Mets #4 2016 MLB Draft Pick: 3b Blake Tiberi

Officially signed with the Mets! @ Citi Field https://t.co/bccPKtDnxj

— Blake Tiberi (@Blake_Tiberi_25) June 21, 2016

Blake Tiberi, the Mets third round pick and a a third-team All-ACC selection, was the fifth-ranked college third baseman in Baseball America’s 2016 draft ranking:

1. Nick Senzel (#6 overall in BA, drafted #2 in 1st round) 
2. Will Craig (#45 overall in BA, drafted #22 in 1st round) 
3. Bobby Dalbec (#118 overall in BA, drafted #52 in 2nd round) 
4. Sheldon Neuse (#129 overall in BA, drafted #118 in 4th round) 
5. Blake Tiberi (#157 overall in BA, drafted #100 in 3rd round) 

Every college player in the above top 5 was drafted higher then his Baseball America ranking. Further, Baseball America ranked four high school third basemen higher than Will Craig, who made the 2016 D1Baseball All-America team (First team) — as did Mets second round pick, 1B Peter Alonso. The website d1baseball.com said that Craig "played solid defense at third base and demonstrated a very advanced approach at the plate to go along with his power." Here's his slash line for 2016 college season: .379/.520/.731.

Were there really four high school players who were better 3B prospects than Craig? That makes the BA ranking suspect. Further, only seven 3B (both high and college) were drafted ahead of Tiberi; whereas, Baseball America ranked 13 high school and college players ahead of him.

Tiberi's 2016 slash line was .340/.387/.553. Not as good as Craig's, but pretty good. How many of those four high school athletes drafted ahead of him could have put up those numbers last year for Louisville? Could have even started for Louisville?

Of course, they're several years younger than Tiberi, who is 21, so Batting America is just implying how they think those high school athletes would do at the college level, which is that they'll do even better then Tibari, a leap of faith.

The Mets were seeking players with a strong track record of success against high-level competition. In Tiberi, they have gotten such a player. Their draft strategy makes sense.

Mets Sign 1st and 3rd Round Picks in 2016 MLB Draft

The Mets have not drafted a pitcher with their first pick since 2010 when they selected Matt Harvey, who was that draft's seventh pick. This year, the Mets drafted RHP Justin Dunn, a Baseball America third-team All-American. A good article about him titled "Justin Dunn could become BC's highest drafted pitcher Thursday" appeared in the The Boston Globe.

Blake Tibari, the Mets third round pick, was the fifth-ranked college third baseman in Baseball America’s 2016 draft ranking:

1. Nick Senzel (drafted #2 in 1st round) 
2. Will Craig (drafted #22 in 1st round) 
3. Bobby Dalbec (drafted #52 in 2nd round) 
4. Sheldon Neuse (drafted #118 in 4th round) 
5. Blake Tibari (drafted #100 in 3rd round) 

The Mets could have drafted Will Clark instead of Justin Dunn (Mets #1 pick), but chose not to, and also chose to draft Tibari over Baseball America’s higher rated Sheldon Neuse.

2016 #Mets draft picks @Dunn_Deal19 and @Blake_Tiberi_25 both signed today. L👀king good in #OrangeAndBlue. 🔶🔷🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/Xc8WN71akE

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 21, 2016

An article in the The Louisville Cardinal, "Baseball’s Blake Tiberi expands his role," quoted Blake Tiberi, Louisville’s third baseman:

"I’d say as a whole I just try to get better every day. Whether its swinging, defense, I just try to work on little bits and pieces of it every day by coming in early or staying late at night after practice. It’s been about working on my game as a whole."

Later, the team’s head coach made this comment:

"He’s a great hitter," head coach Dan McDonnell said. "We always say ‘just do what you do,’ for him its trust his swing. He may have a few scuffles here and there but at the end of the day he is going to have a lot of quality at bats. He’s a guy you want up with runners on base."

Tiberi seems like the type of player who will be an asset to the Mets.

Both Dunn and Tibari will begin their pro careers with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

This Mets Minor Leaguer Big on RBIs

Don’t expect the Mets 2016 college draftees to start excelling with the teams they’re assigned to. Even a player who had success with a top college team can struggle in his first pro season, as happened with David Thompson.

Drafted fourth in 2015 from Miami, he received a $425,000 bonus. Thompson played his first season for the Brooklyn Cyclones, hitting only .218. 

Here’s what he said about his performance in his first season of pro ball:

I was tired, but I just had a bad year swinging at some bad pitches . . . I didn’t play too well.

This season he’s playing for the Columbia Fireflies in the South Atlantic League, a Class A league.

Here is what he said about his current play:

Just trying to buy into the Mets’ approach, which I’ve still got a lot to work on . . . I’m still getting myself out too much by swinging at bad pitches. But I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at swinging at my pitch instead of a pitcher’s pitch. I’m still working on that. I’m still chasing too many balls. But that’s where I’m working the most.

Currently, he’s hitting .294 with four homers. He’s leading the league in RBIs (48) — the third highest among all Mets minor leaguers — but has a high strikeout to walk ratio (42:13).

He was the only third baseman drafted in 2015 that the team signed. In 2014 the team drafted and signed only one third baseman, Eudor Garcia, who’s currently serving an 80-game suspension for PED use, and in 2013 did not draft any. In 2016, the Mets drafted three third basemen: Blake Tiberi, Jay Jabs, and Rylan Thomas.