Predicting The Mets Draft Picks

Tyler at Mets Merized Online writes about the Mets 2008 Draft Picks and supplies us with a prediction from Brewerfan.com:

1) With the 18th Pick, Jacob Thompson
Thompson has enjoyed incredible results during his college career, limiting base runners and rarely beating himself. He is 22-6 with a 1.95 ERA in two years at Virginia and one summer pitching for Team USA that includes a sparkling cumulative 1.03 WHIP. He achieves his success with a no-nonsense approach by pounding the strike zone with a solid three-pitch repertoire. It all begins with an average fastball that sits in the 87-91 range and can touch 93 on occasion. He also throws a very sharp curveball that he uses to rack up a lot of Ks when it is working for him. He tends to rely too much on that curveball at times when he’s not pumping his fastball like he can, and he also puts a lot of pressure on his pitching shoulder by bringing his arm straight over the top. If his delivery and stuff continue to work for him, he could fly through the minors with his approach and overall pitching savvy.

2) With the 22nd Pick, Sonny Gray
Despite his smallish 6’0”, 185 pound frame, Gray is a phenomenal athlete with tremendous pure stuff. He displays one of the easiest arm actions around, with a whip-like delivery that allows him to touch the mid-90s with ease, sitting in the low-90s deep into ballgames. He also throws a nasty slider that has touched the mid-80s on occasion, a pitch that is virtually unhittable when it is working as it well as it often does. He also excels at the plate, with a good stroke and intriguing power potential. His athleticism allowed him to star as his team’s starting quarterback as well, leading his team to the state championship game a year ago. If Gray were just a couple of inches taller he likely would be in the three to five range joining prep pitchers such as Tim Melville, Alex Meyer and Gerrit Cole, but since he’s not the short righty stigma persists. He is also a very good student, and has committed to play for Vanderbilt, and program that has found a way to sway some of the top players in the nation away from signing in recent years. Any shorter righty with electric stuff is bound to draw a comparison or two to Roy Oswalt.