Rule 5 Draft Info

Normally people would get upset over losing players in the Rule 5 draft but come on, would anyone shed a tear in Yankee land if Kei Igawa gets taken? lol

I think the Phils could lose Slayden. He had solid year at Reading and did extremely well in the AFL including a pinch hit grand slam vs Kunz in the game before the finale. He's a solid bat that is a 4th outfielder on some team. Very professional hitter.

Well, most of these guys were once prospects of some kind. So not biggie there. Personally I'd like the O's to take a flier on someone like Morlan or Wagner. It's such a low cost addition (besides the 25 man spot).

Aduncaroo i can one up you on this list, Tim Stauffer. The San Diego Padres first pick in the 2003 MLB draft, 4 overall, ahead of players like Carlos Quentin, Chad Billingsley, Brandon Wood, Nick Markakis and John Danks in the first round that year. Oh yea, its good to see that from a high pick.

horne and igawa won't get picked - more likely it will be whelan or cox

And Wade Townsend was twice a first rounder. In fact, he was the eighth overall pick in consecutive drafts. And look at him now.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Twins protect Waldrop before the Dec. 7 deadline.

They only have 39 players on their 40-man roster, so they can add one more and Waldrop would seem to be one of the logical choices. Even if he did struggle a bit in AA last year, he's just 21 and has been highly ranked within the organization.

Posted by: Dwade | November 24, 2008 at 09:57 AM

It is too late to protect- the deadline was last week.

"Townsend is injured for all of 2009 following surgery. A team like the Red Sox would do well to snatch him up, throw him on the DL all year, and then hope he can get back to the prospect he originally was in 2010."

I don't believe you can do that. The player has to be active for a minimum of 90 days or so.

Is there a full list to look at somewhere?

Not sure if Veal can make the jump to MLB or not. If I were a non-competing team like the Pirates (just an example), I would definitely take a shot and see what he can do. I lefty that throws in the mid 90s are always good to have, its just a matter of control.

I would like to see the Pirates pick up a few of these guys. Last year, NH went dumpster diving looking for some values instead of bringing in high priced free agents, and found a few decent players. If they have to, they can work a deal to own the player and put him in the minors like they did with Evan Meek.

O's '13:

Lofgren, Cox, Brown from the list. Skelton is too far away to stick on a club's 25 man roster (he's only at AA). Others that could stick on a 25 man roster are Will Rhymes, Rockies outfielders Matt Miller and Chris Colonel, White Sox reliever Carlos Torres...

"Donald Veal...another once valuable trading chip the Cubs had.

Depressing."

I had a strong feeling this offseason Veal would be delt or dropped from the 40 man. Brownlie was always hurt, even when he was drafted. Atkins and Mateo were added. I figured a few months ago that this offseason Atkins was going to be added. Both Atkins and Mateo passed Ceda on the depth chart which why Ceda was made expendable.

Lefties are even harder to figure out. A few years ago Andy Sisco was another lefty who had promise and eventually dropped by the Cubs and chosen #1 in the Rule 5 by KC. The following year traded to the White Sox and sent packing by them, too. Rich Hill is another lefty who can't get it together either and is eventually going to be cut if he does not shape up real quick. Lou will never have him pitching for him again. Tearing it up with a 7 1/2 ERA in 6 starts down in winter ball. He has all the tools in the world, but like Veal, it is between the ears. Maybe some of the Rule 5 guys catch on with someone and turn it on a little bit.

You mean Veal the great prospect that all the Cubs fans said would land Sabathia and even Peavy isn't even protected. hahahahahaha.

Just goes to show you have to actually WATCH prospects play to see their talent levels, not just look at stats or rely on hype, and I'm sure most people dont have the MiLBTV subscription.

3B/1B/C-Mike Costanzo was left unprotected by the O's...
I think the Phillies may pick him back up, since he was originally drafted by them in 2005, and have Felix out with a back injury...Also, I think the Astros may be interested

Eduardo Morlan is my sleeper in this draft. Seen him pitch, very fast stay in New Briatin. Throws hard, good slider. A little wild.

That sounded harsh. Sorry. Good luck with that, Pads.

On an unrelated note, I'm disappointed that the O's can't pick, but hey...there's always waivers (that's how we got Guthrie after all). And looking at the available names, I think I'm OK with the decision to protect a few more guys- Bergeson, Spoone, Reimold- rather than take a shot at some wash-out or long-shot.

Still...are we sure teams with full 40 man rosters can't pick?!