Rodriguez Leads Off Active Rule 5

Nineteen players selected in major league phase

By John Manuel
December 9, 2010


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—Familiarity does not breed contempt in the Rule 5 draft. It breeds draft picks.

The Pirates held the No. 1 overall selection, and general manager Neal Huntington reached into his past employer's farm system for the top selection. Pittsburgh took infielder Josh Rodriguez from the Indians farm system with the top pick.

Rodriguez, who starred at Rice in college, turns 26 next week and has plenty of upper-minors experience. In 2010, he helped Columbus win the Triple-A National Championship, batting .293/.372/.486 in 317 at-bats for the Clippers after starting the year at Double-A Akron. He's been at Akron or higher since 2008 and is a career .266/.356/.426 hitter in 1,667 minor league at-bats.

Rodriguez has the arm strength to play shortstop, which helps him fit the utility infielder profile in the short term, and may have enough thump to be an everyday second baseman eventually. That, plus the history the Pirates have with the player, helped push him to the top of Pittsburgh's board.

"We start with the pool of players," Huntington said of having the No. 1 overall pick. "We look at upside, and then the likelihood the players have of reaching that upside. Then we start looking at where they fit with our ballclub.

"There were some pitchers we talked about at length, some hard throwers, but we had some questions about their secondary stuff. When we compared Josh and his fit for our club with some of the free-agent options out there, we thought he had a chance to make the club and contribute as a middle-utility kind of guy."

Rodriguez was the first of 10 straight picks that kicked off the major league phase, in which 19 players were selected. He was one of only three position players; the others were also infielders, Brad Emaus of the Mets (from the Blue Jays) and Mike Martinez of the Phillies (from the Nationals).

Emaus is playing in the Dominican Republic for the Toros and hitting .267/.353/.476 with four home runs. He played his first game at second base, his preferred position, on Wednesday after playing every other winter game at third. He said he was surprised and disappointed when the Blue Jays left him off the 40-man roster in November but excited to get picked by the Mets.

"My agent (ACES' Mike Zimmerman) told me this week that there was a 50-50 chance I'd be taken in the Rule 5, and right now I'm just very ecstatic, excited to be given another chance by the Mets," Emaus said via phone from the Dominican. Asked to give Mets fans a scouting report, Emaus said, "I'm just a blue-collar guy, a solid guy who has to know the game, has to have some (baseball IQ) because I don't have great tools. I'm not flashy but I bring my best every day and go out trying to find an edge."

Another Rodriguez, Aneury Rodriguez of the Rays (no relation), was the odds-on favorite to be picked as a pitcher with upper-levels experience, pitchability and upside. The Astros selected him with the eighth selection and also took former Rice righthander Lance Pendleton from the Yankees in the second round of the major league phase. Both pitchers fit into the big league club's mix at the fifth starter spot, where top prospect Jordan Lyles and 36-year-old journeyman Nelson Figueroa are also contenders.

"We're optimistic he can come in and provide competition for our fifth starter role," Astros assistant general manager Bobby Heck said.

Other Major League Phase notes:

• The Yankees remained active in recent Rule 5s, losing two players (Pendleton and George Kontos, to the Padres) and drafting two in lefthander Robert Fish (Angels) and righthander Dan Turpen (Red Sox). Fish continues the Yankees' offseason focus on lefthanders (aside from Cliff Lee). Fish, who runs his fastball up to 95 mph, fits in a bullpen role competing with offseason minor league free agent acquisitions such as Neal Cotts, a former White Sox big leaguer, and former Rule 5 selection Andy Sisco.

• Power-armed righthander Elvin Ramirez of the Mets was the hot name the last week or so prior to the draft and went fifth overall to the Nationals. Ramirez has run his fastball into the upper 90s this winter while dominating the Dominican Winter League. Adrian Rosario went a pick ahead of him, to the Orioles, and was one of the more under-the-radar players picked. One scout said the Brewers farmhand threw harder in the past but now sits at 88-91 mph and has a solid slider.

"We took a player from Milwaukee," Orioles executive Andy MacPhail joked, "and they took one from us (righthander Pat Egan). Maybe we can work something out."

