Mack Attack: June 6, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Friday, June 6, 2008

Draft Picks Today:

18. - Player Name: Ike Davis
Position: Outfielder/First Baseman
School: Arizona State University
School Type: College
Academic Class: Junior
Birthdate: 03/22/87
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Report Date(s): 02/22 - 02/24/08
Game(s): DeMarini Invitational

Focus Area Comments
Hitting Ability: Davis tends to be a slow starter, but showed a smooth swing from the left side.
Power: Davis has some untapped raw power that could be developed as a pro.
Running Speed: He's a tick below Major League average in terms of speed.
Base running: Not a base-clogger by any means, he's a decent baserunner.
Arm Strength: Also a pitcher who throws about 87 mph, his arm plays fine from the outfield or first base.
Fielding: He's a solid corner outfielder and can handle himself well around first.
Range: He's got good instincts in the outfield and would have no trouble covering enough ground to stay there.
Physical Description: Davis has a good, projectable and athletic body.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: Smooth swing from the left side; good athleticism; good bloodlines -- former big league pitcher Ron Davis is his dad.
Weaknesses: He doesn't always repeat his swing, leading to incomplete at-bats at times. Sometimes he appears to be a little low energy.
Summary: On radars since high school, when he was a 19th-round pick of the Rays in 2005, the son of ex-big leaguer Ron Davis has a sweet left-handed swing that should generate more power in the future. He's not speedy, but he is a solid base runner and would be fine as a corner outfielder or first baseman at the next level.

 

22. - Player Name: Reece Havens
Position: Shortstop
School: University of South Carolina
School Type: College
Academic Class: Junior
Birthdate: 10/20/86
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Hitting Ability: Havens has improved over time as a hitter and makes good contact with a very patient approach.
Power: Excellent bat speed does generate some pop and he could hit 10-15 homers, maybe 15-20 at best.
Running Speed: He's a well below-average runner.
Base running: Very alert on the bases and armed with good instincts, he won't hurt you.
Arm Strength: He's got a plus arm at short.
Fielding: He catches the ball well when he gets to it.
Range: His range is restricted because of his lack of foot speed. Some feel he'll have to move to third.
Physical Description: Havens is really put together with a strong, athletic body.
Medical Update: He had a sprained thumb in the fall, but he's 100 percent now.
Strengths: A good approach at the plate with the ability to make solid contact; good knowledge of how to play the game.
College Stats on Havens: 359 BA/.486 OBP/.645 SLG%/ 248 AB, 76 R, 89 H, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 18 HR, 58 BB-44 K, 13 E in 66 games, .953 FPCT
Recent Scouting Report: Summation: Swing mechanics and theories towards what makes up “the best swing” are very diverse. But, there are many standards that I like to think are pretty constant when it comes to making a good stroke. That is why I chose to examine Reese Havens first. What you see in the video, and in the photos is a very refined hitter with a polished swing. He has some small flaws here and there and other things go into make a good hitter besides mechanics of his swing, but it is a good place to start. Havens’ stroke is built to spray line drives to the gaps and to all parts of the field. I’d be quite surprised if that polish doesn’t easily carry him to a big league career.

From Keith Law on Draft Day:

This is a great pick for the Mets. He makes all the plays at shortstop because he reads the ball off the bat so well. At the plate he has excellent pitch recognition and hand-eye coordnation. If he has to move to second base because of the presence of Jose Reyes at shortstop, he has more than enough bat. Havens has a great approach and instincts, and he should move quickly through the Mets' system.

From Kevin Goldstein (BP) on Draft Day:

I actually kinda like this pick. He's got some pop, he's got some holes in his swing, but he's a monster makeup kid who could move quickly, and is probably now the Mets 2B of the future

#38:

Bradley Holt P R R 6-4 195 10-13-86 UNC Wilmington (NC)

The Mets picked Holt in the supplemental portion of the 1st round in the 2008 draft.
College stats: 3.18 ERA, 11-1, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 36 BB, 95 K, .225 BAA, 8 HR allowed
Comments by Baseball America before draft day:

With an impressive performance, Holt could vault himself into position to be a back of the first-round or early supplemental selection. A team such as the Mets with multiple picks in the first 50 could be especially interested in a guy like Holt. Mets scouting director Rudy Terrasas is known for liking pitchers with pure arm strength such as Holt, and with picks at 18, 22 and 33, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets take the Seahawks righthander. This weekend will not be the first time that Terrasas and his staff have seen Holt—as the scouting director, along with multiple other members of his staff, was in attendance to witness Holt pitch eight innings against Old Dominion. Holt struck out 11 and only allowed one earned run in the outing. The Brewers are another team with three selections in the first 35 picks that could be especially interested in Holt.

