Draft pick signings

According to Baseball America, the Mets signed 35 of their of their 49 draft picks.

Noteable signings: Steven Matz (2nd round / 72nd overall), Robbie Shields (3rd round, 103rd overall), Darrell Ceciliani (4th round, 134th overall), Darin Gorski (7th round, 224th overall), Taylor Freeman (8th round, 254th overall) and Jeff Glenn (9th round, 284th overall).

Noteable non-signings: Damien Magnifico (5th round, 164th overall), David Buchanan (6th round, 194th overall)

For the full list of draft picks that signed with the Mets, head over to Baseball America.

Mets, second-round pick Matz yet to agree to contract

Steven Matz, the 18-year-old out of East Setauket, NY, was the Mets 72nd pick in this year’s amateur draft.  The deadline to sign draft picks is rapidly approaching, midnight tonight, and the Mets and Matz have not come to terms on a deal. 

At least not yet.

On Wednesday, Adam Rubin reported that the Mets and Matz were closing in on a deal.  But yesterday, Jim Callis of Baseball America reported that the “deal isn’t close to done and isn’t going as smoothly as you might think.”

So we’ve got conflicting reports on where the Mets are with Matz.  He could be close to a deal, or it could be a bumpy ride.

Either or, the clock is ticking on the Mets highest pick.

Matz is a 6-3 lefthander who struck out 74 in 54 innings with Ward Melville in his senior year.  He is committed to Costal Carolina University.

Mets sign third-round draft pick

It seems I’m weeks behind on my draft pick signings.

The Mets and their second-round draft pick, Robbie Shields, agreed to terms on July 8.

The New York Mets today announced that they signed infielder Robbie Shields, the team's second selection (103rd overall) from the 2009 First Year Player Draft. Shields, a 6-0, 220-pound shortstop out of Florida Southern College will report to Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League.

Shields, 21, hit .345 (76-220) with 65 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 37 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 57 games for the Division II Moccasins this season. A native of Dade City, Fla., Shields hit .329 (215-653) over his three-year career at Florida Southern, while starting all 167 games. He was named second-team all Sunshine State Conference as a sophomore.

Mets sign three more draft picks

This is from five days ago.  Guess I missed it.

The New York Mets today announced that they signed three more draft choices from the 2009 First Year Player Draft, including fourth-round selection Darrell Ceciliani, the team's highest pick to agree to terms so far. The 19-year-old outfielder will report to Kingsport (R) of the Appalachian League.

The Mets also came to terms with James Ewing, the team's 12th-round round pick, and 26th-rounder John Semel. Ewing, an infielder from the University of Southern Mississippi, will make his professional debut in Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League. Semel, an outfielder from Chapman University, will join Ceciliani in Kingsport's lineup.

Mets 2009 First-Year Player Draft picks

72	Steven Matz	LHP	6'02"	192	5/29/1991
103	Robert Shields	SS	6'01"	195	12/7/1987
134	Darrell Ceciliani	CF	6'01"	185	6/22/1990
164	Damien Magnifico	RHP	6'01"	180	5/24/1991
194	David Buchanan	RHP	6'03"	190	5/11/1989
224	Darin Gorski	LHP	6'04"	210	10/6/1987
254	John Freeman	C	6'00"	200	8/24/1987
284	Jeffrey Glenn	C	6'03"	185	9/22/1991
314	Nick Santomauro	RF	6'02"	205	6/13/1988
344	Samuel Honeck	1B	6'02"	215	6/19/1987
374	James Ewing	2B	6'00"	195	10/27/1986
404	Zachary Dotson	LHP	6'01"	180	10/30/1990
434	Ronald Harris	CF	6'02"	205	2/19/1987
464	Casey Schmidt	RHP	6'03"	205	10/12/1987
494	Jeffrey Greene	CF	5'11"	180	4/22/1990
524	Alexander Gregory	OF	6'02"	210	11/7/1986
554	Cody Holliday	OF	6'03"	210	9/30/1987
584	Nelfi Zapata	C	6'00"		12/13/1990
614	Joseph August	OF	6'01"	205	9/23/1986
644	Joseph Bonfe	3B	6'04"	220	12/28/1987
674	Zachary Von Tersch	RHP	6'04"	195	4/22/1988
704	John Church	RHP	6'03"	235	11/4/1986
734	Michael Johnson	RHP	5'10"	180	9/14/1987
764	Josh Dunn	3B	6'03"	215	12/9/1990
794	John Semel	OF	6'00"	182	3/31/1988
824	Kurt Steinhauer	OF	6'01"	205	3/29/1986
854	Brian Needham	RHP	6'07"	180	9/21/1986
884	ZeErika Hall	OF	5'11"	185	6/29/1988
914	Jordan Harrison	LHP	6'01"	180	4/9/1991

Mets draft Steven Matz and Robert Shields

Here’s the press release from the New York Mets:

FLUSHING, N.Y. -- The New York Mets selected left-handed pitcher Steven Matz with their first selection, 72nd overall, in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Matz, a senior at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, went 6-1 with a 0.47 ERA in his first seven starts of the season. In 44 innings, he allowed 11 hits, 15 walks with 81 strikeouts.

Matz, 18, tossed a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks in a complete game in the first round of the Class AA playoff on May 19th. The 6-2, 192-pounder also went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.

With the 103rd pick, the Mets selected Robert Shields, a 6-0, 220-pound shortstop out of Florida Southern College. The 21-year-old Shields, a junior, hit .345 (76-220) with 65 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 37 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 57 games for the Division II Moccasins this season. A native of Dade City, Fla., Shields hit .329 (215-653) over his three-year career at Florida Southern, while starting all 167 games. He was named second-team all Sunshine State Conference as a sophomore.

Here’s more on Matz.

Settling in; Do the Mets have the best rotation in baseball?

I, just like the Mets, am settling into my new place.

I must say, this is a strange room. Hopefully the Mets feel a little more comfortable in first place.

Pedro Martinez faces off against old friend, and one of the best things to ever happen to the Mets, Mike Hampton. When Hampton left the Mets, he provided his greatest service to the club than he ever could in their uniform.

Using the compensated pick after Hampton dashed for more money elsewhere, the Mets drafted and signed one Mr. David Wright.

Thanks, Mikey!

If the Mets can sweep the lowly Braves tonight, and maybe the Nationals could finally win a game, the Mets will be sitting pretty 2.5 games up in first.

Just a thought: Do the Mets have the best starting rotation is baseball?

I know the Angels have a stacked starting-five, but the way this team has been pitching, including the 10 scoreless innings from John Maine, has been superb lately. As a fan, you can't ask for much more than what they've done.

Maybe more innings out of Maine, and less solo home runs from Pedro, but I'm really searching for things to fault them on.

Still drafty

Check here for all the Mets picked (updated as it happens), but only if you're crazy and care about that sort of thing.

Draft day

Today is the draft for MLB. Though I won't go into super detail on who is picked, I will relay the info. The draft begins at 2 p.m. and can be seen on MLB.com and ESPN2.

Frankly, I think this draft is a crapshoot. A player taken late in the draft, could blossom in the minors and become a big star. On the other hand, an early choice could have already hit his peak and will bounce around in the minors, never getting to the bigs.

Time to roll the dice, Omar Minaya, and try and land the Mets a big fish.