Mets draft shortstop in first round

Six months after saying goodbye to homegrown star Jose Reyes, the Mets grabbed his potential replacement Monday by selecting high school shortstop Gavin Cecchini with the 12th overall pick in the first-year player draft.

Cecchini, 18, was named Louisiana's Mr. Baseball after he batted .413 with seven home runs, 32 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in leading Lake Charles (La.) Barbe High to the Class 5A state title. Last week, Cecchini worked out at Citi Field, where he spoke with David Wright. He also had the good fortune to watch Johan Santana's no-hitter in person Friday night.

"It was unbelievable," Cecchini said. "The place was rocking.''

Wright called Cecchini Monday night after he was drafted. "It seemed like we were best friends," Cecchini said. "He congratulated me and hoped that in a few years we're going to be teammates, so it was awesome."

Baseball America described Cecchini's "best attributes" as his "steadiness and defensive skills at shortstop." But Mets director of amateur scouting Tommy Tanous praised Cecchini for his offense, saying he could be a top-of-the-lineup hitter. "He's a tremendous makeup kid," Tanous said. "A kid that's a mix of tools but also baseball instincts."

The Mets also selected Kevin Plawecki, a catcher from Purdue, at No. 35 overall, a compensation pick for losing Reyes. Plawecki, 21, batted .359 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 59 games this season for the Boilermakers. He is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the best Division I catcher. Plawecki struck out only eight times all season.

"There's no real secret about our offensive plan here," said Paul DePodesta, Mets vice president of player development and amateur scouting. "We have a system that we believe in. We believe in it at the major-league level, all through the minor-league level and into the scouting ranks as well. They were perfect fits for our system."