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Rule Five Draft Proves Uneventful
By John Manuel DALLAS--In an uneventful Rule 5 draft, the mystery surrounding the No. 1 pick remained after the draft had ended. White Sox lefthander Fabio Castro was the first pick, selected by the Royals, but just about everyone in Dallas assumed he would be traded. But no one knew where. While the Phillies and Pirates were all rumored to be in the mix, it was the Rangers who won out with a trade that sent infielder Esteban German to Kansas City. German, 27, has 103 major league at-bats and a .252 career average with the Athletics and Rangers. He hit .313/.400/.423 at Triple-A Oklahoma in 2005 with 43 stolen bases in 49 attempts. He’s also leading the Dominican League in batting (.350), on-base percentage (.462) and stolen bases (25) playing for Azucareros with a 30-12 walk-strikeout ratio. Castro has a small frame and pretty big stuff. Listed at 5-foot-8, 157 pounds, Castro has impressed scouts pitching for Gigantes in the Dominican League this winter, showing a fastball in the 91-94 mph range. He had thrown just four innings in five games this winter, striking out three, walking two and posting a 0-1, 4.50 record. Castro complements his above-average fastball with a good changeup and a feel for pitching. Just 20, Castro went 5-5, 2.28 with six saves for high Class A Winston-Salem in 2005 with 75 strikeouts and 37 walks in 79 innings. He allowed seven home runs and opponents batted just .209 against him. The Rockies, who took two players in the major league phase last year, picked second this time around and took lefthander Luis Gonzalez from the Dodgers organization. Gonzalez also has a power arm from the left side, throwing consistently 91-92 mph with his fastball, but was ineffective at Triple-A Las Vegas (9.31 ERA in 10 innings) after thriving at Double-A Jacksonville (7-2, 2.21, seven saves). His secondary stuff—a slider and changeup--is just average. Gonzalez was one of two players the Dodgers lost in the major league phase, as the Marlins took lefty Mike Megrew with the only pick of the second round. Megrew, 21, missed most of the 2005 season following Tommy John surgery and went 7-6, 3.41 at high Class A Vero Beach in 2004. He pitched just nine innings in 2005 between Vero Beach and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, posting a 12.00 ERA. “We lost nine players in the draft last year, though we got (lefthander Matt) Merricks back,” Dodgers farm director Terry Collins said. “It’s obviously a credit to the depth of our system but you hate to lose lefthanded pitching. “We knew Gonzalez was a guy who could get picked, but you can only protect so many players, and we wanted to give the big league club roster flexibility. I was a little surprised on Megrew because he’s coming off the surgery, and we had to shut him down in instructional league.” Picking third, the Devil Rays selected righthander Steve Andrade and sent him to the Padres to complete the Dewon Brazelton-Sean Burroughs trade. Andrade has put up gaudy stats in the minors in the Angels and then Blue Jays systems since the Angels drafted him in the 32nd round in 2001 out of Cal State Stanislaus. In 2005, he went 3-2, 1.97 in 50 innings at Double-A New Hampshire with a .134 opponent batting average and 71 strikeouts. He walked just 16; his opponents on-base plus slugging percentage was .418. He has a 2.65 career ERA in 251 innings with just 167 hits allowed and a 357-82 strikeout-walk ratio. Andrade has a plus-plus slider with fringy fastball velocity and an unconventional, deceptive delivery. The Blue Jays, like the Dodgers and Royals, lost two players in the major league phase. The Red Sox took righthander Jamie Vermilyea from the Jays as the 10th player picked, while the Royals lost veteran righthanders Victor Santos (to the Pirates) and Seth Etherton (to the Padres), who had been signed as minor league free agents. The Tigers selected righthander Chris Booker from the Nationals and traded him to the Phillies for cash. The hard-throwing Booker had a big year at Triple-A Louisville in the Reds system (8-4, 2.49, 20 saves) but had signed with the Nationals as a minor league free agent. Other players selected in the first round include righthander Mitch Wylie (by the Mets from the Giants); infielder Dan Uggla (Marlins from Diamondbacks); outfielder Jason Pridie (Twins from the Devil Rays); and righthander Juan Matos (Cardinals from the Cubs). Uggla might be the most intriguing name because in their gutted state, the Marlins appear to need a second baseman, and Uggla has a chance to win a starting job. He batted .297/.378/.502 at Double-A Tennessee with 21 homers, 87 RBIs and 33 doubles. He ranked third in the Southern League in homers and second in RBIs. “He can hit, and second base is a need for us,” Marlins vice president of player development and scouting Jim Fleming said. “He enhanced his value to us at the Arizona Fall League. With what’s gone on the last few days (for the Marlins), yeah, he’s got a chance.” Each selection in the major league phase cost $50,000. If any of the players selected do not stay on the 25-man major league roster with their new clubs next season, they have to be offered back to their original organization for $25,000. Forty-seven players were selected in the Triple-A phase and just six in the Double-A portion. Among the interesting names: • Second baseman Jason Bourgeois, once among the Rangers’ Top 10 Prospects, went to the Mariners from the Braves after struggling in 2005 (.240/.301/.317) at Triple-A Richmond. • The Rangers plucked 5-foot-7 outfielder Jayce Tingler from the Blue Jays after he hit .265 with a .353 on-base percentage at high Class A Dunedin. • The Padres, who aren’t blessed with great depth in their farm system, lost six players in the Triple-A and Double-A phases, including righthanders Eddie Bonine (to the Tigers) and Geivy Garcia (Cubs); lefthander Edgar Huerta (Rockies); infielders Ronnie Merrill (A’s) and Peetet Ramos (Phillies); and outfielder Brian Burgamy (Phillies). • The Astros selected righthander Ben Diggins from the Brewers in the first round of the Triple-A phase. Diggins is used to being picked in the first round. The Cardinals drafted him in the supplemental first round out of high school in 1998 and the Dodgers took him in the first round in 2000 out of Arizona. Diggins has had Tommy John surgery and both hit and pitched at high Class A Brevard County in 2005. • The Brewers lost catcher John Vanden Berg to the Phillies in the Triple-A phase. Vanden Berg’s father Gary is Milwaukee’s head groundskeeper. First Round
Second Round
TRIPLE-A PHASE First Round
Second Round
Third Round
Fourth Round
DOUBLE-A PHASE First Round
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