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Nats Lose One, Pick Up Two In Rule 5 Draft

For the third consecutive December, the Nationals have had a player taken in the MLB phase, as the Chicago White Sox selected catcher Adrian Nieto with the No. 3 pick.

The selection is the classic gamble with that the Nationals were able to pull off with Jesus Flores in 2006, as the White Sox will have carry the 24-y.o. as a backup on their 25-man roster for the duration of the season, unless the two teams can work out a trade.

Nieto has yet to play above High-A during the regular season and has only had one year with more than 80 games played (2013), so it’s also a gamble that Nieto’s development won’t be thwarted should he not be returned before the minor-league season begins, which was the case for both of last year’s selections (Danny Rosenbaum, Jeff Kobernus).

In the minor-league phases, the Nationals had no players taken but instead selected two during the AAA phase: OF Theo Bowe from the Reds and RHP Martires Arias from the Mets.

Bowe’s calling card is his speed, as the 23-y.o. rivaled Billy Hamilton for the designation of Fastest in the Organization, winning the title in 2009 when both players turned 19 late in the season. The 23-y.o. Delaware native stole 70 bases between Low-A and High-A in 2012, but posted an anemic .206/.260/.307 line with 13 swipes in 99 games for AA Pensacola.

As Doug Gray of RedsMinorsLeagues.com wrote:

Bowe found himself in a crowded Pensacola outfield and despite hitting very well in the 2012 season, he didn’t get consistent playing time and never really got going in 2013.

Very little can be found on Arias, aside from his statistics from five years in short-season ball — two in the DSL, one in the GCL, two in the Appy League, which is considered a half-step below the likes of the NYPL and the NWL — and his vitals of 6’7″ and 207 lbs and a November 10, 1990 birth date in the Dominican Republic.

12 Commments

  1. Ex- po fans smile seeing Natty Bowe
    Coached by Delino DeShields at
    Pensacola
    Can nats get two farmhands for Corey brown
    In a worked out trade ( Astros )?!! Texas??
    Some scout saw something in Arias to risk
    12G for Tony Bryant on the mound
    Kkkkkk

  2. I’m sure there was more to it than this, but it sure seemed to me that the selection of Bowe was almost a PR move by the Nats … after losing BB they wanted to say to the fans “see … these really fast, slap hitters are easily replaceable. Quit complaining about paying too much for Blevins”. (Not that I agree at all that they look comparable in results).

  3. The obvious question for me is, what about the Rule 5 for the lower levels. Haven’t heard anything about them. I thought they were on the same day as the AAA phase. Just wondering………………

    1. as I understand it, only AAA and AA are involved.

      per MiLB, only two AA players were selected, neither by or from the Nats

      1. Not sure exactly how it works, but I think it was all in the same day. As Luke notes above, the two players the Nats selected, one played AA last year (Bowe) and the other was short season Appy League.

    2. AAA and AA phases are misnomers. They have nothing to do with AAA or AA, but merely refer to two secondary reserve lists, one of which has a max of 38, the other of which has a max of 37. In the four years I’ve been writing about this, I’ve only found one (1) article that explains it beyond the cost structure that you can find most everywhere else, and it’s rather old and still leaves a lot of questions unanswered:
      http://www.purplerow.com/2009/3/26/809925/mlb-transactions-part-seve

      1. Thanks Luke, and 3b11. I remember the system losing some interesting but not too important pieces in the lower level in years past. McGeary, etc.

  4. Before this year the big PR tag to Burns
    was that his dad was NY Jet RB
    Actually the PR move with Theo could be
    The chance for Carp and FP to someday say
    – Natty Bowe!! Lol!

  5. Peterson a nice addition in case Moore gets hurt
    Notice the former Pirates catchers @ SYR
    Chart?? Palace , Watts, Jeroloman
    Too bad Doumit cannot come over and play, Johnny !
    Either one more LH bat for chiefs then wait
    On Skole or two??

  6. Silly me: Justin Bluxom should bump
    Up to SYR with Jose Lozada , Rick Hague
    And Jason Martinson?? Camp will tell-
    Oscar Tejada platoons with rotation of Cutter
    , Sanchez , Soriano and that Houston Cougar
    Alum

  7. Pingback: Rule 5 Protection Thoughts » NationalsProspects.com

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