The Mets have signed shortstop Chad Zurcher and assigned him to Kingsport. Zurcher was drafted in the 31st round.
Kingsport’s season starts on June 21.
Author: metbaseball
Mets Final 2011 Pick Plus a Free Agent Signing
With their 51st pick in the 2011 MLB draft the Mets selected a catcher, Eddie Rohan, from Winthrop University. Rohan said that the Mets were the only team to contact him before the draft. But he’s not the only Winthrop player the Mets are interested in. Yesterday, it was reported that pitcher Robert Lake signed a free-agent contract with the Mets. Lake, a senior, finished the 2011 season with four wins, four losses, and a 4.84 ERA. In six of the games in which he appeared he did not walk a batter, so the Mets continue to pursue pitchers who can throw strikes.
Rohan had the highest average on Winthrop’s team, one that finished the season at 27-30, hitting .342. He also led them in OBP (.442), and had the highest fielding percentage (.996) among the starters, committing only one error in 53 games. Surprisingly, among his 68 hits were two triples.
Lake was one of the team’s three starters. He started 14 games and made two relief appearances. In 89.1 innings he surrendered 111 hits (unimpressive); however, he also walked only 19 batters (impressive). Opposing batters hit .313 against him.
Click here for more Winthrop baseball stats.
Mets Draft Florida Pitcher in 9th Round
In the ninth round of the 2011 MLB draft, the Mets selected Alex Panteliodis, a pitcher from the University of Florida. He was the second lefthanded pitcher the Mets drafted, one of seven.
After being the Friday night starter for his first two seasons, he was demoted this season to being the midweek starter.
Hip surgery last July contributed to his demotion to the #4 spot in the rotation. He didn’t resume pitching until January 2011.
This season, on the Florida staff he had the seventh-highest ERA (3.76), starting 10 games and relieving in six. In 52.2 innings, he walked only nine batters while striking out 44, so he seems to have good control.
More information about him is available here.
NCAA Div. 1’s Top Hitter Falls to 31st Round
On June 17, the Brooklyn Cyclone’s 2011 season begins and, since Monday, the Mets have been drafting players, many of whom could be playing for the Cyclones.
Though there’s no way to no for sure which of the draftees will ever wear a Mets uniform — and most won’t — a few have caught my interest. One is the Mets first draft choice, Brandon Nimmo, an outfielder who never played high school baseball. If he’s signed, I’m really curious how he’ll do against minor league pitching. Another draftee is Chad Zurcher, a shortstop whom the Mets drafted with their first pick today, the draft’s final day. This season in NCAA Division I baseball, Zurcher had the highest average, .443. His OBP was #1 at .547. He was one of the toughest to strike out in Div. I baseball, ranking 39th, and he made the was named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball All-America team, so why wasn’t he drafted until the 31st round?
Bats and Stats 