June ended miserably for the New York Mets, but there's always a chance July could bring better luck.
The Mets have a lot of important checkpoints coming up. The All-Star Game takes place on Jul. 15, then the trade deadline on Jul. 31. Clearly, the Mets need roster improvements, as evidenced by their 13 losses in the last 16 games they've played.
First, though, the Mets can upgrade their roster of the future in the Jul. 13 draft. They won't make their first pick until 38th overall, thanks to their 10-pick luxury tax penalty, but perhaps they can still acquire a future star.
One ESPN draft analyst thinks the Mets will take a swing at a prospect with as many question marks as anyone in this draft class, but tools that speak even louder.
Earlier this week, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel predicted that the Mets would take 6-foot-6 high school infielder/outfielder Quentin Young, the nephew of former major league sluggers Dmitri and Delmon Young, with the 38th overall pick.
"I didn't need the combine to confirm that Young (related to Dmitri and Delmon) had 80-grade power potential, but he did hit a ball 115.4 mph plus five more harder than 110 mph and four farther than 420 feet," McDaniel wrote.
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"There's a shot, maybe 1-in-5, that he turns tools supernova on the level of Elly De La Cruz, Oneil Cruz, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr. and becomes a standout big leaguer. There's also a chance he doesn't get out of Single-A, but at this juncture of the draft, that's a gamble I'll take -- and it sounds like a few other teams would as well."
Of course, there are risks inherent to taking a player like Young, some of which McDaniel alludes to. He's got big swing and miss concerns, and it's not yet certain what position he'll play, but when he connects, the ball is going to leave his bat at frightening speeds.
Players like that tend to develop into stars at a disproportionate rate. And perhaps the Mets will be the next team to unlock one of those stars.
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