Archive for the “Rule 5 Draft” Category

Looks like the remains of Flat Hat are all but gone. Per John Manuel-

Righthander Luis Perdomo, mentioned in our initial preview last week, seems almost certain to get popped.

What a total waste.

update : 11:01am With the first pick, the Nationals take Terrell Young, a hard throwing right-hander with iffy command. Back to Perdomo, your points made in the comments are well noted that Perdomo might not be ready and is likely to be returned. I still am not sure why you would want to risk him not ever returning. For one, he’s all the Cards have to show for Anthony Reyes. Secondly, inferior talent was added to the 40 man roster in order to protect him. It’s not like it’s a huge deal, but it is a still a baffling decision to me. Depending on the team, there is still a decent chance someone keeps him.

update: 11:09am. And Perdomo is gone, taken by the Giants 6th. I would say a non-contender like the Giants have a good chance of stashing him on their roster all season long, don’t you? Waste. Veal is also off the board, going to the Bucs.

update: 11:19am. And the Cardinals don’t select anyone in the major league phase. Meh. I guess they feel Charlie Manning or Ian Ostlund are just as good as any lefty to be had in the Rule 5.

update: 11:29am. In a twist of irony, Ricciardi gets his man…again. Cody Haerther is taken by the Blue Jays in the AAA portion of the Rule 5. Hah. The Cardinals get this guy.

update: 11:34am. Cards pass on the 2nd round of the AAA portion and on the AA portion. I can’t find much on Russell Haltiwanger, but I’m sure they have a hard time fitting his name on his jersey. He’ll be 25 in April, from the Royals organization. He pitched 56.1 innings of relief for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, struck out 6.4 per nine, walked 4.6 per nine and posted a FIP of 4.09. Wilmington is the Royals high A affiliate, a league in which he was repeating. His 5.64 tRA was below league average…ugh. Wangafingers was a 29th rounder of the Reds, later to be traded for Jeff Keppinger.

To wrap up: Good luck, Cody Haerther. I am still baffled by the Scherer over Perdomo decision. We basically traded Reyes for $50K in a feeble epilogue of the Flat Hat saga.  I’m glad Mark McCormick is safe and am looking forward to seeing what he can do in the bullpen next year.  Runamucker is AAA roster filler, at best. Bah.

With the winter meetings underway, it’s time to talk a little Rule 5 draft.  The draft is on Thursday and they’ll be picking 18th, possibly earlier, as some teams already have a full roster. Before we talk about the who’s who in the draft, here’s a quick refresher on how it works-

Read the rest of this entry »

USSMariner should be a daily read for all, but if not, be sure to check out some notable Rule V players available.  (Conor Glassey, the author, is currently working for Baseball America.)  The only ones the Cardinals might have interest in would be the LH relievers given that their current options are Manning, Ostlund and perhaps Miller.  Not an inspiring group.

My prediction for the Cardinals draft is — no one.  There’s not an obvious need with an obvious player to fill it or somone who really projects as major league ready that they could poach.  I’d like for them to grab a lefty but it’s not a real “miss” if they don’t.

With the winter meetings coming up in about a month, clubs across the majors are looking at which of their players they need to add to their 40 man roster in order to protect them from that quirky Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 was created in order to keep clubs from stockpiling too many players in their minor league system, it gives some players a chance to pursue their baseball career elsewhere. It used to be a lot more exciting until the new CBA added another year before the players are eligible, but since then we’ve seen Dan Uggla and Joakim Soria go out and blossom into All Stars, so there still is talent to be had.

Last year to my excitement the team took Brian Barton with the tenth pick in the Rule 5 draft from the Indians. Most of us remember Barton was the highest regarded player in the draft but was not overly impressive, putting together an OPS+ of 97 in 153 at bats. Given the croweded OF situation, he looks to be AAA bound given the crowded outfield situation.

This year, the Cardinals have several players that will be available in the Rule 5 without protection, all of which are college players drafted in 2005.

Tyler Greene – Could be the only protected player. He’s hitting hot in the AFL right now, batting .321/.410/.566. He still strikes me as being limitedly useful because of his inability to make consistent contact, but he is still an impressive athlete who could be a late bloomer. Mo recently spoke out that Greene is a possibility to make the MLB team out of spring training.

Mark McCormick – The flamethrower has flamed out. He cannot seem to throw strikes consistenly and his troublesome mechanics have led to big time health issues. He probably won’t require being added to the 40 man, and is unlikely to be taken in the Rule 5.

Luis Perdomo – Here’s where things could get interesting. You would hate to see the team lose the remains of Anthony Reyes, and given his power stuff I could see him intriguing teams. He hasn’t pitched well at all in winter ball. It is a bit of a toss up on whether or not he should be protected.

The rest: Kenny Maiques, Trey Hearne, Cody Haerther, Elvis Hernandez, Casey Rowlett, Brandon Yarbrough, Matt Pagnozzi and Matt Scherer. A year ago I would have said Maiques must be protected, but he fell completely apart this past season. Haerther’s star has faded into oblivion and I can’t see any interest in the rest.

Prediction: Greene and Perdomo will be added, no Cardinals will be drafted.