Just Mets

The Mets relinquished their first-round pick in the 2015 first-year player draft after they signed Michael Cuddyer to a two-year contract last November.

The Mets had to wait until the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2015 draft to make their first selection.

And with their first pick, the Mets selected high school OF Desmond Lindsay from Bradenton, Florida.

Lindsay, 18, is a right-handed hitting senior at Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota. He is known for his big-time bat speed and power – he hit .473 with two home runs and 22 RBI with 17 stolen bases as a junior last year.

He is considered to be among the best high school power hitters in the state of Florida right now. Baseball America placed him on the 2015 Preseason High School All-America Third Team, and he was number 72 on ESPN’s Keith Law’s top 100 prospect list.

Lindsay recently dealt with a hamstring injury which Paul DePodesta, the club’s vice president of scouting and player development, believes allowed him to slip to the second round of the draft, saying it’s a, “real opportunity” for the Mets.

“We felt like it was an opportunity for us in a year we don’t have a first-round pick, maybe reach up and try to get a 1st-rd talent,” DePodesta explained.

Meanwhile, Tommy Tanous, the club’s director of amateur scouting, said Lindsay’s sign-ability is a non-issue for the Mets, something club sources said they needed to consider strongly given their draft position and reduced ability to spend in the draft in 2015.

“Desmond will be a Met,” Tanous said enthusiastically on Monday night.

Lindsay’s grandmother is a Met fan, Tanous explained.

He has committed to the University of North Carolina for next year. According to Baseball America, the slot value for the 53rd pick is about $1.1 million.

Lindsay appeared at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic last August at Citi Field – he played for the Evoshield Canes.

To see video of Lindsay, watch this: