Interesting Late-Round Mets Draft Picks

Kyle Schnitzer highlights the Mets draft picks from round 11 and beyond. – Joe

Instead of talking about every draft pick, lets focus on some of the more interesting ones.

After the first 10 rounds, the draft becomes a crapshoot. three-quarters of these guys will never pan out. Half of them won’t make it out of St. Lucie. We just hope it’s not players selected in the first five rounds.

Recently, the Mets have discovered diamonds in the rough. For instance, Dillon Gee, who is arguably the Mets’ most consistent starter this year. Drafted in the 21st round of the 2007 Draft, Gee has been brilliant this year. The righthander is 6-0 with a 3.33 ERA and is making a run for Rookie of the Year.

Mark Cohoon, a 12th-round selection in 2008, is quietly becoming the talk of the Mets farm system. He looks to join the ranks of success stories past the 10th round, which shows; Mets scouting knows what they are doing (most of the time). And to add a little comfort, take Christopher Schwinden, a college arm taken in the 22nd round of 2008, is on deck for a call-up.

So now let’s take a look at the 2011 late-round picks.

We start with 11th round selection Christian Montgomery, a righthanded pitcher from Lawrence Central HS in Indianapolis, Indiana. Considered by many as a first-round lock at the start of the season, Montgomery saw his stock drop faster than Office Deport in 2010 (Office Depot dropped 37.4%).

According to Baseball America, Montgomery was touching 90-95 mph on his fastball in the beginning of the season. However, his velocity was down to the mid-80s and only topping out at 89 MPH during the late spring. Ticketed to Chipola (FL) Junior College, this pick is very interesting and could bring huge upside if Montgomery can find his velocity again. He was also a member of the U18 Team USA.

Moving to the 15th round, the Mets selected Phillip Evans, a shortstop out of La Costa Canyon HS, California. A 5’10” 180 pound frame, Evans doesn’t look like much. However, his track record is impressive.

An Aflac All-American, Evans is considered a slick fielding infielder who will have to find another position, since scouts question if he can hold down short. While Baseball America says that Evans lacks a standout tool, they had some nice things to say about his character on the field.

“He plays hard, though, and his speed plays up a tick because of his hustle. Evans has a simple, repeatable right-handed swing, and projections on his bat range from fringe-average to plus, depending on the scout. He has some strength in his forearms and projects for fringe-average power, despite his small stature.”

Signability is an issue here, as Evans is committed to San Diego State.

The Mets really must have loved the Under Armour All-American game last summer. Just where they found Brandon Nimmo, the team’s 1st round selection, the Mets drafted another toolsy outfielder in the 20th round, Mason Robbins. Out of George County HS, Robbins is a slugger. Belting 14 home runs with a .500 batting average in 2011, Robbins is also a two-way player. He’s been named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Mississippi. Robbins is committed to Southern Mississippi, putting the Mets in between a rock and a hard place.

Other interesting picks from 10-50 include a pair of Division 2 West Florida players, Dustin Lawley, the 19th round selection; Gregory Pron, 42nd round selection; A.J. Reed, left-handed prep arm in the 25th round; and 23rd round selection Jeff Diehl out of Cranston (R.I.) West HS.

So grading the Mets draft, a solid B- would fit. Yes, some of these picks were very aggressive and might never pan out. But hats off to the new regime going in a new direction. What did you make of the draft?