Rule 5 Roundup

The Rule 5 Draft is behind us and Spring Training is underway, but a lot of important transactions often go down in the annual transfer of talent that kicks off the season. Though there were some nice selections throughout the draft, here is a quick roundup of all of the 1st Round selections:

1st Pick: SS Ed Parnell, Cincinnati Boomers
Former Franchise: New Orleans Pelicans
Comments: Won't fool anyone as a shortstop, he is a poor defender. Talented when he puts the ball in play but might be overwhelmed by major league pitching. Has a high ceiling.

2nd Pick: SP Damon Cosby, Oakland Oaks
Former Franchise: New Orleans Pelicans
Comments: Won't blow away hitters with his stuff, but very cerebral on the mound. He'll find a way to get his outs. Should easily develop into a nice back-of-the-rotation starter.

3rd Pick: SP Ruben Pineda, Jackson Magnolias
Former Franchise: Cincinnati Boomers
Comments: Vulnerable against right-handed hitters, but some of the best raw stuff in this draft. He has impeccable health and work ethic, so even at 24, he's got some developing left to do.

4th Pick: SP/RP Josh Thome, Syracuse Stars
Former Franchise: Charlotte Knights
Comments: Has had trouble staying on the field in his career, and is probably going to top out as a long reliever instead of a starter. Can eat innings, relying mostly on a masterful 4-seamer to get hitters out.

5th Pick: CF Hipolito Feliz, Richmond Spider Monkey
Former Franchise: Atlanta Crackers
Comments: Really nice do-it-all player for the Spider Monkey. Very capable in center field, can get around the basepaths when he wants to, can play every day, and isn't a total slouch with a bat in his hands. Gives lots of versatility and flexibility to Richmond.

6th Pick: 1B/DH Jamie Kim, Helena Caribou Barbies
Former Franchise: Memphis Blues
Comments: Probably better suited to DH than man first, until his skills develop. Lots of power, especially against right-handers. Could make a nice platoon option for Helena, a solid hitter all-around.

9th Pick: 2B Connie Johnson, Texas Longhorns
Former Franchise: New Orleans Pelicans
Comments: I'm sensing a theme with all these ex-Pelican selections. Not going to make it as a second baseman unless he works very hard at it. Not a good baserunner for a player of his position. Very effective at the plate, though. Highest value appears to be pinch-hitting.

10th Pick: RP Vince Monahan, Atlanta Crackers
Former Franchise: Cincinnati Boomers
Comments: Has a rubber arm. Middle and long relief appear to be his calling. Not a player you write home about, but there are certainly worse options to eat innings when a starter has a rough day. At 23-years-old, he should still improve over time.

11th Pick: RP Bob Bellinger, Kansas City Masterpiece
Former Franchise: New Orleans Pelicans
Comments: He throws hard (and a bit wild at times), but it takes him a long time to recover after he makes an appearance. He could actually make a good starter if not for his poor recovery times. The Masterpiece are hoping to use him in brief relief stints so that his arm does not wear down a lot all at once. Risky pick from this position, there were more reliable relievers, though perhaps none quite as talented.

13th Pick: SP/RP Luis Perez, Buffalo Bulldozers
Former Franchise: Syracuse Stars
Comments: Very young at just 22, he has lots of room to get better. And he already makes a decent option both to pitch long relief and spot start. Throws hard and with lots of accuracy, but opposing hitters have always been able to pick up his breaking pitches and spray them all over the park. Intriguing selection.

16th Pick: SP James Hull, New Orleans Pelicans
Former Franchise: Hartford Hartattacks
Comments: The Pelicans finally got to replenish some of the talent they lost with this pick. Hull is a boneified starter, and will fit in quite nicely at the back end of rotations throughout his career. Especially for mid-first round, this is a nice pick.

17th Pick: SP Damaso Carasco, Minnesota Antichrists
Former Franchise: Texas Longhorns
Comments: Another lefty starter who really has a tough time getting right-handers out. Carasco can certainly fill a spot in the rotation, though his penchant to ask for an extra day off is somewhat distressing. If he hits his ceiling, he'll do just fine in the bigs someday.

20th Pick: CF Zeus Houston, Norfolk Tides
Former Franchise: Anaheim Angels
Comments: Sort of similar to Richmond's pick. Covers a lot of ground in center field, making him an excellent defensive option. Also, not a bad bat to have off the bench. Sort of makes you wonder why Anaheim let this guy slip off their 40-man.

21st Pick: SP/RP Jamie Chang, New York Monarchs
Former Franchise: Cincinnati Boomers
Comments: The defending AL East Champs add some depth to their starting rotation. Likely to pitch in long relief this season, Chang has a tendency to lose control of his pitches from time to time. If he can work on fixing that, he could be a 5th starter some day.

22nd Pick: SP Ray Fontenot, Vancouver Renegades
Former Franchise: Kansas City Masterpiece
Comments: Not wild about this pick. There were better starting options still on the board, and Fontenot appears to be little more than an innings-eater, a job scouts think he'll have a tough time doing in the bigs at this point in his development. None of his pitches have much life, either.

23rd Pick: RP Watty Collins, Ottawa Filibusters
Former Franchise: Jackson Magnolias
Comments: Though he was selected more on potential than prowess at the moment, Collins will still be a wise choice if the Filibusters can find playing time for the 20-year-old. Scouts think he could be a wonderful long reliever some day, but this selection now puts his career at a crossroads. Can he handle the bigs and keep getting better?

25th Pick: RP Benj Evans, Oklahoma City Kingfishers
Former Franchise: Chicago Gangsta' Chimps
Comments: Though he can get a bit wild, Evans has a very tough Curveball and Slider, throws both of them hard, and keeps the ball in the ballpark. If he can limit his walks, he'll be a very effective reliever for the Kingfishers, especially in their ballpark.

26th Pick: RP Murray McGee, Los Angeles Dodgers
Former Franchise: Tucson Pilots
Comments: Not a flashy reliever, but he can certainly hold his own in a big league roster spot. Talent started to thin out at this point in the draft, so this is a reasonable selection from this line.

29th Pick: SP/RP Ray Elarton, Tucson Pilots
Former Franchise: Hartford Hartattacks
Comments: The Pilots grabbed a lot of players from the Hartattacks over the course of the entire draft. As for Elarton, he will pitch some long relief for the Pilots, but considering the hitters' park they play in, it may be a struggle for him in that role. Seems more like a mopup pitcher.

30th Pick: SP Weldon Forrest, Memphis Blues
Former Franchise: Kansas City Masterpiece
Comments: He remains unassigned, which is probably where he should stay. Forrest is a very fine minor league pitcher, but major league hitters would chew him up and spit him out in a heartbeat.

31st Pick: RP Eugene Buckley, Montgomery Biscuits
Former Franchise: Minnesota Antichrists
Comments: He won't be a total disaster if he pitches a few innings for the defending champions this year, but the Biscuits are probably hoping he turns into the player scouts thought he could be out of college. If so, he could easily pitch long relief in the bigs.