James Bourque—pronounced “Burke”—was the only player added thus far to the Washington Nationals’ 40-man roster ahead of the deadline for the upcoming Rule 5 draft next month.
It’s also one more than the number of 2015 collegiate draft picks and 2014 high-schoolers and IFAs who have been protected: ZERO. Even if more are added tomorrow, it seems odd, if not telling, that the Nats would do this in stages rather than announce all at once.
As written in this space a year ago, the myth that Mike Rizzo is somehow a draft genius needs to be given the same credence as creationists, astrology, and anti-vaxxers: the evidence just doesn’t support the delusion.
Granted, it’s worth reminding folks that the Rule 5 draft is blown way out of proportion. The players “lost” nearly always come back (see: Kobernus, Jeff) and those that don’t become answers to trivia questions (see: Nieto, Adrian). Please keep that in mind before commenting on the players who could be selected next month or protected on Tuesday.
We now return you to the 2018-2019 offseason…