The Pittsburgh Pirates pick infielder, Houston Astros pick pitchers
The Rule 5 Draft Pick took place recently and A majority of the choices made, concerned pitchers. Unprotected ball throwers, fielders and hitters were up for grabs and this was the time the weaker teams got to spend their small reserves of cash on good,
minor league prospects. The objective of every team in the draft was to pick the right batch of players they could field in their 40-man roster. The weaker teams had the privilege of going first and they did so.
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a misery tainted season in 2010 and they were spared from the rules of the draft. They were in need of an infielder and they chose Josh Rodriguez from the Cleveland Indians. He spent much of the season in the Triple-A league and
was a good consistent figure at the club. He has the knack of playing on any position and he will fulfil a utility role in the team.
Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said, "We like him as a guy to compete to make our club as a middle-utility player with upside to potentially become an everyday player. He's a guy that will compete to make our club as our utility guy. He has solid
defence at shortstop. He can swing the bat a little bit. He can bounce around and play second, short and third. You can probably run him into the outfield. He's a guy that's a good addition to the organization."
The next draft picks were dominated by pitcher selections. Aneury Rodriguez was one of the most talked about players in the winter meetings and the Houston Astros wasted no time in picking the player up from the draft. The 22 year old has been improving
his game in the Dominican winter league. He posted an earning runs average of 1.22 and allowed a batting average of .193 in the process. The Astros picked up Lance Pendleton as well. The rookie made a start in the Double-A league for the Yankees and topped
the figures with a 3.61 earning runs average.
Houston’s general manager Ed Wade said, "Being able to get these two guys provides us with depth of competition for a starting role in Spring Training, and we'll see where it goes from there. It's good to add some quality (talent) to the organization, and
we understand what the Rule 5 process is and are satisfied with the way it went."
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