Houston Astros utilise Rule 5 Draft, add Nate Freiman, Josh Fields to roster - MLB News
Houston Astros, who had the first option to choose players in the Rule 5 draft courtesy of their bottom of the Major League table finish, selected two players that they believe will be useful for the franchise. These players include Nate Freiman from the
San Diego Padres and Josh Fields from the Boston Red Sox.
The 25-year-old Nate Freiman is a power hitter and was a preferred option for the Houston ball club. Standing at 6ft 7in, he is going to get his opportunity to impress in Spring Training for the Astros.
Houston Astros’ director of pro scouting Kevin Goldstein was highly impressed by Nate’s ability with the bat.
"This is a guy who's worth taking a chance on, a guy we've like since his days at Duke," Goldstein said. "He was great in Arizona and played well for Israel as well. Right-handed guys with that kind of power are not normally available in the Rule 5. He destroys
left-handed pitching, and he's a guy you give an opportunity to him in the spring and see what he can do."
Freiman had a pretty good year in the Minor League. Playing for the Double-A San Antonia Padres, he had a .298 batting average in 581 plate appearances during 137 games. These included 105 RBI’s and 24 home-runs. He also did well in the Arizona Fall League
and in the qualifiers of the World Baseball Classic.
Although Astros are still in search of their designated hitter, which will quite likely be Lance Berkman, Nate can be a candidate for the spot at some point in time.
Josh Fields was a first round pick for the Astros in the draft, thus the first person to be selected this year. The 27-year-old is expected to be a part of Astros’ bullpen. The pitcher was a part of the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and Triple-A Pawtucket Red
Sox. In combined 42 games that he played for the two teams, he posted an impressive 2.01 ERA with a 4-3 winning record. In a little over 58 innings, he struck-out 78 batters.
Goldstein is pleased by the acquisition of Josh. He believes that the pitcher can be useful for the club. "The arm is actually fresher than most guys his age, so that's something maybe works to our advantage," he said.
Fields was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2007 draft in the second round. He returned to school and was a first round pick for the Seattle Mariners the next year. The pitcher has been showing positive signs since 2011 and it could be soon that
he breaks into the Major League.
The Houston Astros have made two good choices in the Rule 5 Draft and have fully taken advantage that they held as the first team to choose. One can certainly hope that both the players will live up to the expectations and will play their part in the turnaround
for the Houston Astros.
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