[討論] Rangers Rule 5 Draft Candidates
Rangers Rule 5 Draft Candidates
By Jason Cole，LoneStarDugout.com，Posted Dec 8, 2010
With a deep farm system, the Texas Rangers were forced to leave a couple
intriguing prospects unprotected for Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Though it's
likely the Rangers escape unscathed, Lone Star Dugout profiles some players
that could draw interest.
Major League Baseball will hold its annual Rule 5 Draft on the morning of
December 9 at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando. The Texas Rangers
recently added four prospects to the club’s 40-man roster in order to
protect the players from the draft.
Players that initially signed at age 19 or older are eligible for selection
in the Rule 5 Draft after four years of professional baseball. Those that
were 18 or younger at the time of signing are eligible after five years.
Coming into the 2010 campaign, Texas looked to have a number of difficult
decisions on its hands. However, many eligible prospects either took steps
back or didn't take the projected step forward.
As it turned out, the Rangers had a handful of open spots on the roster, and
the club was able to add its four most likely candidates for selection. But
with a deep farm system like the Rangers have, nothing is certain and there
are still a few promising players left unprotected.
Players selected in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft must remain
on the 25-man roster for the entire season. In the event of injury, the
draftee is required to spend at least 90 days of the active roster.
The rule changes brought about by the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement
delayed Rule 5 eligibility by one year. While players were previously
eligible after three or four years of professional ball, the rule is now four
or five years depending on the player’s age at the time of signing.
The new rules have naturally thinned the talent pool and made finding
legitimate big league talent in the Rule 5 Draft more difficult. For example,
seven of the 17 players selected in last year’s draft were returned to their
original club before the end of Spring Training.
The Rangers are unlikely to have a player selected in Thursday’s draft.
However, Lone Star Dugout profiles eight prospects that could draw interest
from teams in Orlando.
The players are listed in alphabetical order.
Jake Brigham: Though the 22-year-old has been a starting pitcher throughout
his career thus far, he is likely destined for the bullpen in the long run.
Brigham has the tools to be successful with a plus fastball, breaking ball
combination. As a starting pitcher, the righty has a fastball that sits in
the low-90s and reaches 95-96 mph at times. Brigham began throwing a slider
midway through the ’10 season, as he found the pitch easier to command
within the strike zone. While he had success with the slider, he also still
has an excellent curveball to chase strikeouts.
Brigham’s primary issue has been results. The former sixth-round pick opened
the season at High-A Bakersfield and logged a 6.93 ERA while yielding 67 hits
in 49 innings. He had much more success after returning to Single-A Hickory
and picking up the slider, posting a 3.36 ERA over 83 frames. Brigham shined
in Spring Training this past year and may have turned a corner during the
second half. He has legitimate raw big league stuff that could be intriguing
to a team, although he also lacks upper-level success.
Ovispo de los Santos: Another excellent raw talent, de los Santos has
arguably the most powerful raw arm in the Texas minor league system. The
right-hander throws his fastball between 93-98 mph, and he touched
triple-digits in Spokane this past summer. De los Santos, who has relied on
his power heater too heavily in the past, is beginning to throw his
work-in-progress slider more often. The pitch showed improvement as a
swing-and-miss offering last season.
The biggest knock against the Dominican Republic native is sure to be his
lack of upper-level experience. After opening the season in Extended Spring
Training, he tossed five shutout innings with nine strikeouts at short-season
Spokane. The hurler was then promoted to Single-A Hickory, where he logged a
3.48 ERA in 20 innings, allowing 17 hits, walking six, and fanning 25. The
23-year-old should at least draw interest from clubs as a potential
high-risk, high-reward pick.
Daniel Gutierrez: The former Royals prospect looked to be a 40-man roster
lock heading into the 2010 campaign, but he fell off in a big way. Gutierrez
began his season by serving a 50-game suspension after testing positive for
Adderall. Upon his return, he never quite regained the stuff he flashed in
the Arizona Fall League last offseason.
Gutierrez worked in the low-90s as a starting pitcher in ’09, and his
fastball reached as high as 97 mph in the Arizona Fall League that year. But
his velocity sat in the mid-to-upper 80s this season while the once plus
curveball had lost its sharpness. The righty appeared in just one AFL game
this season––throwing 82-85 mph––before sitting out with what the Rangers
are calling ‘mild shoulder inflammation.’
Mark Hamburger: The reliever put himself on the prospect map this past season
with outstanding results and improved velocity at High-A Bakersfield.
Hamburger posted a 1.77 ERA and 18 saves in 45.2 innings with the Blaze,
allowing 38 hits, walking 18, and fanning 49. He improved as the season
progressed and had a string of 19.1 consecutive scoreless innings (17
appearances) at the time of his promotion to Double-A Frisco.
