Since 2006, the one factor that has stopped the Orioles from making a range in main league part of the Rule 5 draft is it not happening.
With the occasion returning in full on the winter conferences after 2021′s main league portion was canceled due to the MLB lockout, the Orioles continued their streak, deciding on right-handed reliever Andrew Politi from the Boston Red Sox with the draft’s seventeenth slot and ninth decide. Baltimore didn’t make a second choice, and not one of the different 29 groups drafted an Orioles prospect to their 40-man rosters.
Politi, 26, recorded a 2.34 ERA in 50 appearances for Boston’s Double-A and Triple-A associates in 2022, placing out 83 in 69 1/3 innings whereas permitting fewer than one base runner per inning. He’ll get the prospect to compete for a job within the Orioles’ main league bullpen.
“We’re thrilled to have him,” Orioles director of professional scouting Mike Snyder stated. “He was our guy.”
The Rule 5 draft permits groups to pick eligible gamers who different organizations left off their 40-man rosters, with the drafting crew required to maintain its alternatives on its main league roster for a yr or provide them again to their unique golf equipment. Teams will not be required to make picks and lose the power to make additional alternatives as soon as they move. Of the six gamers Baltimore has acquired by way of the Rule 5 draft below govt vp and normal supervisor Mike Elias, solely right-hander Tyler Wells, the crew’s second decide in 2020, stays with the Orioles.
Snyder stated the Orioles had Politi on an inventory of not more than seven gamers, navigating the chance that all or any of these gamers have been taken forward earlier than their choice after having one of many first 5 picks within the earlier three Rule 5 drafts. Snyder quipped “don’t tempt me” when requested whether or not Baltimore thought-about making a second choice, saying the Orioles have been happy to finish the draft with Politi and one remaining opening on their 40-man roster.
“We like the pitch mix,” Snyder stated. “We like the upper-level performance. He blew through Double-A and then dominated Triple-A, so we have a big league-ready arm. We have, we think, a power slider, a fastball with some hair on it — it’s tough for hitters to square up — and a curveball that can be very difficult, as well. He’s got deception. He’s improved his strike-throwing ability. He’s undergone some positive changes over the years, and we’re optimistic that in camp we will give him a shot to break camp with the team.”
The Red Sox additionally misplaced Navy product Noah Song within the draft, with the Philadelphia Phillies taking the right-hander with the twentieth decide. The Phillies introduced Song, 25, won’t rely towards their 40-man roster however will obtain main league service time whereas on the navy listing as he continues his energetic obligation service with the Navy.
In the draft’s Triple-A part, Baltimore took three gamers and misplaced three. The Orioles chosen New York Yankees right-hander Alfred Vega, Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Trey McGough and Texas Rangers catcher Randy Florentino. Right-hander Héctor Pérez, infielder Jonathan Araúz and catcher Cody Roberts have been drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Phillies, respectively.
Vega, 21, struck out 22 of the 61 batters he confronted with a 1.15 ERA for the Yankees’ Florida Complex League crew. A Mount St. Mary’s product, McGough, 24, posted a 3.06 ERA in eight Triple-A appearances final yr and has a 3.31 mark in his minor league profession, although he’s coming off Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure. Florentino, 22, slashed .242/.332/.353 for Texas’ High-A affiliate.
Pérez, 26, made one main league look for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020 and spent 2022 with three Orioles associates. Araúz, 24, performed in 9 video games for the Orioles after they claimed him from Boston, with a damaged proper finger successfully ending his tenure. Roberts is a well-regarded defensive catcher and joined the Orioles’ taxi squad for a handful of street sequence; the 26-year-old hit .271 with a .776 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com