Because in baseball you don't draft based on need. Cecchini likely won't make an impact on the major league roster for at least 3 years and who knows where this team will be at by then.

Ultimately, we both know this has nothing to do with the position Cecchini plays. The Mets made a low-risk pick on a guy who they knew they could sign easily. For a team that is currently working its way through fiscal troubles, that's important.

And this is not even close to drafting Griffin when you have Newton. For one, Tejada is not an all-star by any stretch of the imagination. He's not the second coming of Alex Rodriguez at shortstop. He's a decent player and this team badly needed offensive depth ANYWHERE. So to say we need depth in the outfield and not up the middle is absurd.

>>>"Because in baseball you don't draft based on need. Cecchini likely won't make an impact on the major league roster for at least 3 years and who knows where this team will be at by then. "<<<

Clearly this DePodesta and Alderson have said that their basic draft style is to draft the best talent on the board - regardless of positional needs. But other factors -like signability do factor in as well. And the truth is, once you draft a kid and he gets a couple of years into development, you can always trade him later if you need to address something immediate. Two or three years from now we might end up swapping Cecchini for an Outfield or pitching prospect of similar value. Drafting the highest ceiling talent on the board is a good way to go.

*Clearly this DePodesta and Alderson have said that their basic draft style is to draft the best talent on the board - regardless of positional needs. But other factors -like signability do factor in as well.*

But he wasnt the best talent available when they picked. Most scouts had others ranked ahead of him. If you draft him in hopes of being able to trade him in the future that is a huge gamble for an organization devoid of talented position players. It was all about not signability.

Who assesses a player based on half a season at 19 yrs old? Guess who hit 265 with 5 HR in his first minor league season with the Mets?

Your already drawing conclusions on an 18 year old kid who has played pro ball just for two months?! Are you REALLY this stupid?!!!

"his lousy play"

Scouting report

"He has an intelligent approach at the plate, and works the count like a veteran top-of-the-order hitter. Though he’s selective, he doesn’t hurt himself with passivity. His hands move cleanly and directly to contact, and he’s very short to the baseball, following through with a smooth, fluid finish. Like the vast majority of young hitters, he’s more comfortable to his pull-side, but he’s more than willing to take the ball up the middle and to the opposite field. His swing allows him to make solid contact in all four quadrants of the zone, and he’ll be able to take charge of the inner half once he adds more strength."

What lousy play are you referring to?

I can't take your posts seriously. You jump the gun so quick. Are you bipolar? A couple weeks ago you said Harvey was a "beast."

A couple bad starts and he'll be bust.

Well, I have read where scouts compare him to Eckstein too. Too me that is not 1st round draft pick material. But we will see in 4 years or so.

Baseball America had Cecchini ranked as the 16th best draft prospect. It's not as if the Mets went completely crazy with this pick.

i havent seen ANYONE compare him to eckstein...hes supposed to be a guy who, if he stays at SS, has the potential to be a top 5-10 ss in mlb....that is certainly not eckstein...eckstein is more or less this kids floor

I don't get high on any of these kids until they prove something, but like anything, 5 different scouts will give you 5 different opinions on the kid

Most I've read project he could be a .285 hitter with about 15 home runs, solid defense and can run. None have described him as a slap hitter. That's just YOU looking at the frame of an 18 year old that has yet to fill out

Well I read his upside is .280 with 10-15 Home Runs.
There were better options.,

His frame isn't even that small. He's already listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds. Consider that a guy like Dustin Pedroia is only listed at 5-8/ 165.