Draft Pick Signing Deadline and opening of New Medowlands Stadium

Major League Baseball teams have until midnight tonight to sign their draft picks from the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft. It's worth noting that there are 15 first-round picks who have yet to sign, the most notable being the Washington Nationals' no. 1 overall pick Bryce Harper. The list is as follows:

1. Bryce Harper, Nationals
2. Jameson Taillon, Pirates
3. Manny Machado, Orioles
4. Drew Pomeranz, Indians
5. Barret Loux, Diamondbacks
6. Matt Harvey, Mets
7. Karsten Whitson, Padres
8. Deck McGuire, Blue Jays
9. Yasmani Grandal, Reds
10. Dylan Covey, Brewers
11. Josh Sale, Rays
12. Christian Yelich, Marlins
13. Zack Cox, Cardinals
14. Kyle Parker, Rockies
15. Zach Lee, Dodgers

Indications are that Harper and Taillon, the first two picks in the draft, will sign before the deadline for big money contracts. Many expect Harper to get more than the record $15 million that the Nationals gave last year's no. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg.

As for me, I'll cross out the names of those who sign, as well as their figures.

As well, tonight at 8:00 PM the New York Giants and New York Jets will face-off in the first game at the New Medowlands Stadium. I'll be watching that game too. Should be a good one.

Mets select RHP Matt Harvey in 1st round with #7 pick

METS 1ST ROUND DRAFT PICK:

#7 RHP Matt Harvey









From MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone:

“What we have here is a power arm. He’s a guy that has four pitches, a fastball that ranges anywhere from 91-98; he throws slider anywhere from 83-85; a curve from 83-79; and a changeup from 83-81. He’s a guy that has four pitches and uses all of them, and as for comparing him to a guy that’s in the big leagues, he’s kind of in the mold of a Mike Pelfrey. He’s a strong, durable body, with a good arm.”



“His work ethic is amazing. He’s an extremely hard worker. He wants to be a big league pitcher and he knows what he has to do to do that. There’s no question he was our team leader last summer and for North Carolina this spring. Last year he knew he was struggling and he made no excuses. I’ve seen guys like him in the same situation pack it up and go home. He refused to do that. He wanted to get better. He knew he had to find it and he eventually did.”



Seems to me as though the Mets made a good choice here. I would have expected them to take Justin O'Connor or Zack Cox with the #7 pick, but I guess they decided to go with pitching. That's good too, the Mets have a lot of great hitters in the farm already and really needed to work on their pitching system. Great pick by the Mets.

Yankees select SS Cito Culver in 1st round with #32 pick

YANKEES 1ST ROUND DRAFT PICK:

Yankees: #32 SS Cito Culver







From RiverAveBlues' Mike Axisa:

"If there’s one thing we know about scouting director Damon Oppenehimer, it’s that he loves up-the-middle high school athletes, and that certainly describes Culver. Standing 6-foot-2 and checking in at 175 lbs., Culver has premium athletic ability that will allow him to stay at short long-term and also opens up the possibility of a move to centerfield. His foot speed is good, and his defensive abilities are all very good except for his arm, which is a true cannon.

At the plate, the switch-hitting Culver generates good bat speed with an easy swing, though his power is mostly into the gaps and he’s a little bit better from the left side. He has lots of room for growth and has a chance to develop into a top of the line defender at a premium position with an average or better bat down the road. There are some reports of a troubled home life regarding his parents but not Cito himself. He’s committed to Maryland but is considered signable if taken high enough, which he certainly was."

From ESPN's Keith Law:

“The Yankees see Culver as a shortstop with a chance to hit for average and some power, and he has a plus arm, but there are mixed opinions on whether or not he’s going to stay at short. On the flip side, the Yankees had Culver on their Area Code Games team last summer and probably knew him as a player and as a person better than any other team could have.”

So it seems as though he's going to be a good prospect despite the bashing that the fans are giving the Yanks. I'm not a big fan of the pick, especially since there were greater prospects available such as Asher Wojciechowski and Nick Castellanos. The Yankees obviously know this kid well and picked him as Jeter's successor. Only time will tell.