The moving and shaking continues in Portland this week as the the BBA conducted its annual Rule 5 draft. In dire need of players (both quantity and quality) the Lumberjacks made a list of seven individuals it was willing to take. The club cleared off five spots on its 40-man roster and was able to pick-up two selections in the Rule 5 draft while losing one player.
With the first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft, the Lumberjacks took relief pitcher from Calgary
Jose Perez. Perez, a 31 year old lefty, has spent 8 seasons in the BBA with 7 of those coming in Des Moines. He spent all of 2039 in the minor leagues. Wilson had this to say of Perez. "We were just listing guys we thought we could use and Perez was one of those guys. I'm a little familiar with Perez since he was in the same division with Madison for all of those years. We aren't expecting lights out stuff from him in the pen this season, but as a lefty, we liked what he could add to our new staff. He shouldn't have a tough time making and sticking in our roster this season.
In the second round, the Lumberjacks reached deep into the age barrel again by selecting starting pitcher
Manuel Soliz from the Twin Cities River Monsters, another former division foe of Wilson in the Heartland. Soliz, a 30 year old righty with 7 years of big league experience, has had some successful seasons in the past including a trio of double digit win seasons and a year with a 4.2 WAR. "We've traded off a lot of solid arms this off-season" stated Wilson on Soliz and the post-draft moves. "We need options and a lot of them. Soliz is not the same guy he once was. But he's a name people may recognize and a guy who could possibly throw in some good starts for us this season. Again, he's a body who is hungry for a full change to pitch in the big leagues and that opportunity can be had right here in Portland."
Sandwiched between these two additions, the L-Jacks lost 3B
Francisco Cortez to the Montreal Blazers. On the Cortez loss, Wilson had this to say: "Hold on. I need to see who he even is."
Cortez was the Lumberjacks 37th round draft pick from the Hawaii organization in the expansion draft. At 20 years old, Cortez was ranked 9th on the Portland prospects list. The surprising part over the Cortez pick is that he is nowhere ready for big league action. He projects to be an average potential 3B in a few years. It'll be interesting to see if Montreal allows Cortez to eat a roster spot all season with those low ratings or opts to return him back to the Lumberjacks.
"If they have room for Cortez after hearing all of that" Wilson added, "then I guess we aren't the worst team in the league this season."
