Major League Baseball held the Rule 5 Draft yesterday during the Winter Meetings. If a player is selected in the Rule 5 draft, they need to be placed on a MLB roster for the next season and if they are put in the minor leagues, they will go back to the previous squad. The system was put into place to eliminate the ability for squads to stockpile young players in their system when other squads would have that player in the major leagues.
The most interesting two things in this year’s Rule 5 draft is the fact that two Rice and Oregon State players were selected. We have briefly broke down the players performance for the last couple of years below.
Josh Rodriguez- picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates after being the with Cleveland Indians system for the last four seasons making it to the AAA. Before heading to the minors, Rodriguez was a star with the Rice Owls as he hit .344 with 11 homers and 64 RBI. The Cleveland Indians selected him in the second round (57th overall pick) during the 2006 MLB Draft.
Joe Paterson- picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks after spending the last four seasons in the San Francisco Giants system. He has advanced as high as AAA Fresno where he appeared in 46 games out of the bullpen with a 4-3 record and a 3.48 ERA this past season. He played two seasons at Oregon State going 10-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 26 appearances (16 starts) in 2007 as he helped the Beavers win back to back national championships. He was selected by the Giants in the 10th round (314th overall pick) in the 2007 MLB Draft.
Mason Tobin- picked by the Chicago Cubs after spending the last four years as a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim system. He did not pitch in the minor leagues in 2010 but in 2009 he had no record in three appearances without giving up an earned run. He was selected in the 2007 amateur draft by the Angels in the 16th round (508th overall) after having a stellar college career at Everett Community College.
Pat Egan- picked by the Milwaukee Brewers after being with the Baltimore Orioles system for the last four years. He appeared in 27 games with AAA Norfolk while going 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in relief work. He was a four year starting pitcher for the Quinnipiac Bobcats. In his senior season, he went 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). The Orioles selected him in the 36th round (1,075th overall) in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft.
Brad Emaus- picked by the New York Mets after spending parts of four years in the Toronto Blue Jays system. This past season saw him start the season in AA New Hampshire before being promoted to AAA Las Vegas where he played in 87 games while hitting .298 with 10 homers and 49 RBI. The Blue Jays selected him in the 11th round (355th overall) in the 2006 MLB Draft out of Tulane University. He had an outstanding three year career with the Green Wave hitting .329 with five homers and 35 RBI as a junior.
George Kontos- picked by the San Diego Padres after playing five years in the New York Yankees system. He started the 2010 minor league season in single A Florida State League with the Tampa Yankees but was promoted all the way to AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre where he made two relief appearances with a 10.12 ERA. He was selected by the Yankees in the fifth round (164th overall) in the 2006 MLB Draft after a three year career with the Northwestern Wildcats. As a junior, he went 3-10 with a 5.29 ERA in 16 starts while throwing seven complete games.
Scott Diamond- picked by the Minnesota Twins after being in the Atlanta Braves system for the last three seasons. In 2010, he advanced to AAA Gwinnett where he made 10 starts going a respectable 4-1 with a 3.36 ERA. He went undrafted out of Binghamton University where he played three years. In his final season during 2007 with the Bearcats, he had a 5-3 record with a 3.45 ERA in 12 starts.
Brian Broderick- picked by the Washington Nationals after spending the last four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals system. Last season, he was in AA with the Springfield Cardinals where he went 11-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 17 appearances (15 starts). He was selected by the Cardinals in the 21st round (652nd overall) of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Mesa Community College.
Lance Pendelton- picked by the Houston Astros after spending five years in the New York Yankees system. He spent last season mostly at AA Trenton where he went 10-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts). He also made six appearances (five starts) at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre with a 2-1 record and a 4.24 ERA. Lance was selected by the New York Yankees in the 4th round (139th overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft out of Rice University. His final season with the Owls saw him go 5-3 with two saves and a 3.70 ERA.
Pedro Beato- picked by the New York Mets after spending five years in the Baltimore Orioles system. He played in Double A Bowie where he worked out of the bullpen. He had a record of 4-0 including 16 saves with a 2.11 ERA. He was a first round selection (32nd overall) by the Orioles out of St. Petersburg College in 2006.
Daniel Turpen- picked by the New York Yankees after spending this past season in the Boston Red Sox system. He appeared in 12 games with the Double A Portland Seadogs as he went 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA. Turpen was a eighth round selection (254th overall) in the 2007 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants after three outstanding seasons with the Oregon State Beavers as he helped lead them to back to back CWS titles. In his junior season, he went 10-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 23 games (14 starts).
You can check out the full listing of Rule 5 drafted players by clicking here.
