Drafted in the 24th round (722nd overall) by the New York Mets in 2010 (signed for $350,000).
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Goeddel is the first player from this year's draft known to have signed for more than MLB's slot recommendation. A blue-chip prospect in high school, he needed about 24 months to recover from Tommy John surgery during his senior year at Bellarmine Prep in San Jose. He threw eight innings as a redshirt freshman in 2009, then went 2-0, 3.12 with 58 strikeouts and 23 walks in 49 innings of relief this spring, emerging as a key piece of UCLA's stellar bullpen. He came on especially strong down the stretch, catching scouts' attention in regionals and sitting in the mid-90s with a wicked 86-mph slider in the College World Series.
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Goeddel seemed like a certain top-three-rounds pick heading into his senior season at San Jose's Bellarmine Prep in 2007, but he had Tommy John surgery that April and missed two full years while recovering. He redshirted his first year at UCLA, returned to limited action in 2009 and then fully emerged last season as a dominant bullpen force for the Bruins as they advanced to the College World Series finals. He struck out 58 batters in 49 innings, allowing just four homers and a .232 average. A draft-eligible sophomore whose signability scared off clubs, Goeddel fell to the Mets in the 24th round and signed for $350,000, the equivalent of third-round money. New York views him as a starter, though he didn't fit in that role with UCLA because of a stacked weekend rotation that featured two potential 2011 first-rounders in Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole and a 2010 second-rounder in Rob Rasmussen (Marlins). Goeddel's four-seam fastball sits at 93-94 mph and touches 96 when he comes out of the bullpen, and his mid-80s slider with three-quarters tilt gives him a second plus pitch. He hasn't started a game since high school, so he'll need to dust off his changeup, which is below-average. Goeddel threw exactly one inning after signing, so the Mets will have to wait until 2011 to see what they've got. He'll be considered for assignment to a full-season club coming into spring training.
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