Red Sox Rule Five Draft

The Boston Red Sox made no selections during today's Rule Five Draft; however, they did have two players chosen in the first round by other teams. Jorge Jimenez, who played third base for Portland all of last year and Armando Zerpa a reliever who pitched in Single-A and Advanced-A.

Jimenez posted a .361 wOBA and at 25-years old was a little advanced for the Eastern League. His defense is considered average at best and I doubt he will stick on the 40-man roster all season.

Zerpa posted good strikeout numbers (8.19 K/9 in Salem and 9.80 K/9 in Greenville). He struggled with his command a bit in the Carolina League which caused his FIP to fall from 2.16 with Greenville to 5.48 with Salem. He has a deceptive, low arm slot delivery which makes him very tough on lefties. He also has decent movement and induces a good amount of groundballs. He is just 22 but has never pitched above Advanced-A so it could also be tough for a MLB team to keep room for him. I do think he has upside as a potential left-handed specialist.

Rule Five Draft Prospects

The annual Baseball Winter Meetings mark an exciting time in baseball. Among the important events that takes place is the Rule Five draft. Here is a brief overview of the draft and who is eligible for selection. Among the potentially valuable prospects eligible this year are:

Josh Tomlin
Andrew Baldwin
Michael Crotta
Erik Arnesen
Ryan Mullins