Major League Phase
FIRST ROUND
Selecting Team	Player	Previous Team
Pirates	SS Josh Rodriguez	Indians
Offensive-minded utility type. Bench fodder, not a potential regular.
Mariners	RHP Jose Flores	Indians
Projectable Low-A reliever with plus fastball, good control.
Diamondbacks	LHP Joe Paterson	Giants
Crafty lefty specialists gets by with curveball and guts.
Orioles	RHP Adrian Rosario	Brewers
Plus fastball and sinking change, but scatters zone in Low-A ball.
Royals	RHP Nathan Adcock	Pirates
If you dream a little, he could have three average to solid pitches and be a starter.
Nationals	RHP Elvin Ramirez	Mets
Improved his fastball and control in the Dominican this winter, hitting 98-99 mph on radar guns
Cubs	RHP Mason Tobin	Angels
Sold to Rangers. Has live arm but has pitched just three innings in two years because of injuries.
Astros	RHP Aneury Rodriguez	Rays
Three average pitches, pushes average fastball to 94 at times, possible starter, good winter.
Brewers	RHP Pat Egan	Orioles
Sinker/slider reliever has reached Triple-A but lacks a true go-to pitch
Mets	3B/2B Brad Emaus	Blue Jays
Offensive-minded utility type, chance to be a regular maybe, can't play SS though.
Padres	RHP George Kontos	Yankees
Has some arm strength but lack of consistency pushed him to bullpen this year.
Twins	LHP Scott Diamond	Braves
Average fastball and curve give him a chance to be a No. 5 starter/long reliever.
Yankees	LHP Robert Fish	Angels
Reliever can hit 95 mph, but he had an 8.93 ERA in Double-A.
Rays	LHP Cesar Cabral	Red Sox
Delivery a concern, but his fastball touches 93 out of pen and changeup is plus at times.
Phillies	2B Michael Martinez	Nationals
Utility type with good glove, strong arm, average run—but light bat.
SECOND ROUND
Nationals	RHP Brian Broderick	Cardinals
Chance to start with four fringe to avg pitches, very good control, fastball to 93 at times.
Astros	RHP Lance Pendleton	Yankees
Has a plus fastball in 89-93 mph sinker, secondary pitches are mostly fringy. Command is OK.
Mets	RHP Pedro Beato	Orioles
Former sandwich pick rejuvenated after moving to pen this year, works mostly off solid sinker.
Yankees	RHP Dan Turpen	Red Sox
92-94 mph from low slot makes him tough on righties, but he hasn't solved lefties yet.
Triple-A Phase
FIRST ROUND
Pirates	OF Brad Chalk	Padres
Diamondbacks	OF Jose Rivero	Mariners
Orioles	2B Dale Mollenhauer	White Sox
Royals	RHP Heath Rollins	Rays
Nationals	RHP Michael Allen	Twins
Mets	RHP Ronny Morla	Cubs
Marlins	1B Jaime Ortiz	Dodgers
Angels	RHP Dan Sattler	Athletics
Athletics	RHP Jeiler Castillo	Astros
Blue Jays	2B Ivan Contreras	Angels
Cardinals	LHP Jean Mijares	Twins
Padres	3B Jake Blackwood	Giants
Rangers	C Jessie Mier	Dodgers
Braves	RHP Eliecer Cardenas	Twins
Giants	LHP Justin Dowdy	Rays
Phillies	OF Chris Frey	Rockies
SECOND ROUND
Pirates	C Travis Scott	Angels
Orioles	LHP Casey Lambert	Cubs
Mets	RHP Ricky Brooks	White Sox
Rangers	LHP Starling de la Rosa	Royals
Braves	LHP Rowdy Hardy	Royals
Giants	C Dashenko Ricardo	Orioles
Phillies	RHP Justin Friend	Athletics
THIRD ROUND
Giants	RHP Matt Sartor	Dodgers
Double-A Phase
Orioles	RHP Jake Rasner	White Sox
Mets	OF Quintin Berry	Padres
Marlins	RHP Brent Allar	Orioles
Blue Jays	2B Roan Salas	Rays