Pick: Round 3, Pick 100 Overall

Slot Value: $596,600  

School: University Of Louisville, Sophomore        

Bat/Throws:   L/R    Height:  5’11”    Weight: 200

The Mets selected third baseman Blake Tiberi from Louisville with their third round pick and the #100 selection overall. He is a left-handed batting sophomore that hit .331/.380/.534 with 17 doubles, nine homers and 48 RBI in 236 at bats. Louisville is still playing so you can get a look at the new Mets draftee on Saturday at noon on ESPN2.

Here are a few scouting reports on Blake who reminds me of Daniel Murphy –

MLB. com Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

In his first two years of college, Tiberi had more success in summer ball than he did at Louisville. He redshirted in his first season with the Cardinals and played sparingly in 2015, but he earned all-star honors in the New England Collegiate and Cape Cod leagues. He led the Cape with 15.6 plate appearances per strikeout and finished eighth in the batting race at .315 last summer, and he has recorded similar numbers as Louisville’s everyday third baseman this spring.

Tiberi has good feel for hitting and rarely swings and misses. The downside is that he makes contact so easily that he draws few walks, so his batting average will be more impressive than his on-base percentage. While he homered just once in 34 games with wood bats on the Cape last year, leading to some concerns about his power, he has driven the ball consistently as a redshirt sophomore.

Tiberi has below-average speed but has worked hard on his conditioning and his quickness at third base. He’s a decent defender with good hands and an average arm, though he could be in trouble if he doesn’t have the pop to profile at the hot corner. He doesn’t have the tools for second base and the offensive demands would be even greater in left field.

Baseball America #157 Ranked Player: One of the best high school hitters in Kentucky history (his .510 career average ranks among the top 10 in state history), Tiberi has always hit, but finding the right pro position for him is a tougher call. A draft-eligible redshirt sophomore, Tiberi has answered some of the questions about his ability to stick at third base by doing a good job of tightening up his body. He is a thicker-bodied, stocky third baseman who has an above-average arm.

He does a good job of charging slow rollers and throwing on the run. But Tiberi’s inside-out swing, whole-field approach and fringy home run power doesn’t fit the traditional third base profile. The lefthanded hitter has a long track record of hitting for average–he hit .315 in the Cape Cod League last summer. Tiberi’s lack of plus power will cause him to slide despite his success in the ACC. Tiberi’s body, arm strength and short-range quickness could entice a pro team to look at him as a catcher as well.

Makes sense that we will see him to man the hot corner for the Brooklyn Cyclones to start his pro debut. Like the pick, definitely a player who’s value will be carried my his bat.