December 17, 2054
By Nes Lessman for the Yellow Springs Journal
Yellow Springs, OH – The Yellow Sprigs Nine only made one selection in the Rule 5 Draft yesterday, but all agreed it was a good one, netting starting pitching prospect Cory McGuire from the New Orleans Crawdads. The 20 year old has future star written all over him as he's moved up from being named the #83 prospect earlier this year to 20th just before the draft itself.
McGuire was selected in the third round of the 2050 draft by New Orleans, who signed him for $315,000. He went straight to A ball, where the curveball specialist went 2-1 with 7 saves in 16 games, used strictly in relief. He moved to a swing role in 2051, struggling to a 0-3 record with an 8.06 ERA. After posting a 1-9 record in 2052 at the same level, New Orleans moved McGuire down to Short A, where the young man rebounded, going 3-4 with 13 saves in 2053. Back as a starter in 2054, McGuire went 4-8 in 18 games (17 starts) with a 2.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 7.9 k/9 for New Orleans's Short A team.
Now he finds himself on the BBA stage, at least for 2055. Given his age and lack of experience, it's expected he'll probably go back to AA in 2056 or perhaps AAA to gain more seasoning before making a more proper debut with the Nine (or whichever team he's on at the time). That's assuming, of course, he stays all year, but GM Rob McMonigal seemed adamant that he would.
Cory McGuire
"As you know, Les, I don't pick up many players in the Rule 5 Draft, and when I do, I keep them all season long. For me, the draft is all about making the organization better, not taking fliers and hoping things will work out. No one is saying Cory will play a significant role on the Nine in 2055, but we are going to look for how he best fits and ensure he gets the chance to be successful."
Asked why he selected McGuire, McMonigal said it was a combination of factors. "First of all, he's got 3 really good pitches, and that's becoming increasingly rare for BBA prospects. Then you look at his stuff and control, which will keep walks down and blow more than a few pitches past hitters. He's got the potential to be very good on the mound. But then there's the intangibles. I talked to my coaches at the A and Short A levels, and they haven't heard a single bad word about the kid. He's so young and mature. All in all, Les, it's like we made a major trade without having to give up a single player. For my money, that's how you use the Rule 5. I can't wait to see how Cory plays for us over the next few years."
The big question on McGuire is how they'll use him. Most Rule 5 pitchers are placed in the very back of the bullpen, called on only when the games are out of hand. (Given the Nine's recent performance, that might actually mean a lot of innings, come to think of it.) It will be interesting to see how McMonigal and the Nine pursue things, given that McGuire's talent may play better on the big stage than anyone is expecting.
