Baltimore Orioles Rule 5 Draftee is Logan Verrett
Feb 26, 2014; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets Logan Verrett poses during media day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
True to form and as fully anticipated, the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday have made a Rule 5 Draft selection by getting Logan Verrett from the New York Mets.
Skepticism about the value of Rule 5 players is certainly a defensible position, but this particular young man looks to be a very, very good selection.
The 24-year-old Texas native and Baylor University product has some excellent statistics for his three years in the minor leagues after being a 2011 third-round pick by the Mets. He is 28-13 overall in the minors with a 3.89 ERA, having pitched in A, A+, AA, and AAA levels.
In 2013 for Binghamton of Eastern League, he was 12-6 with a 4.25 ERA and excellent WHIP of 1.144. This past season he was 11-6, 4.33 at AAA Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. His WHIP there was higher at 1.370; and while that might not sound so great, remember that the PCL is a notorious hitters’ league. The ball simply flies in the dry/elevated climates.
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It would be better if he was a lefty, but then he might not have been available at all. I would presume that if he appears capable of being on the Orioles 25-man roster this year that he would be used in a long-relief role.
The Baltimore Orioles made their selection from the 28th position this year, ahead of only the Nationals and Angels. Nine of the first 11 teams, and 11 of the first 15 made a selection, but only a total of 13 were drafted. In the bottom half of the draft, only the Mariners in the 20th position made a selection, followed next by the Orioles.
The O’s were able by financial considerations and space on the 40-man to also get another Rule 5 Draftee – getting the fourth overall pick. It is Jason Garcia – selected by the Astros from the Red Sox organization. He is also a right-handed pitcher.
Garcia just turned age 22 and was a 17th-round selection in 2010 by Boston. He has never pitched above the low-A South Atlantic League – and even there with ERA stats in the upper threes. I have no explanation for this one, other than he is a player who is still coming back from ligament-replacement surgery and can throw in the upper 90s. Even so, seems like a long shot.
The Orioles did not, as feared, lose anyone in the Major League portion of the draft.
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This is the ninth consecutive year that the Orioles have participated in the Rule 5 Draft. The first in that run was Alfredo Simon in 2006 who, by the way, was traded today from the Reds to the Tigers after a 15-10, 3.44 season. So the Orioles will be seeing their old friend Big Pasta again.
And so ends the Winter Meetings. Duquette is reiterating that positive work was done in making good connections for a probable free agent acquisition. I still expect to see Delmon Young with the Orioles in 2015.