Hold My Log - 54.06 - Rule 5 Swaps

[7teen]

In the annual Rule 5 draft, the Portland Lumberjacks lost a pair of players while gaining one. Gaining a player in the Rule 5 draft is something Portland hasn't done in over a half decade.

The team drafted 2B Zenobius Kazantziakas (who will be referred to as just Zen in every team news from this point forward) from the Calgary Pioneers. The 27 year old 2B who hails from Greece has yet to see any BBA action in his career. He did spend 2 seasons in the GBC with Beirut.

"He's a rule 5 guy so expectations are what they are" commented team AGM Kate Fiscus. "We needed some depth, and preferably depth that was inexpensive. Zen has had some minor league success in his career and we liked certain attributes about him. So we figured we'd give him a shot in Portland this season and see how it goes."

With the current roster configuration, Zen could possibly be the starting 2B in Portland this season.

As mentioned, the team lost a pair of guys in the draft. Ronnie Sprinkles was taken by Edmonton and Lee Bundy was taken by Boise. Sprinkles, a popular 32 year old veteran, helped Portland's Single-A team a year ago contend for a title. The team fell short, losing to Toledo in the semifinals. He has pitched in 376 BBA games, 5 of which were starts. Bundy is a solid hitting 2B against right handed pitching. With the stick, he is the opposite of Zen. However, Bundy doesn't show much ability at all to play defense. At the age of 22, Boise might be able to hide Bundy at the bottom of their depth chart for a year, but it would be surprising if he makes it the full season with the Spuds. He's never played in a BBA game. Sprinkles' fan following will likely keep him in Edmonton all season.

[BaseClogger]

He was on my list too. Lots of 2B in this year's rule 5.

[tylertoo]

"His name is a mouthful," said Kate. "And not just his name."