Mets draft 1B Dominic Smith with No. 11 pick

The Mets have selected first-baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith with the 11th overall pick in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Smith, 17, is a left handed hitter who has spent most of his time as a first baseman.

"This is a great honor and opportunity," Smith said. "I can't wait to get out there. It's an incredible team. David Wright is a Hall of Fame-potential player and Matt Harvey is a great young guy. I can't wait to put on my Mets uniform and get out there and play."

Smith is listed as 6' 1" and 205 lbs, and he will turn 18 next week, on June 15th.

"We're thrilled that we were able to select Dominic tonight," said Paul DePodesta, Mets VP of Player Development and Amateur Scouting. "He's a guy we have followed since last summer. Our area scout has known him since he was 12-years old. We think we have a very good all-around player, a plus hitter with plus power."

"We felt that, going back to last spring into summer, this is one of the most advanced high school hitters you can find." said Tommy Tanous, the team's Director of Amateur Scouting. "He's a special defender at first base. We think that's one of his pluses."

Last season, Smith hit .493 with 38 RBI in 27 games for his High School team. He was also named the 2013 Rawlings preseason All-American  after hitting .551 as a junior in high school in 2012.

Smith will be represented by MVP Sports. If the Mets fail to sign him, he is committed to attend the University of Southern California.

At first, I was very upset over this pick because I did not want yet another young, unproven, high school position player. However, after looking at some scouting reports Dominic Smith seems like an extremely nice pick. He appears to be, and will become, a great hitter for years to come. Scouts have compared him to the likes of Todd Helton and Adrian Gonzalez. 

I personally think that they will keep him at first base because the organization apparently loves his fielding ability there. I know Smith will be at least 3-4 years away if lucky, but I wonder what this means for Ike Davis, whose slow start has made fans doubt whether he is the long term solution at first base. This certainly can't be taken lightly for him, because there was plenty of pitching talent that the Mets passed up on in order to take Smith.