New York Mets 2012 Draft Candidate: Gavin Cecchini, SS

School: Barbe HS (LA)
D.O.B.: 12/22/93 (18-years-old)
Height: 6’1" ft.
Weight: 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Position: SS

Stats:

Accolades:

• 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championships All-Tournament Team
• 2011 USA Baseball 18U Team
• 2011 Under Armour All-American Game American Team MVP
• 2011 1st Team ESPN Rise Underclass All-American
• 2011 Baseball America 2nd Team All-American
• 2011 LSWA Class 5A All-State
• 2011 Under Armour All-American
• 2011 American Press All-Southwest Louisiana
• 2011 MaxPreps All-American 2nd Team
• 2011 Gatorade State Player of the Year
• 2011 Louisiana Coaches Assoc. 5A All-State
• 2011 Perfect Game Underclass 1st Team
• 2011 Perfect Game Underclass 2nd Team

Scouting Report:

Cecchini has a very athletic frame and well proportioned body that shouldn't be too much of a concern to outgrow the shortstop position.

He is a pretty good defender and is expected to be able to stick at shortstop because of his instincts and athleticism. He has a strong arm, decent range, and is an above-average runner (6.6 60 yard dash), but it is his superb instincts that really give him a legitimate shot at remaining at short.At the plate he keeps things pretty simple. He has a fair amount of pre-swing noise, but minimizes movement just as he gets ready for the pitch. His leg kick isn't anything drastic and he keeps his hips closed well. He creates torque and then explodes with hip rotation creating the source of his power. His power is currently gap power, but in part because of quick hands and strong wrists this projects to grow into more home run as he matures physically. He can make a few adjustments to smooth out his mechanics, such as lowering his hands, but overall his mechanics are relatively clean.

Cecchini is not described as a hacker, but could benefit from being more selective. His short swing allows him to keep the strikeouts to a minimum, but a better overall approach would bring his offensive game to the next level.

He has plus makeup without any major red flags and is considered an extremely hard worker.

Summary:

He comes from a very athletic family (his brother Garin is a top Red Sox prospect) and has one of the more complete skill sets of all the shortstop prospects in the draft. His offensive game is probably a notch below that of his brother who was a 4th round pick and hit .298/.398/.500 last year, but what makes Gavin more intriguing is the fact that Garin had to switch to third base already and Gavin looks like a shortstop long term.

Cecchini is far enough away where he would not help the Mets short term questions trying to replace Jose Reyes, but he would immediately become the top shortstop prospect in the system and could move fairly quickly for a high school bat.

He has a commitment to Ole Miss along with his good friend Stryker Trahan, but being where the Mets would draft him he would be expected to sign.

Projected: Top 20 picks

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