2038.03 - The Long Beach Independent - Surfers Draft 1, Lose 2 in Rule 5

[Lane]

VEGA IN, MCIIHOME, DUKUZUMUREMYI OUT

December 16, 2037
Long Beach, CA

Just as they did in last year's Rule 5 draft, the Surfers picked up an injured reliever. The 2036 pick of Mario Gonzalez has paid dividends already, as he pitched 19 innings with a 2.79 ERA last season. With 9/7/3 ratings vs RHB, he appears to be in good position to win a spot in the opening day bullpen, however with 3 option years remaining he may be sent to AAA, at least for the start of the season.

This year's pick of Emilio Vega has the potential to be as good or even slightly better, though he has significant injury concerns. The 23 year old right hander is on the shelf recovering from a torn flexor tendon, the second such injury of his young career. If he is able to fully recover without losing any ratings, the Surfers would be thrilled to have him in their bullpen in July or August. Currently rated 8/9/4 vs RHB, he's exactly the type reliever that Long Beach is known to covet.

On the other side of the coin, Long Beach lost two players in the draft, catcher Peadar McIihome and outfielder Jassiem Dukuzumuremyi.

McIihome, 26 (6/6/3/4/8) was picked by Charm City and would appear poised to become their backup catcher. Originally a third round draftee of the Surfers, he never quite lived up to his offensive potential in Long Beach over parts of 6 seasons. He cleared waivers last fall, and was not protected for this draft due to an abundance of BBA-level catchers already on the 40 man.

Dukuzumuremyi, 22, is a DH masquerading as an outfielder. He might be able to hit, (6/8/7/5/6 POT) but he should probably never see much time in the outfield. He was picked up by the Montreal Blazers, longtime powerhouse who appear to be entering a rebuilding phase. It's possible that we see Dukuzumuremyi stick around with the club following their trade of DH Ettienne R. LaFitte.

The Independent wishes McIihome and Dukuzumuremyi well with their new organizations and will certainly track their progress as we see if Long Beach lost anything too valuable in the 2037 Rule 5 draft.