Major League phase of Rule 5 over. Indians take RHP Hector Ambriz and lose LHP Chuck Lofgren.

Major League phase of Rule 5 over. Indians take RHP Hector Ambriz and lose LHP Chuck Lofgren.

Castro. More to follow but Ambriz is here. Lofgren went to Milwaukee.

about 2 years ago afh4 41 comments 0 recs |

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Happy to retain Pino, but it also says something that no one selected him as a near-ready prospect.

by Roger Dorn on Dec 10, 2009 10:02 AM EST reply actions

Doesn’t really bother me either way. I’m glad we hold on to Pino but don’t take issue with other teams not interested in a right hander who’s fastball doesn’t reach 90.

Good luck Chuck!

by GoTribe028 on Dec 10, 2009 10:05 AM EST up reply actions

Ambriz a potential bullpen conversion?

by Roger Dorn on Dec 10, 2009 10:04 AM EST reply actions

If he sticks around he’s certainly an option. I’ve seen reports that his fast ball sits 91-94 and tops out around 96 when he reaches back. The 2008 BA prospect rankings mentions that scouts doubt his curve and change up at the higher levels, but his fastball and splitter could be effective over time.

by GoTribe028 on Dec 10, 2009 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

Castro has twittered he’ll compete for a ‘pen spot. Obviously-I mean, we didn’t draft a guy who struggled in AAA to start for us.

by afh4 on Dec 10, 2009 10:35 AM EST up reply actions

Did he really struggle? 4.17 FIP.

by Jay on Dec 10, 2009 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

I’d say that’s enough of a struggle that he’s not exactly banging on the rotation door as a rule 5. Our pitchers might suck but there’s still quite a few of them. By my count:

Westbrook
Fausto
Huff
Laffey
Masterson
Sowers
Carrasco
Pino
Rondon

Are all ahead of him. At the least, the first 7 are. I just don’t think we drafted a guy on the outside chance that he can turn mediocre AAA success into something so good in ST that we send one of our lousy young starters down.

by afh4 on Dec 10, 2009 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

i think it’s just that this year we’re gonna need a long man/men with the nature of our starters. i feel like the likes of Pino and Ambriz will find a roles doing that this year, whereas the others will stay stretched out and starting either in c-bus or cleveland. because there’s not really anyone else to do it. not wood, not perez, not perez, not sipp, smith, todd or veras. so the rotations look something like:

1. Westbrook
2. Laffey
3. Masterson
4. Carmona
5. Sowers

1. Huff
2. Carrasco
3. Rondon
4. Gomez
5. Lewis

by Brick. on Dec 10, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions

For the lazy – who of the above is out of options?

by dgcambridge on Dec 10, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

Fausto, Raffy Perez, Sowers and Veras

by Brick. on Dec 10, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

Westbrook has options?

by westbrook on Dec 10, 2009 7:31 PM EST up reply actions

1, technically.

by Brick. on Dec 10, 2009 8:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

5+ years of major league service though…doesn’t that mean they need his consent to send him down?

by supermarioelia on Dec 11, 2009 5:17 PM EST up reply actions

Yes, and he’d have to pass through revocable waivers as well.

by Jay on Dec 11, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions

Here’s our bullpen list at the moment:

1.Wood
2.C Perez
3.Todd
4.Sipp
5.Smith
6.R Perez
7.Lewis
8.Veras
9.Ambriz
10.Herrmann
11.Wright
12.Putnam

All but the last three are on the 40-man roster.

by APV on Dec 10, 2009 11:36 PM EST up reply actions

And might as well throw in

13.Judy
14.Tomlin
15.C Smith

by APV on Dec 10, 2009 11:37 PM EST up reply actions

Given Todd’s MLB struggles, isn’t he a little further south on your list (for now)?

by stuart dean on Dec 11, 2009 11:38 AM EST up reply actions

The numerical rankings are more of a general framework, not an exact ranking system. I think Todd has great stuff, better stuff than the guys immediately below him, and that probably shaped my thinking.

by APV on Dec 11, 2009 12:17 PM EST up reply actions

Wipeout slider…

by stuart dean on Dec 11, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

"Nobody ever thinks, 'Hey, maybe I’m actually an idiot.'" - Jay

by woodsmeister on Dec 11, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 6 recs

I would like this image to become a gamethread staple (maybe downsized slightly)

by APV on Dec 11, 2009 3:09 PM EST up reply actions

I thought about downsizing it, but then decided that it’s the offseason and that this needed to be seen at least once full size.

"Nobody ever thinks, 'Hey, maybe I’m actually an idiot.'" - Jay

by woodsmeister on Dec 11, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions

he’s not exactly banging on the rotation door as a rule 5

I would say the opposite. I would say it’s precisely as a rule 5 that he’s banging on the rotation door.

Like Sowers, he can’t be sent down without losing him, so there is a priority to keep him in the majors over guys with options remaining. But unlike Sowers, if we keep him this year, he gets three option years after that.

Of course, also unlike Sowers, he apparently profiles well for the bullpen.

by Jay on Dec 10, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t think they’d take a guy with the idea of putting him in the rotation unless they thought he was somewhere besides the bottom of the list and I think he’s obviously at the bottom of that list. What’s the point of drafting him as a starter with those numbers? So, I assume they drafted him for some other reason-the bullpen.

by afh4 on Dec 10, 2009 2:39 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe Diamondview spit out his name as the #3 pitcher in all of baseball behind Lincecum and Greinke.

by westbrook on Dec 10, 2009 7:37 PM EST up reply actions

Just made a fanshot about this. Damn my slow typing fingers!

Atleast Ambriz’ stuff is a little above average.

by JP_Frost on Dec 10, 2009 10:07 AM EST reply actions

i bet we get lofgren back.

by Brick. on Dec 10, 2009 10:15 AM EST reply actions

So, none of the Pino, Wagner, Wright group selected. Works for me. The folks at Scout and Cleveland.com and elsewhere go all apoplectic in advance of the Rule 5 but it never seems to amount to much. Still I’m surprised that we lost only Lofgren.

by MickS on Dec 10, 2009 10:22 AM EST reply actions

Copying from the other thread — MLB has all the picks. Only the Yankees and Red Sox have lost more than one player.

by FredOx on Dec 10, 2009 10:24 AM EST reply actions

well, they can be happy that revenue sharing is being spent on the $50K to select their players…

by Brick. on Dec 10, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

I see Ben Snyder was taken – I believe that’s Brad’s little brother.

by mcrose on Dec 10, 2009 7:03 PM EST up reply actions

AAA Phase:

Lost: Anillins Martinez and Matt Meyer
Drafted: OF Brian Horwitz (from the Richmond Flying Squirrels)

Yes, I did that mostly to note that SF’s AA franchise is now the Flying Squirrels.

by FredOx on Dec 10, 2009 10:48 AM EST reply actions

Any players over there named Rocky?

by stuart dean on Dec 10, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

Here’s the BP comment from way back in ’07:

Horwitz wasn`t drafted out of college. He doesn`t run well thanks to an old knee injury. He doesn`t throw well. He doesn`t have power. What he does have is an uncanny ability to spray line drives around a park, a skill that`s earned him two minor league batting titles. If he keeps hitting for translated .300 averages (his numbers from Norwich, a pitcher`s park, just miss at .299/.365/.365), he`ll force his way up, regardless of the scouting consensus, and have a career as a fourth outfielder/pinch-hitter.

by dgcambridge on Dec 10, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions