Rule Number 5

Rule Number 5


The recent trade that sent Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers made me think about his career.  The most significant effect he had on baseball didn't happen on the field, it made the Rule 5 draft relevant.  Shane Victorino shouldn't be remembered for his clutch hits or his diving plays.  He shouldn't be remembered for pointing at his head and then his midsection in game three of the 2008 NLCS.  Shane Victorino is, and always should be, the face of the Rule 5 draft.

The Rule 5 Draft states that a player is eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they are not on the teams 40 man roster AND:

– were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; OR:

– were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.

Victorino with the Jacksonville Suns

Victorino was drafted in the 1999 Rule 4 Draft (that's the technical term for the actual amateur draft) by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school at the age of 19.  Therefore, he had to wait four years before he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft.  Four years later, in the winter of 2002, Victorino was selected by the San Diego Padres via Rule 5.  Once selected, the player must spend the entirety of the next season in the Major Leagues or they can be offered back to the team that they were taken from.  The Padres used him sparingly, and with little success, in the first month of the season and they offered him back to the Dodgers on May 28th.  He languished in the Dodgers minor league system, never getting higher than AA.  In 2004 the Phillies decided to take him in the Rule 5 draft once again.  Again he sputtered when given his shot in the bigs and he was promptly offered back to the Dodgers, who declined       to take him back.                     .                        

Game 3 of the 2008 NLCS

Finally Victorino started living up to the expectations.  He hit .310 at AAA for the Phillies and was not only selected to the International League All-Star team, but he was selected as the MVP of the IL as well.  He was named to the 2nd team all-minor league team by Baseball America and was awarded the Phillies minor league player of the year award.  He got called up to the Phillies in September of 2004 and never looked back.  He would take over right field for Bobby Abreu in 2006 and took over centerfield for Aaron Rowand in 2007.  Shane Victorino is not the only success story, Jose Bautista, Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, and Jayson Werth were also Rule 5 studs.  

Rule 5 is a great way for players to get a chance that they never would have with another team.  Victorino may never have gotten called up to play for the Dodgers and baseball would have been poorer for it.  Certainly there is some risk with selecting a player in the Rule 5 draft, but with names like these coming from the draft there is also great reward.  

NL East Fire Sale

NL East Fire Sales

Zach Cox

 Both the Phillies(45-57) and Marlins (47-55) find themselves more than 10 games out of the wildcard and have decided to call it quits at the trade deadline. Both teams were projected to finish towards the top of the NL East but both teams have fallen short. The Marlins participated in their third fire sale in the 20 years after big free agent grabs Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle. Their first move was sending Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers in exchange for pitching super prospect Jacob Turner and solid prospect C Robert Brantly. Shortly following that was the deal that sent Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate to the Dodgers for the #2 prospect in the Dodger's system P Nate Eovaldi and throw in prospect Scott McGough. On trade deadline day the Marlins worked out a trades with both the Pirates and the Cardinals. The Marlins sent relief pitcher Edward Mujica(0-3, 4.38 ERA, 2 SV, 36 H) to the Cardinals for 3B prospect Zach Cox who is hitting .254 at the AAA level this year. Cox is 23 years old and probably only a year or two away from the majors. I feel that the Marlins are the winners in this trade because middle relievers are not always consistent from year to year and Mujica isn't anything special this year. In a year when all is lost a veteran reliever does nothing and Cox should be able to help the Marlins for years to come.

Gaby Sanchez

  In the deal with the Pirates the Marlins sent off  one time all star 1B Gaby Sanchez and P Kyle Kaminska in exchange for the Pirates Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Kaminska seems to be just thrown in and most likely won't make a huge impact in the Pirates future as they are already stocked with young arms. Gaby Sanchez will replace Casey McGehee who the Pirates sent to the Yankees. Hernandez struggled with the big club this year and is doing okay in AAA after an above average year at AAA last year. He will most likely start off in the majors for the Marlins as Giancarlo "Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton is out for the season and Logan Morrison also on the DL.

Tommy Joseph

  The Phillies seem to have ended their era as kings of the NL East today by sending away their two best outfielders. Hunter Pence was traded to the Giants for OF Nate Schierholtz and catching prospect Tommy Joseph. Pence for Schierholtz straight up would be a great trade for the Giants and even with throwing Joseph in there it still is. The Giants have gotten themselves an elite right fielder that will help them beat out the Dodgers who have also been busy with deal. Tommy Joseph is the best catcher in the Giant's organization and #3 overall. The Giants will not be hurt too much by this because they already have Buster Posey and Andrew Susac is right behind Joseph in the Giant's system. With Carlos Ruiz aging the Phillies made a smart move by picking up a young catcher.
  Not to be outdone by the Giants, the Dodgers made a move of their own to pick up a solid outfielder. By giving up P Josh Lindblom and P Ethan Martin, they received Shane Victorino from the Phillies. Victorino is a career .277 hitter with a .776 OPS and should be expected to take over the starting left fielder role from Bobby Abreu. Abreu has slightly better numbers than Victorino this year but Victorino's speed and defense outweighs the older Abreu. Edit: Dodgers Designate Abreu for assignment.  Worse case scenario for Victorino is 4th outfielder but with plenty of playing time as Ethier and Kemp aren't the most durable players. The Dodgers gave up a package that is as valuable to them as Victorino but it is not great for the Phillies. Victorino means more to the Phillies than the Dodgers and they didn't get many prospects for him. Martin is at best a 3rd tier prospect while Lindblom is the#7 prospect in the Dodger's system. Lindblom has spent the whole 2012 season in the majors with 3.02 ERA in 47.2 innings.

Josh Lindblom

  The Phillies moved John Mayberry to starting center fielder status as a result of the trade as well as Domonic Brown. Mayberry will just be a placeholder in the organization as he is not young enough to be part of the franchises great next wave. The Phillies will most likely play out the rest of most of their contracts and then their prospects will be ready to make a run. The Marlins are in the same situation except that their players with heavy contracts have more years left and aren't quite as old. If the Marlins want to go back to rebuilding mode Reyes, Bell, and Buehrle will want to get out of Miami.

5 Baseball Trades That Should Happen but Won't

  With the baseball non-waiver trade deadline approaching, teams are starting to sort themselves into two groups; buyers and sellers. This year very few teams are willing to give up on making the playoffs because of the added playoff spot, but it looks as if the Marlins, Mariners, Twins, Royals, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Padres, and Rockies are out of it. Every other should look to improve their team as most division races are close, some of the trades proposed here might seem a little wacky, but both teams will benefit from them in the long run.

  1. Phillies send Cole Hamels (but only 2/3 of his contract) to BoSox for SS Jose Iglesias and C Blake Swihart
  For the first time in what seems like forever the Phillies are long shots to make the playoffs. There have been rumors that Hamels would be moved but no potential trades have been made public. The Red Sox are only 2 games out of the AL East which is quite an accomplishment considering they have the 19th best ERA in the Majors. Hamels would help bolster their rotation with his 3.07 ERA and 11-4 record. He also has the 12th best WHIP in the game at 1.09, the true measure of how effective a pitcher is. Hamels only has one year left on his contract and is set to make $15 million this year, the Phillies should cover at least 1/3 of the remaining money since the Red Sox need Hamels.

Jose Iglesias

  The Red Sox would be giving up two of their top 10 prospects but Jose Iglesias is the #2 SS in their system and Blake Swihart is their #2 catcher. Sure, both players could switch positions but the Red Sox are pretty set at both second and third so their isn't much room for Iglesias and Swihart is blocked by Ryan Lavarnway and Salty behind the plate and by Adrian Gonzalez at first. The 22 year old Iglesias is Major League ready at short stop and since the Phillies have a rapidly aging infield, they could try to move him to either third or second base. In 2012 so far he has hit .261 in 60 games at AAA and .333 in 10 games in the Majors. Swihart is a 20 year old catcher currently hitting .265 while slugging.393 at A, Carlos Ruiz is 33 years old and by the time Swihart is major league ready, Ruiz may be out of his prime.

  2. Marlins send 2B-OF Chris Coghlan and RHP Heath Bell and get C Hector Sanchez, RHP Heath Hembree, and LHP Mike Kickham
  Let's start off with what the Giants will be sending away in this deal, Catcher Hector Sanchez is only 23 years old and on their Major League roster, sounds like he is too good to give away unless you remember that the Giants also have Buster Posey on their team. Yes, Posey has gotten injured in the past but this is a high risk trade that could provide plenty of reward. The Giants also possess two other catchers in their farm system that could back up as well as current back up Eli Whiteside (who is a douche) who is filling in for the injured Sanchez. Hembree is currently in AAA for the Giants and has taken up the closer role. He has 13 saves in 32 appearances for the Fresno Grizzlies. His 5+ ERA might appear scary but opponents are only hitting .217 off of him. Mike Kickham is more of a long shot to make the major leagues since the Marlins are pretty solid in the rotation and Kickham isn't a top prospect but he could help in the bullpen one day. He has spent 2012 at the AA level and has been doing very well. He is 8-7 with a 2.71 ERA and at 23 seems to be soon ready for the Majors albeit with much upside.

Chris Coghlan

Hector Sanchez

  The Giants will be receiving two good players that have struggled recently but with a change of scenery their luck might change.  At 34 years of age, signing Heath Bell to a multi-year was very, very stupid. He has blown 6 saves for them this year but in the past he was an all-star. Sending him out west might be the best thing for him since he was successful with the Padres and maybe he is just a California type of guy. Chris Coghlan was the Rookie of the Year in 2009 but since then he has been sent down twice by the Marlins, now he is 27 and his career either needs to take off again or it might go down the drain. The Yankees could be another good possible fit for him but the New York pressure could get to him. He is very versatile and could fill in almost any where for the Giants. If this trade would go down, it could turn into nothing or it could win the Giants a World Series and revitalize the Marlins Franchise.

  3. Yankees Acquire RHP J.J. Putz and OF Justin Upton in exchange for cash(TBD), OF Mason Williams, and 3B Tyler Austin

Mason Williams

  What the Yankees get here is a flatout superstar in Justin Upton, he might not have been himself so far but he is still young (24) and has the potential to be great. The Diamondbacks are only 7 games out but have made it clear they went to get rid of Upton and they should also try to get something out of the 8.5 million they spent on him. Since the Yankees have lost both Brett Gardner and Mariano Rivera for the what looks like the rest of the season both their bullpen and outfield have held up well. This doesn't mean that they still can't upgrade. The Yankees are use to taking up old washed up players but this is a chance for them to get quality players at a quality age, Putz is 35 and at the tail end of his career but also the tail end of his contract while Upton still has a few years left on his deal. The Diamondbacks would need to find young talent to help replace Upton in the line up. Since the D-Backs already have plenty of pitching prospects (some are already in Majors) they don't need to receive a pitching prospect. Because the Yanks have money, they are loaded with prospects and even if they trade some away, they can always sign a free agent or go to one of their other prospects. Both Williams and Austin are at the tops of the Yankees system and Williams is 85 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects. Austin will soon be able to replace Ryan Roberts at 3rd and is quite a hitter, never hitting below .300 at any stop in the minors. Mason provides an average bat with above average speed as well as some power. Both are only in High-A so they are a couple years away from the show.

  4. Braves give up prospects RHP Zeke Spruil and SS Tyler Pastornicky and Receive Shortstop Marwin Gonzalez and if they can LHP Wesley Wright
  Yes, everyone knows that the Braves have a stacked bullpen but why not try to make it better. Venters is currently hurt and someone other than O'Flaherty has to help get the ball in to Kimbrel's hands. The Braves have a gaping hole at shortstop that they have tried to plug with Paul Janish but that will probably not work out. Gonzalez is only 23 years old and hitting just under .300 in his first year of the majors. He does not produce many homers but he can hit the ball with power in the gap for doubles. Wright would only be used against lefties as righties are hitting over .300 against him but he has held righties down to .185 and has a 4 to 1 K to BB ration against them. The Braves need to win the World Series and everyone in baseball would be happy if they did. Chipper Jones is a no doubt Hall of Famer and this move could earn him a ring.

Marwin Gonzalez 

  The Braves would be giving up quite a bit in this deal though. Pastornicky has already been in the majors and has the ability to turn into a great player, it's just that Gonzalez is one year ahead of him and the Braves need Pastornicky to be one year ahead because of the Jones situation. He hit .252 in 161 Plate Appearances in the Majors this year while hitting .268 at the AAA level. Spruill is in his 4th season out of high school and still appears a while away from the bigs. The second round draft pick has a 4.18 ERA in AA this year while possessing a WHIP of 1.263. Maybe a change of scenery will help this young man out since he could make the Astros better.

5. Cubs send Ryan Dempster to St. Louis and Matt Garza to Baltimore while building for the future up the middle
  Let's first talk about the Ryan Dempster situation, the Cardinals, Nationals, and Braves have all been said to be interested in the pitcher. The Nationals do not need to improve their team what so ever, they would only hurt themselves by giving up prospects to get him. It is understood that in a year they have a chance to win a ring they would go all out, but they have a team that could win it already and if they get him and miss, their future might be in doubt. Same thing goes for the Braves, they have to ask themselves, does this really make us that much better. The answer for them is no and they need a shortstop more than another pitcher. Both St. Louis and Baltimore are in contention for the world series and by picking up another pitcher.

Dan Klein

  The Orioles would be giving up a lot in this proposed trade as they would be sending their #2 and #3 pitching prospects as well as their #1 OF prospect. Robert Bundy is the older brother of the O's top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, so maybe moving out of the shadow of younger brother will be good for him. He will not be a top of the rotation pitcher but could have good effect coming of out of the bullpen or being at the end of the rotation. Dan Klein is 23 years old and has an ERA of 1.11 between AA and High A this year, the only problem is that he is constantly injured. If he can stay healthy, there is no reason why he can't be the future of the Cubs organization. The Outfielder they would be giving up is Glynn Davis, this kid can run and he has an average stick, he will boost their defense by covering a lot of ground but he is only in High A and a couple of years away from the Majors. Some might say that this is giving up way too much for Garza but this might be the only year that everything falls right in their season.

Mitch Harris

  The Cardinals wouldn't have to give up as much because Dempster has the ability to become a free agent after this season unlike Garza, who is still bound by arbitration. They send away RHP Mitch Harris, RHP Trevor Rosenthal, and C Cody Stanley. Mitch Harris is a pitcher that the Cardinals drafted in 2008 but since he attended the Naval Academy he has been busy fulfilling his service obligation and the Cubs could use him for PR since an appearance by him would potentially increase attendance. Rosenthal has a 2.78 ERA in AA this year and if he keeps it up, he could end up in the show soon, but the Cardinal's door is closing and Dempster could help them win now. Stanley is not as hot of a prospect as he is 23 and struggled offensively  in A since being called up from Rookie Ball. In 4 years in the minors he has thrown out 41% of base runners so he has more upside behind the plate than at it.

All these trades have the potential to help one team win the World Series this year and another win it 5 years ago. In baseball, some players become worthless to one team because of either better players at their position or they simply don't fit into the system. Some teams in this trade are obviously winners over the other. Prospects are never a sure thing so teams do take a risk by sending away their star, but when you suck you have to do something.  It is almost 99% sure that none of these trades will happen, but you never know what will happen at the trade deadline.

Cruz Cruisin

I've got some beef. Why in the world was Nelson Cruz allowed to hit six home runs in one play off series? It defies all logic and I simply cannot believe that the Tigers were so blind that they couldn't make an adjustment to get him out. Nelson Cruz is not that great of a hitter. He isn't Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun or Miguel Cabrera. He is not a hitter that makes good pitches look like meatballs and he doesn't do crazy things with a bat that mortals can't fathom.

Case in point, game 5 of the ALCS. Granted he was facing Justin Verlander arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and without a doubt one of two pitchers with absolutely unhittable stuff. Following is the pitch sequence to Nelly Cruz. Pitch 1 - Fastball that is so right down the middle that I'm sure Nelson couldn't believe it was happening. Pitch 2 - Fastball up in the strike zone that Cruz apparently didn't agree with despite the fact that it was belt high over the middle. Pitch 3 - A hanging curveball that should've been hit 98375789235 feet. Cruz almost crapped his pants and made a swing that would make every little league uncoordinated benchwarmer everywhere proud. Three pitches, one out.

Nelson Cruz receiving ALCS MVP

Nelson is a professional hitter and he gets paid to mash the ball all over the park, but he is also facing professional pitchers and their staff of video watching, chart making, analysts. One would think that eventually someone in the Tigers organization would say hey, Nelson Cruz can't hit a pitch low and away and throw every pitch of every at bat there. Look at his slugging chart which is a tomato red over the middle of the plate, inside, high, low, but wait! What is this blue/black we see on the outside corner? Thats exactly where anyone with half a brain should pitch Nelson Cruz until he proves he can hit it.

The same problem occured last year with the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLCS matchup with the San Francisco Giants. They ran up against the Cody Ross brigade who apparently loves to hit pitches on the low inside corner and apparently the Phillies pitchers loved getting whiplash from watching Cody Ross destroy balls over the left field fence. I know blind men who could tell you where you absolutely couldn't throw a pitch to Cody Ross. However, the Phillies pitchers didn't get it and got hurt again, and again, and again.

My problem is not that Nelson Cruz broke the record for hitting the most homeruns in a playoff series. Congratulations to Cruz. My problem lies with pitchers who get paid to throw pitches, coaches who get paid to tell them where to pitch it, and analysts who tell the coaches where hitters can't hit. All I'm saying is that if any team out there needs someone with a little common sense, I'm available.