Rule 5 draft thread

[Balta1701]

Baseball America has an interesting rule 5 draft preview posted.

 

Couple names worth noting:

Fernando Hernandez, rhp, White Sox

Matt Guerrier-type righthander with plus moxie

 

Chris Stewart, c, Rangers

Solid defender with the big leagues already on his resume

[NorthSideSox72]

Baseball America has an interesting rule 5 draft preview posted.

 

Couple names worth noting:

I've tried to do some reading up on Hernandez lately. I think the team is making a mistake not protecting him.

 

What is the deadline again? Is there a chance they still make some moves and protect some folks?

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Also... can anyone tell me if Ryan Wing is Rule 5 eligible?

 

[Gene Honda Civic]

I've tried to do some reading up on Hernandez lately. I think the team is making a mistake not protecting him.

 

What is the deadline again? Is there a chance they still make some moves and protect some folks?

last week. No

[NorthSideSox72]

last week. No

Thanks.

 

Any idea on Wing?

 

[Gene Honda Civic]

Thanks.

 

Any idea on Wing?

No need. He's a 6 year free agent

[29andPoplar]

The catcher the Cubs made available, Tony Richie, was originally drafted by the White Sox, 5th round? and wasn't signed.

[bigruss]

Can u draft your own players? I know it sounds ridiculous, but i really want to keep Hernandez, gah it just aggravates me that they would keep armstrong over him.

[scenario]

it just aggravates me that they would keep armstrong over him.

 

I know...

 

I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.

 

The deeper I dug into Armstrong's background, the less impressed I became...

 

And I didn't exactly start out with high expectations.

[29andPoplar]

I know...

 

I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.

 

The deeper I dug into Armstrong's background, the less impressed I became...

 

And I didn't exactly start out with high expectations.

 

The reason is they think Armstrong is a strong catch and throw guy who took a big step up this year, they feel he can handle a pitching staff and might make a good back up catcher.

 

As for F. Hernandez, he tops out high 80's without a real plus pitch and the White Sox don't think he'll last long in the majors, if in fact he makes it. Especially the American League.

 

We'll see if they're right or not.

[Gene Honda Civic]

The reason is they think Armstrong is a strong catch and throw guy who took a big step up this year, they feel he can handle a pitching staff and might make a good back up catcher.

 

As for F. Hernandez, he tops out high 80's, getting strikeouts with his curveball, and the White Sox don't think he'll last long in the majors, if in fact he makes it. Especially the American League.

 

We'll see if they're right or not.

The first player sounds like Gustavo Molina.

 

The second player sounds like Lance Broadway.

[29andPoplar]

The first player sounds like Gustavo Molina.

 

The second player sounds like Lance Broadway.

 

That's one way to look at it, your way I suppose.

 

I prefer to look at it for what it is, they are Armstrong and Hernandez. It comes down to the talent evaluation and if it's correct.

[bighurt4life]

Brian Barton, of, Indians

Ever the enigma, Barton went undrafted in 2004 after clubs were scared off by his aerospace engineering major at Miami. The Indians signed him for $100,000 and an additional $100,000 in college funds after a brief showing in the Cape Cod League and Barton has not looked back. A five-tool player who can play all three outfield spots, Barton has been hampered by a lingering knee injury since his breakout year in 2006 when he hit .322 with 19 homers and swiped 41 bags in 49 attempts. Even with the knee problem, Barton still turned in a .305/.402/.420 season in 2007, finishing the year in Triple-A. Quiet and leading through example through his 2006 season, some scouts expressed concerns about Barton's demeanor. "I loved him that first year in Double-A," one scout from a National League club said. "But this past year, it was almost like he'd earned this elite status and you saw him have this lackadaisical approach to the game that wasn't there before. Where he was playing with chips on both shoulders with something to prove initially, that part of his game was replaced by some sort of false bravado. He's really tough to get a handle on, but the tools are very real."

 

This kid sounds great, at least worth a gamble. With the lack of MLB caliber players in our farm system I think that we should take a chance on some of these guys, for only 50k its worth the risk, Also, the top three guys on that list all play for AL central teams, it would be fantastic to steal a good player from the Twins/Indians/Tigers

[Chombi]

lol ^

 

There are several guys who look good in this crop, not just the guy Baseball America put on the front page.

[scenario]

The reason is they think Armstrong is a strong catch and throw guy who took a big step up this year, they feel he can handle a pitching staff and might make a good back up catcher.

 

As for F. Hernandez, he tops out high 80's without a real plus pitch and the White Sox don't think he'll last long in the majors, if in fact he makes it. Especially the American League.

 

We'll see if they're right or not.

 

I can buy that argument. What confuses me though, is why send Hernandez to the AFL this year then?

 

He's not exactly someone who's new to our system and we needed to get a look at him. And if his stuff is only 80's speed-wise and no-plus pitch, then why even bother sending him to fall ball?

 

They knew those 'problems' before this.

 

[Whitewashed in '05]

This kid sounds great, at least worth a gamble. With the lack of MLB caliber players in our farm system I think that we should take a chance on some of these guys, for only 50k its worth the risk, Also, the top three guys on that list all play for AL central teams, it would be fantastic to steal a good player from the Twins/Indians/Tigers

One downfall is that players from the rule 5 have to stay on the major league roster the whole season for the team who took them or they go back.

[29andPoplar]

I can buy that argument. What confuses me though, is why send Hernandez to the AFL this year then?

 

He's not exactly someone who's new to our system and we needed to get a look at him. And if his stuff is only 80's speed-wise and no-plus pitch, then why even bother sending him to fall ball?

 

They knew those 'problems' before this.

 

Actually I have the same question. Lots of times they put guy in the Fall league to see how they measure up against other guys in the system or to see how they do against good competition. The stats say Hernandez did very well so it's baffling. The only thing I can figure is stats in the AFL don't tell the whole story.

 

Not much else to say other than we will see if they're right or not. If someone picks him next week, he will have to keep it up and stay the whole season on their roster. The Sox don't think he will match up well vs. major league hitters, they've been wrong before, maybe this is one of those times, who knows.

[maggsmaggs]

I could only see the Sox taking someone and then trading that player to another team for cash.

[NorthSideSox72]

As for F. Hernandez, he tops out high 80's without a real plus pitch and the White Sox don't think he'll last long in the majors, if in fact he makes it. Especially the American League.

How does a RHP who can't hit 90 and has no plus pitch consistently strike out more than a batter an inning and put up the kind of solid numbers he has, year in and year out (with one exception, 2005)?

 

[NorthSideSox72]

A few interesting tidbits on Fernando Hernandez...

 

In 2006, he had the 6th highest K/BF ratios in High A baseball, and among the list linked here of those in that best group, he was also 9th in GB%, being well above average in both categories.

 

The article posted recently here compares him to Matt Gurrier, who can hit 92-93, after being 90-91 at one point and developing some more power.

 

Baseball Prospectus sez:

For an organization like the White Sox that struggled with their relievers in 2007, leaving Hernandez available to baseball's other 29 teams is a pretty silly mistake.

 

I'm not saying velocity isn't important, because it is. But I think this is yet another example of where people get too obsessed with velocity when it comes to pitching success. Stats in the minors are a fickle thing, but a guy who has repeated success up the line AND has such strong peripherals deserves some consideration if you want to really find guys who are likely to get guys out in the majors.

 

[Balta1701]

One downfall is that players from the rule 5 have to stay on the major league roster the whole season for the team who took them or they go back.

When I look at our roster...if we could clear a spot on the 40 man to pick up a guy, I can certainly see us having room for a doubles hitting Right Handed OF with decent speed. It'd be an excellent guy to stick into a quasi-platoon with Owens and to give Dye/whoever else we get some extra rest. In 2006 this kid stole 39 bases between single and double A. That sounds an awful lot like the kind of guy we might want.

[Calderon]

When I look at our roster...if we could clear a spot on the 40 man to pick up a guy, I can certainly see us having room for a doubles hitting Right Handed OF with decent speed. It'd be an excellent guy to stick into a quasi-platoon with Owens and to give Dye/whoever else we get some extra rest. In 2006 this kid stole 39 bases between single and double A. That sounds an awful lot like the kind of guy we might want.

Barton's intriguing, and an odd story. It's not often that you see a guy go undrafted out of a powerhouse like Miami and then rake (even at an advanced age) in High-A and Double-A. Teams were scared off by an internship that he had lined up at Boeing thanks to his aeronautical engineering studies in college. Cleveland went after him and signed him cheap as a FA.

 

He can play. I can't comment on his desire this past season, but he can play a bit.

[BearSox]

seriously, why did we not put Hernandez on the 40 but keep players such as Andy Gonzalez and add players like Cole Armstrong... just baffling to me.

 

Even if he doesn't have great stuff, he has produced.

[bighurt4life]

When I look at our roster...if we could clear a spot on the 40 man to pick up a guy, I can certainly see us having room for a doubles hitting Right Handed OF with decent speed. It'd be an excellent guy to stick into a quasi-platoon with Owens and to give Dye/whoever else we get some extra rest. In 2006 this kid stole 39 bases between single and double A. That sounds an awful lot like the kind of guy we might want.

 

exactly what i'm thinking. Who else on our roster is going to play in the OF, we've got owens, dye, and???? maybe fields if we keep crede, ozuna on the bench. No reason we can't make some room for him, if he doesn't work out then so be it, it is only a $50k investment and we can sell him back to the indians for $25k if we decide to drop him from the 40 man roster, this organization needs an infusion of talent so lets go for it and gamble a bit.

[BearSox]

it'd make to much sense to get Barton... even if he was available for us to pick.