December 12, 2000

Prospectus Roundtable

Our Staff Offers Some Comments

by Baseball Prospectus

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Lost between the Mike Hampton and Alex Rodriguez signings was Monday's annual Rule 5 draft. The major-league portion allows teams to select players left off 40-man rosters for $50,000, with the caveat that the player must be kept on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to his original team for $25,000. The minor-league portions work similarly, but without the mandatory roster provision.

Our staff's comments are below, followed by the complete draft list.

Chris Kahrl: It's interesting that Jay Gibbons and Jermaine Clark were available. Maybe it's just me, but this looks like a pretty crappy Rule 5 crop, worse still when you consider guys like Jackie Rexrode were available. Anybody see any real surprises here?

Mat Olkin: To me, Jermaine Clark is the steal of the draft. He's a left-handed-hitting second baseman with a good defensive reputation who's capable of putting up a .400 OBP in the majors. I don't know what's more shocking--that Seattle left him exposed or that Randy Smith was astute enough to nab him.

Jeff Bower: I don't really understand why the Tigers selected Clark. He's pretty much limited to second base and Damion Easley is under contract through the entire four years of the Dubya...uh...Go...uh...next administration. I don't know why the Phillies didn't choose him--too busy holding open roster spots for Lee Guetterman's comeback, I guess.

From a selfish standpoint, I hope the Ms get Clark back; for the sake of his career, I hope he stays out of Seattle.

Derek Zumsteg: I didn't find it shocking at all that the Mariners exposed him. They've been down on Clark for some time, for no real reason I'm aware of. I'm surprised instead that the Tigers took him. Unlike others, I'm less surprised Philly didn't, as they've clearly demonstrated they have no idea what they're doing this offseason.

JB:Norwich drafted Petey Duprey, formerly of the Everett AquaSox. I'll always pull for Duprey after standing next to his dad in the ticket line a couple years ago. His old man is a super-regular guy from some backwater town in Florida, who would rather be fishing than anywhere near a city the size of Everett. He beamed with pride that night when Petey came in and set down six Spokane Indians in a row. I've kind of lost track of him since he left the Mariners organization.

Jeff Hildebrand: Damn it, why the hell didn't the Phillies put Joe Cotton on the Triple-A roster so anyone taking him would have to keep him in the majors? If there's a sleeper in this draft, this might be it and--surprise surprise--the A's grabbed him.

Cotton has snuck up through the ranks as a middle reliever and is continually overlooked but keeps getting the job done. Because of how he's been used, his arm should be in good shape; with some additional good coaching he could be a useful major-league pitcher by as early as the middle of next year.

Keith Law: I was interested to see that Oakland grabbed Eddie Furniss in the Triple-A portion. He was a college draftee in 1998 and hit well at Augusta that year and in Lynchburg in '99, but collapsed at Altoona in '99 in all areas but plate discipline (which is likely why they grabbed him). He looks like he should have good power and I wouldn't be surprised to see Oakland make a hitter out of him.

Rule 5 Draft List

Major League

1. Chicago Cubs, Scott Chiasson, rhp, Sacramento (Oakland).
2. Minnesota, Brandon Knight, rhp, Columbus (N.Y. Yankees).
3. Montreal, Ted Rose, rhp, Louisville (Cincinnati).
4. Baltimore, Jay Gibbons, 1b, Syracuse (Toronto).
5. Kansas City, Endy Chavez Meza, of, Norfolk (N.Y. Mets).
6. Detroit, Jermaine Clark, 2b, Tacoma (Seattle).
7. San Diego, Donaldo Mendez, ss, New Orleans (Houston).
8. Anaheim, Rendy Espina, lhp, Syracuse (Toronto).
9. Los Angeles, Jose Antonio Nunez, lhp, Norfolk (N.Y. Mets).
10. N.Y. Mets, Julio Santana, rhp, Fresno (San Francisco).

