The Mets selected high school shortstop Gavin Cecchini with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft. Gavin is currently ranked as the Mets 11th best prospect by MetsMinors.net.

Cecchini, 19, grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana where he was coached by his father at Alfred M. Barbe High School. Gavin’s older brother Garin, a third basemen, is a rising prospect in the Red Sox system. In his senior year Gavin batted .413 with seven homeruns, 32 runs batted in and swiped 31 bases, leading his team to the state championship. For his efforts he was named “Mr. Baseball” in Louisiana.

When he was drafted, he was taken to Citi Field for an immediate visit, and he had this to say: “It was unbelievable. it was one of my favorite stadiums I’ve been to, and I’ve been to a lot of them and played in a lot of them. It was awesome. All of the scouts and people took me in, and all the players from the New York Mets they treated me like one of their teammates – they had never even met me before. So it was awesome.”

From the scouting side, Cecchini was considered a safe pick. He’s a good bet to become be a solid, yet unspectacular player with no glaring weaknesses, but no standout tool. He figures to be a good contact hitter with average plate discipline and power that will only play at shortstop. Defensively, he projects to stick at shortstop and be above-average with a strong arm. Overall, he’s expected to develop into an everyday shortstop or at worst a utility infielder.

“He is somebody we targeted all year,” said Tommy Tanous, the direction of Mets Amateur scouting. “An offensive shortstop but he doesn’t give much away defensively.”

So while he wasn’t the sexiest pick, Cecchini appears to be not only a safe pick from a baseball side, but from a personal side as well. For example — in late 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated the New York City area, Gavin donated $10,000 towards the relief efforts. That, coupled with his reputation for hard work, makes him a valuable asset to any organization.

Gavin will likely join the Brooklyn Cyclones this summer as he continues his path to Queens.