I was that fat kid that took all the candy.... smashed your pumpkin and tp'ed your house
The Twin Cities River Monsters made a significant splash in the Rule 5 Draft, selecting a league high seven players to enhance their roster for the upcoming season. The new additions include a mix of young prospects and seasoned veterans, aiming to boost both defense and offense for the team.
Eduardo Medine (C, 21)
B/T: Switch/Right
OVR: 35
CON: 5, GAP: 4, POW: 6, EYE: 5, K's: 5
C FRM: 9, IF RNG: 1, IF ERR: 2, IF ARM: 2, TDP: 1
OF RNG: 3, OF ERR: 3, OF ARM: 2, SPE: 1, SR: 1, STE: 1, RUN: 1
Chance of Sticking: Very Low
Backup catcher is always a place I like to add in the Rule 5. If nothing else, but to give competition. Medine is a young BBA ready backup catcher with excellent blocking and framing skills. His bat should play in the BBA as a backup. We do have Marius Urziceanu and César Román(just added to 40 man) with options. So we could technically hoard Medine and option the other two. But keeping 4 catchers on the 40 man is not likely.
Pat Currie (SS, 21)
B/T: Right/Right
OVR: 35
CON: 5, GAP: 4, POW: 3, EYE: 3, K's: 6
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 9, IF ERR: 6, IF ARM: 8, TDP: 7
OF RNG: 6, OF ERR: 4, OF ARM: 7, SPE: 2, SR: 4, STE: 1, RUN: 1
Chance of Sticking: Very Low
When it comes to the Rule 5, you never know who you will get and who you won't. When looking for a backup infielder, we could have chosen "or" instead of "and", but what fun is that? So we drafted 3 instead of one. Currie is a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none. He is technically a SS. But not really a great one. He has a high 5 contact rating. But doesn't offer much else in the way of offense. Like Medine, he is perfectly fine to serve in a bench role and would make the opening day roster for many BBA teams. We just want to set the bar a little higher.
Enver Kusçu (SS, 26)
B/T: Left/Right
OVR: 45
CON: 6, GAP: 6, POW: 3, EYE: 4, K's: 5
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 9, IF ERR: 7, IF ARM: 6, TDP: 7
OF RNG: 5, OF ERR: 8, OF ARM: 8, SPE: 7, SR: 7, STE: 8, RUN: 7
Chance of Sticking: Very Possible
I kind of like this guy. Lefty bat, can play multiple positions, tore up AAA last season. The role I'm looking to fill is someone who can step in when Juan Castillo inevitably gets hurt. Enver would create a fine platoon with Ignacio Venegas in that event. The only doubt is how the roster plays out. We also have Randall Grey who probably becomes the everyday 2B if Castillo gets hurt. So I'm not sure if we have enough roster spots to keep Kuscu as an insurance policy. Though he is also super injury prone, which actually works in his favor as a rule 5 pick. Can a root for a spring training injury that lasts until August 1st?
Juan Martínez (SS, 25)
B/T: Switch/Right
OVR: 35
CON: 4, GAP: 4, POW: 4, EYE: 5, K's: 4
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 9, IF ERR: 11, IF ARM: 9, TDP: 10
OF RNG: 7, OF ERR: 10, OF ARM: 7, SPE: 8, SR: 9, STE: 6, RUN: 7
Chance of Sticking: Probably Not, But Intriguing
Defensive SS are getting really rare. Especially Zimmer quality ones. Martinez is 9/11/9/10 with a 10 SS rating(12 2B and 11 3B). He is even 7/10/7 in the grass. He can't hit a lick though. Essentially he is Kelsey Perry lite. But two points to ponder that make this an interesting pick... Kelsey Perry has been my most asked about player in trade talks over the past 6 seasons. And #2, Imagine our defense(even if it's just late innings) with Perry at SS(11) and Martinez at 2B(12)? So there could be some value in this pick.
Girolamo L'Archibudelli (LF, 39)
B/T: Left/Left
OVR: 45
CON: 7, GAP: 7, POW: 4, EYE: 5, K's: 8
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 1, IF ERR: 1, IF ARM: 1, TDP: 3
OF RNG: 8, OF ERR: 5, OF ARM: 9, SPE: 8, SR: 10, STE: 10, RUN: 10
Chance of Sticking: Very Low
How in the....Dov’è il bagno?... does the Italian not have 3,000 hits already? Well, I was looking for a feel good story here. Last year we used Chunk DeJesus as our DH and he did very well. I thought maybe L'Arch could fill his shoes in a similar role. He is more of a contact than OBP guy, but he does have good speed. But now that I'm seeing him on my roster, I'm not so sure he is a good pick. Halverson and Kraljevic are probably better in house options. Not to mention guys like Grey, Serna, and Lodge are penciled in as bench players who are capable of starting. And of course there will be about 500 other DH options in the free agent market from now till November.
Jeffrey Tate (CF, 35)
B/T: Left/Left
OVR: 40
CON: 5, GAP: 5, POW: 3, EYE: 5, K's: 5
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 2, IF ERR: 3, IF ARM: 5, TDP: 1
OF RNG: 9, OF ERR: 7, OF ARM: 9, SPE: 9, SR: 10, STE: 11, RUN: 9
Chance of Sticking: 50/50
I've flirted with the idea of acquiring Tate on at least 2 other occasions over the past few years. He is exactly what I need, a stellar defensive CF who can hit enough to play every day when Ed Rooney goes on his yearly August vacation. The only problem is that I made a deal with the Yakuza to bring back Kosho Kondo to fill that role already. Though Kondo lumped a point of range just this sim. At 8/10/8, I'm still confident he can be a scratch defender in CF in limited action. But maybe Tate is a better fit? In an ideal world I keep both. Maybe Rooney gets hurt in spring training and things work out on their own. Or maybe I keep both and start Serna in the minors until the inevitable happens. That probably sounds like the best plan.
Darren Wearne (RF, 25)
B/T: Right/Right
OVR: 40
CON: 4, GAP: 5, POW: 7, EYE: 8, K's: 4
C FRM: 1, IF RNG: 4, IF ERR: 4, IF ARM: 10, TDP: 3
OF RNG: 8, OF ERR: 7, OF ARM: 10, SPE: 7, SR: 8, STE: 6, RUN: 8
Chance of Sticking: Not Likely
In looking for a CF, I passed this guy a few times and he caught my eye. Now, he isn't a CF'er, but he is a darn good defensive corner. And he has plus power and plate discipline. He even had a .380 OBP in AAA last season. His 4 contact rating is a big red flag. If it is a high 4, I think he can be a 2 WAR player at the BBA level. Unfortunately I think it maybe be on the mid side. His BBA sample isn't large enough to say for sure. I would love to keep this guy around as a project. But as a team with playoff aspirations, he's likely to get sent back.
These selections highlight the River Monsters' commitment to enhancing their defensive capabilities and adding depth to their lineup with a mix of experienced and young talents. Only time will tell if these selections pan out.