Also from Baseball America:

His fastball has improved since arriving in Wilmington and now sits between 92-94 mph, touching 96… He is able to maintain his velocity deep into games. [He has] vastly improved command. Holt at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, has a perfect pro body with a clean delivery and a first-round arm… The only thing holding him back is the lack of a usable secondary pitch…. Even though his secondary stuff is in need of refinement, teams will not walk away from the pro body, strong arm and life on the fastball.

From Keith Law:

Ultimate Role: Setup man

Summary: Holt shows consistent arm strength and holds it through his starts as well as any starter in this draft, sitting 93-96 mph every week from his first inning to his last. The velocity is easy; the ball comes out of his arm well and has good downhill plane and some life to it. He pitches almost exclusively off his fastball, throwing offspeed stuff less than 25 percent of the time. His curveball, which has a short downward break and moderately tight rotation, is his best secondary pitch; it could become an average offering, but it's a one-plane pitch. He has a changeup, but he guides this mediocre offering to the plate. He takes a long stride forward off the mound, holding his velocity even from the stretch when he doesn't stay over the rubber at all, and has just a little bit of violence at the end when his head snaps slightly. If he had a better changeup or could handle a splitter -- his arm slot might be too low for it -- he'd have a chance to be a back-end starter. But as a one-and-a-half-pitch pitcher, he's more likely to work in the bullpen when he reaches the majors.

Holt pitched the day before the draft… threw 149 pitches and was clocked at 94 in the 9th inning.

 

Mack’s Facts:

Mets Top 10 Draft Picks: - 2004:

#1 RHP Philip Humber - traded to Minnesota

HP Matt Durkin – injuries led to last professional season being 2007

#3 RHP Gabriel Hernandez - traded to Florida – currently pitching AAA-Florida

#4 C Aaron Hathaway - 2 yrs. in Mets org. – out of baseball after 2005 season

#5 3B Nick Evans - switched to 1B – currently playing for the New York Mets

#6 SS Ryan Coultas - currently playing for Lucy

#7 RHP Scott Hyde - one minor league season – career ending injuries in 2004

#8 RHP Neil Jamison - never signed – currently playing AA-Texas

#9 1B Christopher Carp - changed name to Mike – currently playing for the B-Mets

#10 OF Brahiam Maldonado - currently playing for Lucy

Minor Mets Bios:

Shawn Bowman 3B R R 6-2 206 12/9/84

Bowman was selected by the Mets in the 12th Round (357th overall) of the 2002 draft. He signed (out of Charles Best high school in Coquitlam, British Columbia) late so he did not play for any Mets organization in 2002. He split 2003 between Kingsport (.121) and Brooklyn (.203), and, in 2004, Bowman was kicked up to Capital City (A) where he hit .259, with 19HRs and 69 RBIs.
Scout.com listed Bowman that year as the #3 Mets prospect. 2005 brought a promotion to St. Lucie (A+) where be hit .223, with 17 HRs. He was sidelined due to a fractured L-5 vertebrate in his lower back, which he fractured again in 2006. In 32 games for St. Lucie, Bowman batted .252 with three home runs and 19 RBI. He briefly considered having surgery to repair the back but eventually settled upon a rehabilitation program, which was carried out at the Mets' Tradition Field training complex.

Baseball America ranked him as the #7 prospect that year (and the best defensive infielder) and InsidePitch had him #8. This year, OnDeck ranks him this year as the Mets #16 prospect and John Sickles gives him a C rating and ranks him as the 17th Mets prospect. InsidePitch listed Bowman (in Nov 2001) the 7th top Mets prospect. Scout.com gave Bowman ‘2 stars’ (and the 17th top 3B prospect in baseball) as one of the Mets top 10 prospects (issued in December ’06). Bowman has begun his road back to professional baseball by playing winter ball in Nicaragua, where he has powered the offense for Tigres de Chinandega as the cleanup hitter. John Sickles’ 2007 prospect list has him at #15, with the comments “back injury 2 years in a row). He is expected to begin the 2007 season in Binghamton, or St. Lucie.
Scout.com ranks Bowman as the 6th Mets prospect on their revised list that came out prior to the 2007 spring training.

In 2007, he once again started the season with back problems and was placed on the minor league injured reserve list prior to opening day. He did play a short time for St. Lucie as a DH (.150/.182/.300 in 20 at bats), and he is now attempting to come back in 2008 as a pitcher.

 

This Day In Mets History:

2006 - On the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the century, the Dodgers score six runs in the sixth inning during the sixth game of the homestand beating the Mets, 8-5. On 05/05/05, the Twins scored five times in the fifth inning en route to a 9-0 victory over the Indians.