PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- As part of MLBPipeline.com's visit to all 30 Spring Training facilities this month, we will be sitting down with prospects and getting to know them a little better. At Mets camp, it was No. 6 prospect Desmond Lindsay.
Lindsay was the Mets' first draft selection in 2015, taken in the second round. The Florida high school product missed most of his senior season with a hamstring injury, but the Mets had seen enough of him over the previous summer to draft him. He rewarded their faith with a good pro debut, one that saw him earn a promotion from the Gulf Coast League to short-season Brooklyn at the end of the 2015 season.
MLBPipeline.com: Your senior season didn't go exactly as planned because of your injury. How disappointed were you when you got hurt and when you were drafted by the Mets, did you feel that things had worked out?
Lindsay: When I got hurt, I thought, 'There goes my chances of getting drafted or at least getting drafted high.' When I got drafted by the Mets, I felt really fortunate to get that opportunity. Last season, I think I was out for eight months with my hamstring tear. That was the longest time I've ever had not playing. Even when I came back, I felt a little rusty, so I'm excited to be out here in Spring Training, feeling 100 percent. My leg feels great. I'm excited to be here and show what I can do.
MLBPipeline.com: Were you surprised, given that layoff, that you came out and performed well enough to earn a promotion?
MLB Pipeline Spring Training reports
Lindsay: I was very surprised and it was an awesome experience for the last two weeks of the season. I was on the bus and I got called up to the front of the bus. I thought I was in trouble. He told me I was going to Brooklyn. The next day, I flew to Brooklyn and played that night. I went from three fans to 9,000.
MLBPipeline.com: How much do you think having played in the Metropolitan Baseball Classic, run by the Mets, helped in terms of the Mets feeling comfortable enough to draft you?
Lindsay: I think it's more of a coincidence. They saw me play all summer, not just that event. It was fun to have already played in Citi Field and have something to look forward to and work towards.
MLBPipeline.com: In high school, you moved around a little. You played first base, you played some third base. Now the Mets have you in center field. How has that been going?
Lindsay: It was definitely a big transition coming out here. Most of the kids I'm playing with have been playing the same position their whole lives. Learning a new position has been tough, but I definitely like playing the outfield better than the infield. I'm learning every day. The toughest thing has been reading the ball off of the bat and getting a good jump. I wear prescription glasses, too, so I had to get used to running around and my glasses were bouncing on my head.
MLBPipeline.com: Your grandmother is a huge Mets fan. How much of a fun bonus has it been to be playing for the team she's loved for so long?
Lindsay: All the big leaguers have been out here practicing with us, so I get to call my grandma and tell her who was on the field that day and she gets excited about that. Some of our coaches she watched when they were playing, so she loves it.