Triple A

1. Iowa (Chicago Cubs), Matthew Achilles, rhp, Bowie (Baltimore).
2. Salt Lake (Minnesota), Timothy Giles, 1b, Tennessee (Toronto).
3. Scranton (Philadelphia), Ramon Gomez, of, El Paso (Arizona).
4. Ottawa (Montreal), Kristopher Stevens, lhp, Reading (Philadelphia).
5. Oklahoma (Texas), Brian Oliver, ss, Erie (Anaheim).
6. Nashville (Pittsburgh), Yurendell De Caster, ss, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
7. Rochester (Baltimore), Jovanny Sosa, of, Altoona (Pittsburgh).
8. New Orleans (Houston), James Lira, rhp, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
9. Omaha (Kansas City), Timothy Hamulack, lhp, Round Rock (Houston).
10. Indianapolis (Milwaukee), Ryan Lamattina, lhp, Carolina (Colorado).
11. Toledo (Detroit), Derek Nicholson, rf, Round Rock (Houston).
12. Las Vegas (San Diego, Rolando Efrain, inf, Altoona (Pittsburgh).
13. Syracuse (Toronto), Angel Caraballo, rhp, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox).
14. Colorado Springs (Colorado), Jan Carlos Duncan, ss, Reading (Philadelphia).
15. Louisville (Cincinnati), Christopher Piersoll, rhp, West Tenn (Chicago Cubs).
16. Columbus (N.Y. Yankees), Brandon Jackson, ss, Tennessee (Toronto).
17. Buffalo (Cleveland), James Johnson, lhp, Huntsville (Milwaukee).
18. Albuquerque (Los Angeles), Darrell Dent, cf, Bowie (Baltimore).
19. Tacoma (Seattle), Jason Ellison, rhp, Norwich (N.Y. Yankees).
20. Norfolk (N.Y. Mets), Ronald Braswell, lhp, Round Rock (Houston).
21. Sacramento (Oakland), Joseph Cotton, rhp, Reading (Philadelphia).
22. Charlotte (Chicago White Sox), Denton McDaniel, lhp, New Haven (Seattle).
23. Fresno (San Francisco), Elliot Brown, rhp, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
24. Salt Lake (Minnesota), Adam Flohr, lhp, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
25. Ottawa (Montreal), Allen Davis, lhp, San Antonio (Los Angeles).
26. Nashville (Pittsburgh), Derek Mann, ss, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
27. Rochester (Baltimore), Timothy Corcoran, rhp, Binghamton (N.Y. Mets).
28. New Orleans (Houston), Juan Arteaga, lhp, Binghamton (N.Y. Mets).
29. Toledo (Detroit), Marquis Roberts, lhp, Orlando (Tampa Bay).
30. Syracuse (Toronto), Antonio McKinney, cf, Jacksonville (Detroit).
31. Colorado Springs (Colorado), Melido Dotel, rhp, San Antonio (Los Angeles).
32. Louisville (Cincinnati), Gabriel Alvarez, ss, Mobile (San Diego).
33. Albuquerque (Los Angeles), Adrian Manzano, rhp, Greenville (Atlanta).
34. Tacoma (Seattle), Jorge Sosa, of, Carolina (Colorado).
35. Sacramento (Oakland), Wilburn Furniss, 1b, Altoona (Pittsburgh).
36. Charlotte (Chicago White Sox), Aaron Miles, 2b, Round Rock (Houston).
37. Ottawa (Montreal), Thomas Darrell, rhp, Trenton (Boston).
38. Toledo (Detroit), Derek Baker, 3b, Tulsa (Texas).
39. Tacoma (Seattle), Joseph Funaro, inf, Portland (Florida).
40. Charlotte (Chicago White Sox), Derek Mitchell, ss, Jacksonville (Detroit).

Double A

1. West Tenn (Chicago Cubs), Thomas Koutrouba, lhp, Lakeland (Detroit).
2. Harrisburg (Montreal), Jeffrey Andrews, rhp, High Desert (Arizona).
3. Jacksonville (Detroit), Bradley Downing, of, Boise (Anaheim).
4. Mobile (San Diego), Jason Pearson, lhp, Dayton (Cincinnati).
5. Tennessee (Toronto), Michael Rooney, rhp, High Desert (Arizona).
6. Carolina (Colorado), Jeffrey Powers, ss, High Desert (Arizona).
7. Norwich (N.Y. Yankees), Peter Duprey, lhp, Lansing (Chicago Cubs).
8. Akron (Cleveland), James Goelz, ss, Yakima (Los Angeles).
9. San Antonio (Los Angeles), Byron Wilkerson, rhp, Kissimmee (Houston).
10. San Antonio (Los Angeles), William Nelson, ss, West Michigan (Detroit).