Who says losing doesn’t have its rewards.
The one positive from the Mets’ all-too-familiar on-field struggles comes at the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft, which begins at 7 p.m. Thursday. And once again they have a high pick, No. 10 overall, and hopes of adding an impact player to their surging minor league system.
Top players have gone in this slot before, including Madison Bumgarner (2007), Tim Lincecum (2006) and Eric Chavez (1996).
“There are some major leaguers where they pick,” MLB Network analyst and former Indians and Rangers general manager John Hart said in a phone interview.
The Mets have gone with a high-school position player as their top selection each of the last three years, taking first baseman Dominic Smith last year, shortstop Gavin Cecchini in 2012 and Brandon Nimmo in 2011, none of whom have risen past Single-A yet.
They seem to be focused on more immediate results this year. The Mets have been linked to a quartet of college players — Hartford ace left-hander Sean Newcomb, N.C. State shortstop Trea Turner, Vanderbilt right-hander Tyler Beede and Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto, who some believe is the best hitter in the draft though he isn’t considered an elite athlete.
Conforto, the two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year and a three-time All-American, would seem make the most sense. The Mets are pitching-rich at the major league level, and still have a number of prospects in the minor leagues, such as Triple-A flame-thrower Noah Syndergaard and impressive Single-A left-hander Steven Matz, while they remain in need of bats. Still, ESPN’s Keith Law and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo project the Mets taking the hard-throwing, 6-foot-5 Newcomb.
“He has two plus pitches right now. He’s a durable, strong, physical starting pitcher [who’s] not too far away,” Hart said. “If the Mets wanted to go pitching and that guy is available, you have to think about taking him right there.”
The left-handed hitting Conforto led Oregon State to the NCAA Tournament, hitting a robust .356 with seven home runs, 56 RBIs, a .504 on-base percentage. A finalist for the Golden Spikes Award — given to the top college baseball player — Conforto set a school record by drawing 55 walks, the kind of patience and plate discipline the Mets preach.
“He really knows the strike zone. He’s a fast track, advanced college bat,” Hart said. “He’s a guy you could probably stick in Single-A the rest of the year. This would be a guy that you would likely have in AA [next year] and see where he goes. He can be [at the major league level] in two years.
“He’s going to be a middle of the order bat.”
The Yankees don’t have a first-round pick for the first time since 2002 — the result of their busy offseason in free agency — and won’t pick until No. 55. The Yankees have gone the high-school route with their top selections five of the last six years to unsatisfactory results.
The one college selection, third baseman Eric Jagielo, is advancing fast, hitting 10 homers with a .839 OPS for high Single-A Tampa after the Yankees took him 26th overall out of Notre Dame in last year’s draft.
The last first-round pick to produce for the Yankees was Joba Chamberlain in 2006, though they did take Gerrit Cole 28th overall in 2008. The right-hander, however, didn’t sign — he attended UCLA instead — was taken by the Pirates No. 1 overall in the 2011 draft and is now a vital part of Pittsburgh’s rotation.