The Mets had the 72nd pick (2nd round) and the 103rd pick(3rd round) tonight and they made some interesting choices. The first one was Steven Matz out of Ward Melville High School (New York) and he is a left hand pitcher (which is always intriguing). As it is with high schoolers, it is hard to find information but after scavenging a lot of sites this is what I was able to learn. His fastball averages between 88 and 92 but has touched 94. The feeling is that he can get stronger (which makes sense because he is coming out of high school). His curveball is projected as above average and he has a changeup, but its not a very good pitch yet. This is the kicker with him though. He has a commitment to Coastal Carolina. The Mets will have to buy him out of that commitment if they want. Coastal Carolina was a reference for stats from his junior year where he struck out 36 batters in 18 innings and had a 1.04 ERA. He also had .404 batting average.
The Mets next pick was Robert Shields who played short stop at Florida Southern College. This year he hit .345 with 5 HR and 37 RBI. This is an interesting stat about him, according to the school site, he played every game he could at college, 167 games, where he batted .329, had 22 HR, and 122 RBI (which is a good number considering he played 167 games). Both of these prospects are intriguing. Shields will probably most likely sign. Matz will be tough, but he's very interesting and it would be great if does sign.
Some Links:
Florida Southern College Article About Robert Shields
Coastal Carolina about Steven Matz
NY Post on Steven Matz
Baseball Rumor Mill on Matz
