Yankees Continue Building For The Future, What Were The Mets Trying To Do?

Yesterday the Yankees drafted the top high school pitcher in California with the 28th pick overall, and he goes by the name of Gerrit Cole. Cole is a high ceiling flame-thrower who needs work on his demeanor on the mound. Scouts suggest he is similar to Phil Hughes, as they are both from California and both have high expectations. The Yankees had taken five other pitchers as well, including two promising prospects in Joseph Bittle and Jeremy Bleich.

Meanwhile, the Mets were busy getting infielders and outfielders. Out of 52 total picks, the Mets drafted 26 pitchers - none until the second round with the 33rd pick overall. And after drafting that pitcher in the first round, the Mets didn't draft another until the 224th overall pick. Saving pitching as a last concern may have been a flawed strategy, however. In a pitching-thin organization, GM Omar Minaya didn't use his picks wisely, I believe. The first round presented the best pitching talent, with the later rounds having considerably less. Only time will tell how these picks work for the Mets.

But on the other side of the city the strong draft presence is apparent. With the Yankees Triple-A and Double-A teams among the best in their respective leagues, the strong drafting of Yankees' GM Brian Cashman should continue to build an already deep farm system.

Here is a quick rundown of the first round of the 2008 First Year Player Draft.

1. Tampa Bay Rays: Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin High School (Ga.)
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt
3. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage High School (Plantation, Fl.)
4. Baltimore Orioles: Brian Matsuz, LHP, San Diego
5. San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey, C, Florida State
6. Florida Marlins: Kyle Skipworth, C, Rubidoux High School (Riverside Ca.)
7. Cincinnati Reds: Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami (Fla.)
8. Chicago White Sox: Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia
9. Washington Nationals: Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri
10. Houston Astros: Jason Castro, C, Stanford
11. Texas Rangers: Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina
12. Oakland Athletics: Jemile Weeks, 2B, Miami (Fla.)
13. St. Louis Cardinals: Brett Wallace, 3B, Arizona State
14. Minnesota Twins: Aaron Hicks, RF/RHP, Wilson High School (Long Beach, Calif.)
15. Los Angeles Dodgers: Ethan Martin, RHP/3B, Stephens County High School (Toccoa, Ga.)
16. Milwaukee Brewers: Brett Lawrie, C/2B, Brookswood Secondary School (Langley, B.C.)
17. Toronto Blue Jays: David Cooper, 1B, California
18. New York Mets: Ike Davis, 1B, Arizona State
19. Chicago Cubs: Andrew Cashnear, RHP, Texas Christian
20. Seattle Mariners: Josh Fields, RHP, Georgia
21. Detroit Tigers: Ryan Perry, RHP, Arizona
22. New York Mets: Reese Havens, SS, South Carolina
23. San Diego Padres: Allan Dykstra, 1B, Wake Forest
24. Philadelphia Phillies: Anthony Hewitt, SS, Salisbury High School (Conn.)
25. Colorado Rockies: Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky
26. Arizona Diamondbacks: Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Arizona
27. Minnesota Twins: Carlos Gutierrez, RHP, Miami (Fl.)
28. New York Yankees: Gerrit Cole, RHP, Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.)
29. Cleveland Indians: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Pitt Community College (Greenvile, N.C.)
30. Boston Red Sox: Casey Kelly, RHP/SS, Sarasota High School (Fla.)

By the way, Keith Law of Scouts Inc. has some really good, in-depth analysis of each first-round pick on ESPN.com. I encourage everyone to check this out to get some real good information on these future big-leaguers.

Draft picks courteous of ESPN.com.