The Mets took first baseman/outfielder Matt Winaker out of Stanford University in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. It’s the Mets’ second Stanford outfielder today as they took Quinn Brodey in the third round.
Winaker is having a good college season hitting .308/.432/.514 in 58 games this season. The 21 year old is showing more power this season as he hit nine homeruns this year. Before this season he hit just three in 106 games. Over his college career Winaker has drawn more walks then strike outs (101/86). Over his career at Stanford he has hit .278/.393/.422.
Winaker was listed at number 316 in Baseball America’s preview. They also ranked him as the number 20 first baseman available.
A former prep quarterback, Winaker had two modest seasons for Stanford before helping lead the Cardinal to a big finish and second place in the Pacific-12 Conference as a junior. He runs well enough for the outfield, but Stanford likes agile defenders at first base, and Winaker qualifies. He led the team with eight home runs after hitting just three in his first two seasons. He has some present strength in his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame and controls the strike zone, with more walks (98) than strikeouts (81) in every college season. He hit a soft .270 in the Cape Cod League last summer, but his power improvement this spring stands out, especially considering all eight of his homers came in Pac-12 play.
ICYMI on @SportsCenter
Here's the #3 play on the #SCTop10 tonight @DukeKinamon @mattwinaker #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/UoMRIjeFCz
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) May 16, 2017
