Cleveland Sports Forum

I'm holding my breath waiting for the Rule 5 draft.

Whew! Just inhaled.

Never mind.

Not much else going on. It's something - at least for minor league fans.

2012 MLB Rule 5 Draft Begins at 10 AM EST
By John Sickels on Dec 5, 8:44p
25
Johan Santana pitching for the Minnesota Twins in April, 2000 - Matthew Stockman
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The 2012 MLB Rule 5 draft begins at 10 AM Eastern time. We will update and analyze the results here for you when the time arrives. In the meantime, here is a discussion thread for you.

The Rule 5 draft is not as interesting as it used to be, thanks to the rule change back in 2006 that added a year to each minor league player's eligibility clock. Players who signed at age 18 or younger get five years in the minors before they are eligible. This would include most high school and international signees. Players age 19 or older when they sign get four years, which would account for most college prospects.

Thanks to this rules change, there aren't many Johan Santanas (who was chosen by the Twins under Rule 5 back in 1999) left for teams to pick through, and even Joakim Sorias (selected by the Royals in 2006) are hard to come by.

Here are five possible names to watch:

Jesus Aguilar, 1B, Cleveland Indians: A power-hitting right-handed first baseman, age 22, knocked 15 homers this year between High-A and Double-A. His name comes up frequently when Rule 5 is discussed, but finding an open slot for a right-handed-hitting first baseman might not be easy.

Ryan Chaffee, RHP, Los Angeles Angels: Age 24, owns a low-90s fastball and a decent slider, put up strong numbers this year with 84 strikeouts in 66 innings and a 2.60 ERA between High-A and Double-A. He has a good sabermetric case and there's nothing wrong with his stuff. He seems like he could help several teams in the bullpen.

Marcus Hatley, RHP, Chicago Cubs: Age 24, the 6-5, 220 pound right-hander owns a mid-90s fastball and a breaking ball with movement, but has been held back by command issues. He posted a 3.40 ERA with a 46/20 K/BB in 45 innings in Double-A. His ERA in Triple-A was ugly at 8.22 due to a few bad outings, but he whiffed 18 in 15 innings and held right-handed hitters to a .105 average.

Braulio Lara, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays: 23-year-old southpaw with a mid-90s fastball and a fair slider, got knocked around in High-A (5.71 ERA, 82/58 K/BB in 112 innings, 123 hits) but has one of the best pure arms available. Someone might stash him in a pen.

Carlos Perez, LHP, Atlanta Braves: A hot prospect a couple of years ago, Perez has pitched poorly in Low-A but fanned 50 in just 31 innings this year in the Appy League and is still just 21. Like Lara, he has arm strength that someone might want to work with.

we have room for 1 addition to the roster and draft high. Maybe we'll make a pick. A lousy team can usually get away with storing a Rule 5 kid on the roster. We did it with Hector Ambriz a few years back and look how much good that did us.

2012 Rule 5 Draft Results
By Steve Adams [December 6 at 9:03am CST]
Each year, Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, MLBTR offers an in-depth description, but here's a quick overview.

Players are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they aren't on the 40-man roster four or five years after signing, depending on the age at which they signed. Teams draft in the reverse order of the previous season's standings but aren't required to make a selection. If they do choose a player, they pay his former team $50K and must keep that player on the Major League roster all season or offer him back to his original team for $25K.

We'll keep track of the Rule 5 Draft right here as it unfolds:

Astros take Josh Fields from Red Sox
Cubs take Hector Rondon from Indians
Rockies take Danny Rosenbaum from Nationals
Twins take Ryan Pressly from Red Sox
Indians take Chris McGuiness from Rangers
Marlins take Alfredo Silverio from Dodgers
Red Sox take Jeff Kobernus from Nationals; traded to Tigers
Royals
Blue Jays
Mets take Kyle Lobstein from Rays; expected to be traded to Tigers
Mariners
Padres
Pirates
Diamondbacks take Starlin Peralta from Cubs
Phillies take Ender Inciarte from Diamondbacks
Brewers
White Sox take Angel Sanchez from Angels
Dodgers
Cardinals
Tigers
Angels
Rays
Orioles take T.J. McFarland from Indians
Rangers take Coty Woods from Rockies
Athletics
Giants
Braves
Yankees
Reds
Nationals
Second round of Major League phase:

