[FatJack]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

So basically, Topps was confirming our Speck-ulations? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)



Hey, watch the shade, pal! Sure, we've had our share of bummers (starting with the 1-2 punch of Les Rohr and Steve Chilcott, and then the whiff-a-palooza of 1969-1972 [Randy Sterling, George Ambrow, Rich Puig, some guy named "Bengton"], and we keep throwing in the occasional Kirk Presley or Robert Stratton just to keep the fans from getting too cocky), but the overall NY Mets #1 Draftees team doesn't exactly suck:

1B: Gregg Jefferies (1985)
2B: Wally Backman (1977)
SS: Hubie Brooks (1978)
3B: David Wright (2001)
LF: Preston Wilson (1992)
CF: Lee Mazzilli (1973)
RF: Darryl Strawberry (1980)
C: Kevin Plawecki (2012)…okay, that's a weak spot

Bench: Ike Davis (2008), Tim Foli (1968), Jeromy Burnitz (1990), Terrence Long (1994), Jay Payton (1994), John Gibbons (1980)

But the strength of any Mets team is, of course, the pitching:

SP: Dwight Gooden (1982)
SP: Jon Matlack (1967)
SP: Matt Harvey (2010)
SP: Tim Leary (1979)
SP: Scott Kazmir (2002)
RP: Bobby J. Jones (1991)
RP: Mike Pelfrey (2005)
RP: Aaron Heilman (2001)
RP: Paul Wilson (1994)
RP: Philip Humber (2004)
RP: Calvin Schiraldi (1983)

Okay, most of the "relievers" were primarily starters, I'm just reconfiguring them for purposes of the "team".

Almost certainly not the best "#1 picks" team out there, given the absence of any Hall-of-Famers (thanks for blowing your shot, Doc! You too, Darryl! ), but I would bet heavily against it being anywhere near the worst.

I mean, the "Frank Thomas? Nah, we like Jeff Jackson" Phillies are right down the road…

It's Rick "Bengston", not "Bengton". Here he is with Pompano Beach in 1973. And you've neglected to include the likes of George Kazmarek, Al Shirley, Reese Havens, Brad Holt and Lee May Jr. And one of my personal favorites, Nathan Vineyard who lasted all of 35 innings as a starter in the low, low, low minors (where's Class D when you need it?), finishing with a career record of 0-5 with an ERA of 7.39. Out of baseball before he turned 20. I think I might be tempted to take that bet from you.

Though I think the Mets should stop taking catchers in the first round, I do tend to give them a pass on Chilcott. All the revisionist history aside, the scouts were evenly split between Chilcott and Jackson and Chilcott's almost immediate (and, ultimately, career ending) injury was not something that could have been foreseen. And, as Casey said, you have to have a catcher or you're going to have a lot of passed balls.