The Mets have signed their second first round pick, 22 overall, Reese Havens to a minor league deal, and according to Metsblog, he will be starting at Brooklyn when the season starts. Havens is an interesting player, especially when you look at his development. His stats show a huge growth in skills between his sophomore season and his junior season, and I do not know whether it was one great season, or if it was all of his skills finally leading to a great player.
MLB.com says the very same thing about his hitting, “Havens has improved over time as a hitter and makes good contact with a very patient approach.” Over time, they feel he can have 10-15 homer power with the possibility of making it to 20. MLB.com likes his discipline at the plate and base running instincts, but they do not like his speed, which they say is “well below average”.
Going to the numbers, in 2006 he batted .259, and 2007, he batted .274. Then he went to the Cape Cod league where he batted .315 over the 2007 summer and he really turned it up in 2008 batting .360. So there is a positive progression. He also has had a huge increase of walks going 30 in 06, 21 in 07 and 58 in 08. The Power numbers have jumped as well going 4 homeruns, to 5, and this past season he knocked in 18. His RBI's have increased over time as well, but not as dramatically, 40, 43 and then last year 57. He played for the University of South Carolina.
When he was in high school, he was a highly touted prospect hitting .530 with 48 RBI's his senior year. In 2005 he was drafted by the Rockies in the 29th round (867 overall). MLB.com says that this was mostly due to his “strong commitment” to South Carolina, which he fulfilled.
Overall, his numbers look promising, and I am really curious to see how he does in Brooklyn this year. If he does well, he of course will have a formal introduction in a Get To Know A Prospect during the off season. Playing shortstop now, possibly moving to third due to speed issues, it will be interesting to see how the Mets raise him. For additional Havens information, check out his college profile here.