Astros take Nate Freiman from Padres
Marlins take Braulio Lara from Rays

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#BbB2yHgiFPvc5xoe.99

2012 Rule 5 Draft: Live blog

By Tony Lastoria


December 6, 2012


10:29am ET: Rondon, 24, pitched just two innings in affiliate ball this past season and has only pitched 41.2 innings over the last three seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2010 and an elbow fracture in November of 2011. He has looked healthy this offseason pitching in the Venezuela Winter League and has reportedly been back into the mid-90s with his fastball. Durability and the lack of any dominant secondary stuff remains a big concern, but he is a former high-end prospect that is still intriguing because of his explosive fastball.

10:22am ET: McGuinnes, 24, played last season at Double-A Frisco and hit .268 with 23 HR, 77 RBI and .840 OPS in 123 games. He is 6’1” 210 pounds and hits with an open left-handed stance. He has a good approach at the plate and tracks pitches well which help him limit strikeouts and be patient enough to draw walks. He is a below average runner with average power, and is a solid defender at first base. He has only played first base in the minors, but this offseason he is working on playing some outfield, so this is something that maybe intrigued the Indians where he could play first base but also play some left field.

10:13am ET: The Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft is over and there were a total of 15 picks, two of them were Indians: Rondon and McFarland. The Triple-A and Double-A phase of the draft will start up momentarily, and these players that are selected are lost for good and are not given back. I'll have some thoughts on McFarland, Rondon, and McGuiness in a few minutes.

10:09am ET: The Orioles have selected Indians left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland.

10:03am ET: The Cubs have selected Indians right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon with the second pick in the draft. More on this after the conclusion of the draft. The Indians have selected first baseman Chris McGuiness from the Rangers.

Indians choose 1, lose 2.

Coming: Chris McGuinness a LH 1st baseman with power
http://www.baseballamerica.com/statisti ... ards/88696
Rated Best Strike Zone Discipline in the Texas Rangers system after the 2010 season
Will be 25 years old and has not played in AAA.

Going: 2nd pick of the draft was Hector Rondon who Joe knows has being looking very good in Winter Ball.

Lower down,the Orioles took lefty TJ McFarland.

Since McGuinness will have to stay with the team in 2013, I assume that means the search for 1b/dh has come nearly to an end. And now we can peddle Lars for whatever he is worth, which is probably very very little. Ditto LaPorta.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Chris McGuiness is the kind of player who prefers to be more of an under-the-radar kind of prospect. He may have blown his cover by winning the Arizona Fall League's Joe Black Most Valuable Player Award this fall.

"I don't like being in the spotlight," said McGuiness, who was on hand prior to the AFL championship game at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday to accept the award. "I wasn't a high draft pick. It's good and bad. You're in the spotlight, but you get more chances to succeed or fail [as a high pick]. It's the same game.

"The way I look at it, if you play and put up good numbers, someone's going to want you out there and want you to put on their uniform. I'm going to be under the radar and do what I can."

McGuiness certainly put up some numbers this fall. The Rangers first baseman led the AFL with 27 RBIs in 25 games, a big reason he was chosen by the league's managers and coaches for the award.

"It's a huge honor," McGuiness said. "I just wanted to come out here -- you always hear how good the league is -- and compete, try not to get lost in the mix with all these good players. Everybody out here is really good. It depends on who's hot at the right time. Everybody out here can be an MVP. I was lucky to have good guys in front of me, and I was able to drive them in. Being out here and having your name thrown in with some of the best prospects, it's definitely humbling."

The Citadel product was initially a 13th-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, then was traded to Texas in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia deal in 2010. After playing in just 55 games in 2011, McGuiness turned in a solid 2012 season, his first at the Double-A level, finishing tied for fourth in the Texas League with 23 homers and seventh with 77 RBIs for Frisco. It's that ability to drive in runs that has allowed him to stand out.

"Chris left off from the season he had in Double-A," said Jason Wood, McGuiness' manager here in AFL who also hails from the Rangers organization. "He's learned to hit to all fields. He's proven that throughout the entire Fall League. He's got that knack, as you can see from his numbers, to drive in runs. That's something that goes a long way for a ballclub. To see him drive in as many runs as he has, he's proven to me that he is the MVP of this league."

