2060.14 Nine Gain One, Lose Two in Rule 5 Draft

[Trebro]

Nine Gain One, Lose Two in Rule 5 Draft

by Valerie Davies, for the Yellow Springs World

It was a fairly quiet Rule 5 draft for the Nine this season, as the team looks toward winning ways and has less room to carry a weak player as they may have in the past. Still, the team went for what they hope can be an upgrade in the bullpen.

Similarly, the team left off the 40 man at least one player they may have protected in the past and lost him, along with another long-time member of the minors.

So who left and who did the Nine get back?

Lost:

SP Jorge Marin (AAA). It didn't surprise me that the Nine lost a part of the Downforce squad, and actually, I'd expected several to go out, as GM Rob McMonigal had stocked Indianapolis with a lot of players who could, but maybe wouldn't be ready to play in the BBA. (He found to his chagrin many of them could not in 2059.) Marin, 29, has been a career AAA player, starting there in 2051 in Mars and staying there until 2056. In 2057, he started in Indy and played there for three more years. He became a starter with the Downforce and won 34 games for them. With a 1.38 career WHIP, 3.78 ERA, and 6.5 K/9, he was the ultimate in steady as a not-quite-major-leaguer, but neither the Robins nor the Nine thought he was worth trying out, despite neither team being amazing. He'll get a shot with the newly moved Austin Shredders.

SS Juan Martínez (4CON, 4BABIP, 4GAP, 4POW, 5EYE, 4AvK) (AA). Martinez has a glove scouts drool over (89.7 career ZR at short) and a bat not even the most chiroptophobic person wouldn't worry over. McMonigal brought him up to spring training in 2059 and he barely got one hit. Santa Cruz didn't help anything – he hit .216 with a .575 OPS. Despite his strong glove, that works out to a 1.0 WAR. It just wasn't enough to get him a roster spot, but it was enough for Twin Cities to bring him in via the draft. It will be interesting to see if he can stick as a defensive replacement only when the River Monsters still have an opportunity for playoff hopes.

Gained:

RP Jesús Ríos (5STU, 6MOV, 6CON, 6PBABIP, 7HRR) (AAA). Despite being selected to the 2059 All Stars Futures game, Mexico City opted not to protect Rios, who was their third round pick in 2055. He didn't have amazing stats at AAA Los Cabos (8-3, 2 saves, 4.23 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 1.5 WAR) but scouts I talked to loved his movement and control. He throws three very average pitches. His FIP- was 81, however, and he's a career 60% ground ball pitcher.

"I liked some of his metrics more than his results last season," said McMonigal when I asked for comment. "He also did very well in AA in 2057 and 2058. We feel he can develop under our strong pitching coach and veteran staff and be a real contributor in 2060, not just a rubber arm for mop up work."

My bet is that he sticks, as the next Rule 5 pick to be returned will be McMonigal's first. I also have a feeling Martinez might be back in the organization soon as well, given that Twin Cities still has a (albeit shrinking) window to take down the Nashville Bluebirds, something they've been trying to do for several seasons now. Marin probably stays with Austin, which is okay because McMonigal can easily replace him. Overall, it was a quiet, pretty non-impactful Rule 5 this season. If the Nine start winning again, that's going to be the norm, unless a Cory McGuire (8STU, 6MOV, 7CON, 7PBABIP, 5HRR) drops in their lap again. Now that was a Rule 5 to remember for us journalists. Still, pieces like Rios can be helpful, and that's what I expect when the team calls it a wrap on 2060.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see.