Finishing up:
I'll admit to knowing next to nothing about 36th-round pick Donovan Walton. He's a small shortstop who is light on tools but plays hard and is fundamentally sound. He's committed to Oral Roberts, where his father had been the coach, though he just bolted to become Oklahoma State's new pitching coach. Other than that, I'm tapped on this one, guys.
Benny Distefano, the club's 37th-round selection, is the son of the Mets minor league coach of the same name. Benny the Younger is more than just a case of nepotism, as he's not an insignificant prospect. While I certainly wouldn't call 6-foot-3 too large for the position, if he grows any larger he'll meet some skepticism, but he draws good grades for his actions behind the plate and has a very good arm--he also pitches, sitting in the mid-80s. Despite the size, I like his chances of sticking at the position. At the plate, he's a switch-hitter with some raw power from the left side, although I haven't seen him swing. It isn't clear if he'll sign despite a commitment that's only to Angelina College. He's intriguing.
The Mets took Princeton's Matt Bowman earlier in the draft, and they returned to the Ivy League in Round 38, selecting Harvard senior Jeff Reynolds. Reynolds is a third baseman without a ton of size (5-10, 175 pounds), and, as you might expect, he doesn't have a lot of homerun power. Instead, he slashes line drives into the gaps, though his stroke isn't terribly compact. He severely overstrides, killing his weight transfer and his swing is long due to a hand load that's probably too deep. He rarely struck out in college (and also rarely walked) but that may change once he sees better pitching. His best chance is to bounce around the diamond and become a utility player. Failing that, he probably has little-to-no chance. He's currently at Brooklyn.
I also know very little about Patrick Ervin, an athletic middle infielder who might be able to make it as a shortstop despite playing second for Pace H.S., which was also the home of Addison Russell, who was the reason Ervin found himself at second instead. He's slated to go to North Florida.
The Mets' final selection, David Gonzalez, is another guy the Mets just won't sign. He has a strong commitment to Georgia. Gonzalez stands 6 feet, 1 inch and 210 pounds, meaning his body won't fill out any more. He's as mature and strong as he's likely to get, and the present stuff is just so-so. He throws fringe-average at 88-92, and he pairs that with two different breaking pitches, both of which flash above average. The curve doesn't have a ton of break but it does give hitters a bit of a different look. Mechanically, his delivery is already pretty max-effort, and he has some late arm pronation, potentially stressing his shoulder. Scouts like his mound presence. He has a chance to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter, but he'll need to work on a changeup and refine his command a little more.
That does it for our scouting reports. I'd like to thank everyone for being patient with me as I indulged my private passion for the draft. I'll probably wait to wrap things up until after the July 13 signing deadline for players.