McGuiness wanted to be playing on Saturday, but his Surprise Saguaros needed to win on Thursday with Peoria losing. Neither happened, so the first baseman figured he would head home on Friday. Then, he got word from the league about earning MVP honors and he was more than happy to alter his travel plans.

"I called my folks," McGuiness said. "I knew we had to win the last game, told them I'd be home Friday afternoon, Saturday morning at the latest. When I found this out, I told them about it. They were all excited and said, 'If you're going to be late, this is a good reason to be late.' Any time you get the chance to get an MVP trophy, it's worth hanging around for."

Picking up hardware like that, though, will make it tougher for him to stay incognito in the baseball world. He'll move up to Triple-A in 2013, and the bar may have gone up just a bit in terms of expectations for the left-handed hitter. He'll head into the offseason working on his versatility -- seeing if he can add some left-field play to his repertoire and be a Mitch Moreland-type player. Wood, who's worked both with Moreland and McGuiness, sees that as a distinct possibility.

"In all honesty, I think he likes it the way it is," Wood said of McGuiness' desire to stay out of the spotlight. "But he's definitely on a lot of radars now, for the season he's had."

Tony Lastoria ‏@TonyIPI


Rangers supposedly were trying out McGuinness in the outfield some this offseason. Indians could continue that experiment to add versatility

Anderson came to Cleveland for nothing !

Despite being MVP McGuinness was not rated on of the AFL Top 20 prospects. So he joins Canzler and McDade as 1bs who don't rate highly but have performed rather well despite low expectations.

As well as Anderson and LaPorta who have not lived up to their high expectations.

Sounds like the roster of a cheap last place team.

The Cubs, picking second, selected 24-year-old righthander Hector Rondon of the Indians. The 6-foot-3 Venezuelan was a 2008 Futures Gamer had a breakout 2009, reaching Triple-A, but elbow injuries have sidetracked his career since then. He has had Tommy John surgery and a second cleanup procedure, limiting him to 42 innings the last three seasons. However, the Cubs have Franklin Font of their big league coaching staff, and he coaches with the Caracas Leones, where Rondon is pitching this winter. he's 2-1, 3.71 in 17 innings of relief work for the Leones, with 11 strikeouts and five walks.

"We've seen him quite a bit in winter ball and think he can compete for a major league job," assistant general manager Jason McLeod said. "We have a lot of information on him, a lot of video, and we've seen him throw well. The fastball velocity has been back up to 93-95 (mph) in Venezuela. He'll come in and get an opportunity to show what he can do."

McFarland, 23, tied for the minor league lead with 16 victories this season. Pitching at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, he used an 87-90 mph sinker and solid slider to get groundball outs. He also threw 163 innings, and Baltimore general manager Dan Duquette said the club liked his combination of polish and fit.

"He pitched well in August," Duquette said, citing McFarland's 4-1, 3.45 performance that month for Columbus. "He's been a winner at every stop. At the end of last season, the strength of our ballclub was our interior defense, with Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy, and this could play into the strength of our club."

One Rangers farmhand who was picked was first baseman Chris McGuiness, the MVP of the Arizona Fall League this year. He wasn't sure if manager Terry Francona had anything to do with the selection, but he had met Francona and played in front of him in spring training while both were in the Red Sox organization.

"I knew Texas was a tough 40-man roster to crack because of the strength of the major league team and having one of the best farm systems," McGuiness said. "I was hurt the year before, but I thought I put myself back on the map with a really good year. Then after the AFL, I thought if they ever were going to protect me, this would be the year.

"It didn't happen, but that's just the nature of the game. No hard feelings. Maybe Cleveland will be a better fit."

McGuiness posted an .838 OPS in the AFL after hitting 23 home runs with an .840 OPS in the regular season with Double-A Frisco. One of his competitors for the first-base job in Cleveland will be a fellow ex-Red Sox farmhand, Lars Anderson.

Marlins signed OF Jordan Brown to a minor league contract.

Brown hasn't appeared in the major leagues since 2010, when he posted a weak .582 OPS in 26 games with the Indians. He's doubtful to make an impact for the Fish.

Source: Matt Eddy on Twitter Dec 6 - 3:39 PM

Another great example of someone that posters here were so concerned about.