden Shipley goes to the Marlins with the 6th pick. Shipley and Ryne Stanek are the only two pitchers I’ve really focused on in the first round – but the Mets have no shortage of right-handed pitching prospects.

That’s why I really want us to take a positional player in this draft and there are a lot of solid outfield prospects, ranging from the Austins (Wilson/Meadows), Hunter Renfroe, and Phillip Ervin. Ervin and Wilson are mocked as the 23rd and 24th pick in this draft, and the general consensus is that one of those two will be available when we pick, at the very least…

So bottom line: There are a plethora of great prospects that we could end up taking with the #11 pick and because of that, I am really excited about the 2013 draft.