The success continued at the next level, as he had a 3.20 ERA with eight
walks and 20 punchouts in 19.2 innings with the RoughRiders. The 23-year-old
displayed a consistent 91-94 mph fastball (touching 95-96) to go along with a
slider and the occasional changeup. While Hamburger has plus velocity, his
breaking ball remains inconsistent. He failed to get on top of the slider at
times, making it straight and flat. Hamburger could have a big league future,
but his lack of a put-away secondary pitch likely means he doesn’t have
late-inning potential.
Kasey Kiker: While Hambruger saw his stock rise in 2010, Kiker’s fell by
quite a bit. Though command has never been the southpaw’s strength, his plus
changeup and heavy fastball allowed him to log a 3.86 ERA with a Texas
League-leading 120 strikeouts at Frisco in 2009. Unfortunately, Kiker’s
velocity and control both took a tumble in 2010.
Kiker, 23, issued 46 walks in 40 innings with Frisco this past season. The
issue, which grew as the season progressed, culminated in Kiker walking 12
batters in one total inning over his final three appearances. The former
first-round pick appeared in his final regular season game in late-July but
returned during Fall Instructional League before playing winterball in Puerto
Rico. Kiker got out to a strong start in Puerto Rico but has now walked 11 in
5.2 innings over his last two starts.
As a starting pitcher, Kiker’s fastball now sits in the 85-88 mph range. He
often works between 88-91 as a short reliever, and that’s likely what Kiker
will be when he returns in 2011. The upper-80s, low-90s heater is plenty for
a lefty, and Kiker can flash a plus changeup with major deception when he
gets on top of the pitch. His curveball remains inconsistent. If the Alabama
native can throw strikes with his fastball-changeup combination, he could
have a future. However, there are probably too many question marks for a team
to select him on Thursday.
Marcus Lemon: The former fourth-round pick received a seven-figure bonus out
of high school in 2006. He appeared to be on the right track after a
promising Arizona Fall League stint last year that produced a .343/.389/.627
slash line in 72 plate appearances. Not generally known for his power, Lemon
belted three doubles, two triples, and four homers.
The 22-year-old was drafted as a shortstop but doesn’t have the range to
play there in the majors. He now splits his time between second base and left
field with the occasional game in center. And while the 5-foot-11,
173-prospect profiles as a utility player, his inability to play shortstop
and .267/.325/.344 line in two seasons at Double-A means he must show more
with the bat to have a big league future.
Joe Ortiz: The diminutive southpaw has gained valuable experience as a lefty
specialist for La Guaira of the Venezuelan Winter League the last two
seasons. With a 5-foot-7, 175-pound frame, Ortiz is a reliever all the way,
but he has an intriguing two-pitch mix in an 88-91 mph fastball and a plus
slider. Ortiz has exceptional command of his breaking ball, locating it to
both sides of the plate at will.
The 20-year-old’s impeccable slider command led him to a dominant campaign
at Single-A Hickory this past season. He posted a 1.50 ERA over 42 innings
and fanned 59 while issuing just five walks. Fellow left-handers were
8-for-47 (.170) against him with one extra-base hit and 24 strikeouts.
Despite the eye-popping results, Ortiz’s limited ceiling and lack of
upper-level experience make him a highly questionable candidate for selection.
Chad Tracy: Tracy could serve as a useful bat off a major league bench
someday, though he lacks a primary position. The Pepperdine product was
initially drafted as a catcher but has played first base and left field for
most of his professional career. Tracy is a dead-pull hitter with plus raw
power, hitting .263/.349/.502 with 17 homers in 78 contests during his
Triple-A debut in 2010.
The 25-year-old suffered an oblique injury on July 7, causing him to miss
nearly half the year. While the oblique healed late in the year, Tracy
eventually elected to undergo season-ending surgery to repair his nagging
right shoulder. Tracy was Rule 5-eligible last season and wasn’t selected.
Withthe injuries and surgery late last season, he’s likely to go unselected once
again.
資料來源:http://rangers.scout.com/2/1029511.html
遊騎兵隊應該不會選而自家球員應該也沒有球隊會選吧~~
明天還是專心把Lee搞定~~
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2010 Texas Rangers Postseason Franchise Roster
(SP)Cliff Lee (C)Benjie Molina (1B)Mitch Moreland (2B)Ian Kinsler
(SS)Elvis Andrus (3B)Michael Young (LF)David Murphy (CF)Josh Hamilton
(RF)Nelson Cruz (DH)Vladimir Guerrero (SP)C.J. Wilson (SP)Colby Lewis
(CL)Neftali Feliz (RP)Darren O'Day (RP)Darren Oliver (SP)Derek Holland
(RP)Alexi Ogando (RP)Michael Kirkman (C)Matt Treanor (OF)Julio Borbon
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