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Meet the Mets: Ivan Wilson

By Fan Shot

July 27, 2013 No comments

IvanWilsonThe Mets selected high school outfielder Ivan Wilson in the third round (76th overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft. He currently ranks 25th on the MMN Mid-Season Top 25 Prospects.

Wilson, 18, who was raised in Simsboro, Louisiana, played his high school ball at Ruston HS. He was named a Rawlings Third Team All-American after hitting .383 with eight home runs in his senior season. Wilson, who also played high school football, was committed to Grambling State University before being drafted. Amidst concerns over his signability, Wilson told Nola.com:

“I wasn’t going to be No. 1, but I knew I was going to go,” Wilson said, before confirming that he planned to sign with the Mets sooner rather than later.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to sign,” he said. “Yes, I am. It won’t take long.”

Looking at Wilson, it isn’t hard to tell that he’s an athlete. He’s got tremendous size– coming in at 6’3″ and 220 pounds. He is, however, very raw despite oozing tools. Ivan shows great raw power, but some analysts question whether his hit tool will allow that power to play up. A possible fix could come via mechanical adjustments, according to AmazinAvenue.com’s Alex Nelson:

“…his swing can sometimes be just too flat. Loading his hands higher is one way to force a player to introduce more of an uppercut to his swing, and it might be especially wise advice for Wilson, whose current load is so deep that it bars his arms, preventing him from adjusting to pitches on the fly.”

Wilson also possesses very good speed, especially for a player of his size. Defensively he likely won’t stick in center field, but he’s expected to be a solid defender with a plus arm that could play in right field.

Although he’s a high-risk type of pick, I really liked seeing the Mets take a chance on a kid like Wilson. New York is starting to build a solid core of prospects in their minors, which allows them to take some risks on raw talent. This is a strategy recently seen being practiced by teams like the Texas Rangers with players like Joey Gallo and Lewis Brinson. I think a year from now Wilson can be viewed the same way. It’s going to take patience from the organization and a lot of work from the player, but he’s got all the tools to become a very good player– maybe more.