Drafted in the 5th round (152nd overall) by the New York Mets in 2010 (signed for $110,000).
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Den Dekker was recruited as a pitcher and hitter at Florida, and he has a strong arm that helps make him one of college baseball's better defenders in center field. He has plus range, tracks balls well and plays hard. He was a preseason second-team All-American in 2009 after playing for Team USA the previous summer, but he never quite got going for the Gators and wound up falling to the 16th round of the draft after his junior season. He didn't sign and returned for his senior season, and has a chance to be one of the first seniors drafted. As one scout put it, "He still has the tools everyone talked about last year." Den Dekker is an excellent defender with plus speed (he's still a strong basestealer) and center-field range. He has made more consistent contact as a senior, leading Florida in batting (.361 entering the SEC tournament) and ranking second with 11 home runs. He has the bat speed for scouts to project him to have solid-average power as a pro. He still swings and misses more than he should and has some pitch recognition issues, and at times his swing gets choppy. He has played with more confidence as a senior and may just have had a bad case of draftitis in 2009. Den Dekker could go out in the first five rounds as a budget-oriented senior sign.
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Den Dekker lost his place in line on the center-field depth chart in 2013 when he injured his left wrist while attempting a diving catch during spring training. Had he not been on the disabled list for the first two and a half months, then he, and not Juan Lagares, probably would have received the callup in late April. A graceful athlete, den Dekker has above-average speed and plays a plus center field, which could be his ticket to a big league reserve role. A fringy offensive player because he strikes out a lot--more than a third of the time during a September callup--he offers value in the form of walks and power, though probably not enough of the latter to start on a good team. Den Dekker will be 26 on Opening Day and he does enough things well to earn an extended look with the rebuilding Mets during the 2014 season.
Den Dekker turned in his finest offensive season in college as a senior, batting .352 with 13 homers at Florida in 2010, and he needed less than a year to reach Double-A after turning pro. He had batted a cumulative .310/.374/.488 in 94 Class A games, but his average plummeted to .235 at Binghamton as the strikeouts piled up. He finished with 156 whiffs in 139 games, though the Mets believe he's a more nuanced hitter than he showed last season. They think den Dekker got caught between being too passive and too aggressive as Binghamton's primary leadoff hitter. He turns on inside fastballs on occasion, but for the most part he's a gap hitter with below-average power. Den Dekker's value is tied to his defensive range and his speed, both of which are plus tools and crucial to the success of any center fielder. He reads balls well off the bat and takes proper routes He unleashes accurate throws with carry, using average arm strength. Despite his raw speed, den Dekker is a modest stolen-base threat because he's faster underway than on his first step. He profiles as a fringe starter in center or, more likely, a strong outfield reserve.
On the heels of poor junior season, den Dekker turned down the Pirates as a 16th-round pick in 2009, opting to return to Florida for his senior year. He moved up 11 rounds in the draft and signed for $110,000 after a career year for the Gators, during which he batted .352/.435/.563 with 13 homers and 23 steals in 62 games. That performance helped mitigate scouts' concerns about his pitch-recognition skills and contact ability, and den Dekker continued to hit after jumping to low Class A in his pro debut. His swing can get choppy and he's not a high-contact, bat-control player, so his average may settle in the .260 range. An open batting stance this season helped him shorten his stride, though it didn't appear to aid him against lefthanders, who have tormented him since college. A physical player with strength in his swing, he can drive the ball to the alleys and to his pull side, but his power is below-average. It's on defense where den Dekker shines. He's a big league-caliber defender in center field with tremendous range and solid arm strength. He's a plus runner. The Mets intend to challenge den Dekker, a high-energy player who could have a long career as a lefty-batting extra outfielder who can defend, run and hit a bit.
Best Tools List
Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the New York Mets in 2014
Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the New York Mets in 2013
Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the New York Mets in 2012
Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the Florida State League in 2011
Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the New York Mets in 2011
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