Gavin Cecchini Double-Dips At Second Base
Gavin Cecchini (Photo by Ed Wolfstein)
NEW YORK—Next stop: Arizona Fall League. Or at least that’s what shortstop Gavin Cecchini thought before he received an unexpected callup to New York.
The Mets summoned Cecchini, the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft, on Sept. 6 after Triple-A Las Vegas concluded its season.
In fact, every member of the organization’s 40-man roster received a callup because the Mets had been decimated by injuries.
“I was supposed to be going to the Fall League,” Cecchini said, “and I was like, ‘OK, it’s probably not in the mix, going to the big leagues.’
“That was another reason why when (second baseman Neil Walker) got hurt, I didn’t think anything of it. There’s a lot of things that can happen in this game at the snap of a finger, and you’ve always got to be ready.”
Cecchini, a 22-year-old high school product from Lake Charles, La., hit .325/.390/.448 in 117 games at Las Vegas. He finished third in the Pacific Coast League batting race behind teammates T.J. Rivera (.353) and Brandon Nimmo (.352).
Drafted as a shortstop, Cecchini played no other position until the final week of the PCL season, when he started at second base for the first time since high school. Back then, older brother Garin played shortstop for Barbe High. Cecchini received tutelage at the keystone from 51s manager Wally Backman.
“Wally obviously was a great second baseman,” Cecchini said. “I was fortunate enough for him to be my manager. He was out there with me every so often working on my footwork and getting things right.”
Cecchini committed a league-high 33 errors at Las Vegas this season. He said he has been intent on remaining focused each and every play, which should remedy that issue.
As for his production at the plate, Las Vegas hitting coach Jack Voigt said: “He has really started to understand a game plan from at-bat No. 1 each day. He realized early in the year that he was not always going to get a fastball in a fastball count in Triple-A.
“He is improving his plate discipline every day, and that has translated into a better approach as well as some added power.”
NEW YORK MINUTES
• The Mets had batting champions at each of their top three affiliates: Rivera in the PCL, Binghamton shortstop Phillip Evans (.335) in the Eastern League and St. Lucie catcher Tomas Nido (.320) in the Florida State League.
• The Mets and Las Vegas extended their player-development agreement through the 2018 season.
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