Mets’ 2012 first-round pick, Gavin Cecchini, was the focus of Adam Rubin’s weekly Farm Report on ESPN New York today. The shortstop is entering his second professional season in the New York organization. He will be forming an attractive double play combination with fellow middle infielder L.J. Mazzilli on the Brooklyn Cyclones. Cecchini went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his season debut Monday against the Staten Island Yankees.

He spent his first pro season in rookie ball with the Kingsport Mets before earning a late-season call-up to Brooklyn for the last week of their regular season and the playoffs. He walked to the plate five times with Brooklyn without collecting a hit, and posted a .246/.311/.330 line with one home run, 22 RBIs, and 21 runs scored in 191 at-bats (53 games played) with the K-Mets.

In Rubin’s report, Cecchini talked about a lot of things; what his experience was like in Brooklyn when they clinched a playoff spot, and looking up to his older brother, Garin, who was drafted by the Red Sox in 2010. However, what I enjoyed reading most about was how he’s adjusted the mental aspect of his game, while dealing with failure.

As we’re all aware of, some of the best hitters in major league history fail to get a hit seven out of 10 times they walk to the plate. Being a first-round draft pick out of high school with a $2.3 million bonus awarded to him by the Mets, there is pressure to make it look like a worthwhile investment. New York knows it will take a while for him to develop into the kind of player they think he can be, and Gavin knows that too. Despite being aware of that, it won’t take away the pressure to produce on the field. The 2012 season was a learning experience for Cecchini, and we can see that year of wisdom coming through already:

I think I’m way more consistent than last year with hitting, fielding, base running. It’s really the small things, man. Talent can only take you so far. The rest of it is all mental. The people who can get over failure the quickest are the ones that are going to be the best. There’s no doubt that I know how to handle the failure and move on.

Like plenty of other Mets fans, I will be interested to see how he does with a year of pro ball under his belt and his first experience at extended spring training, as well. The players who do have success at the major league level know how to handle failure, the mental aspect of the game, and how to adjust at a moment’s notice. It’ll be fun to see his growth as a ballplayer right in front of our eyes with Brooklyn.