2006 Rule 5 Draft
The 2006 Rule 5 Draft meeting was held this morning at the MLB Winter Meetings at Lake Buena Vista, FL, near Disney World. The Cubs lost three players in the Major League Phase of the Draft--LHP Edward Campusano to MIL (the Brewers then sold Campusano's draft rights to DET), RHP Lincoln Holdzkom to HOU, and INF Jason Smith to TOR, and two players in the AAA phase--2B Richard Lewis to KC and RHP Andy Shipman to OAK.
The Cubs also selected one player in the Major League Phase (OF Josh Hamilton from TB) and one player in the AAA phase (RHP Jim Henderson from WAS), but Hamilton was subsequently sent to the Cincinnati Reds in a cash deal.
After the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs acquired RHP Kevin Hart from BAL as the PTBNL in yesterday's deal where Freddie Bynum was sent to the Orioles. Hart was selected by the O's in the 11th round of the 2004 Rule 4 Draft (June Draft) out of the University of Maryland, and was a rotation starter at Hi-A Frederick last season. Hart will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time after next season, so the Cubs have a year to decide whether to place him on their 40-man roster.
MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE ($50,000 draft price)
NOTE: Player must be kept on drafting club's 25-man roster for entire 2007 season or be offered back to original club for half the draft price
1st ROUND
TB: Ryan Goleski, OF - selected from CLE (draft rights traded to OAK)
KC: Joakim Soria, RHP - selected from SD
CUBS: Josh Hamilton, OF - selected from TB (draft rights sold to CIN)
PIT: Sean White, RHP - selected from ATL (draft rights sold to SEA)
BAL: Alfredo Simon, RHP - selected from TEX (draft rights traded to PHI)
WAS: Jesus Flores, C - selected from NYM
MIL: Edward Campusano, LHP - selected from CUBS (draft rights sold to DET)
CIN: Jared Burton, RHP - selected from OAK
HOU: Lincoln Holdzkom, RHP - selected from CUBS
PHI: Adam Donachie, C - selected from KC (draft rights traded to BAL)
BOS: Nick DeBarr, RHP - selected frrom TB
TOR: Jason Smith, INF - selected from CUBS
SD: Kevin Cameron, RHP - selected from MIN
OAK: Jay Marshall, LHP - selected from CHW
MIN: Alejandro Machado, INF - selected from WAS
NYY: Josh Phelps, 1B - selected from BAL
2nd ROUND
WAS: Levale Speigner, RHP - selected from MIN
PHI: Jim Ed Warden, RHP - selected from CLE
3rd ROUND
PHI: Ryan Budde, C - selected from LAA
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AAA PHASE ($12,000 draft price)
NOTE: All sales are final - No roster restrictions - Player may be assigned to any team in drafting club's organization
1st ROUND
TB: Erold Andrus, OF-1B - selected from MIN
KC: Richard Lewis, 2B - selected from CUBS
CUBS: Jim Henderson, RHP - selected from WAS
PIT: Moises Robles, RHP - selected from NYMs
WAS: Justin Jones, LHP - selected from MIN
MIL: Michael Carlin, 1B - selected from PIT
COL: Salomon Manriquez, C - selected from WAS
SF: Trey Webb, INF - selected from WAS
FLA: Josh Labandeira, INF - selected from WAS
CIN: Francisco Mateo, LHP - selected from TOR
TEX: Johany Abreu, SS - selected from SF
STL: Omar Falcon, C - selected from SF
PHI: Victor Hall, OF - selected from NYY
SD: Brandon Powell, INF - selected from WAS
OAK: Andy Shipman, RHP - selected from CUBS
MIN: Jesse Floyd, RHP - selected from SF
NYM: Ricardo Morales, LHP - selected fom WAS
2nd ROUND
FLA: Cristhian Martinez, RHP - selected from DET
TEX: Kendy Batista, RHP - selected from BAL
STL: Jose Contreras, SS - selected from WAS
OAK: Josh Alliston, RHP - selected from MIL
MIN: Brian Buscher, 3B - selected from SF
3rd ROUND
FLA: Lorenzo Scott, OF - selected from BAL
TEX: Brian Munhall, C - selected from SF
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AA PHASE ($4,000 draft price)
NOTE: All sales are final - No roster restrictions - Player may be assigned to any team in drafting club's organization
TB: Paul Moviel, RHP - selected from CHW
PIT: Kevin Cave, RHP - selected from FLA
CIN: Nick Moran, RHP - selected from TB
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The Cubs selected former Devil Rays top prospect OF Josh Hamilton (who has spent the last few years battling personal demons) with the #3 overall pick in the 1st round of the Major League Phase, and then sent Hamilton to CIN in a straight-cash deal.
The Cubs also made one selection in the AAA phase, acquiring RHP Jim Henderson from the Washington Nationals for the AAA draft price of $12,000. Henderson is a 24-year middle reliever who has spent the last four seasons in "A" ball, so he might get a shot at making the AA Tennesssee Smokies bullpen in 2007, or he could end up at Daytona, or he might get released (as happened with the two pitchers the Cubs selected in last year's AAA phase of the Rule 5 Draft, LHP Carlos Jan and RHP Geivy Garcia).
The three players selected from the Cubs in the Major League Phase are:
LHP Edward Campusano
The 24-year old Campusano was selected by Milwaukee, but the Brewers then sold his draft rights to the Tigers. An All-Star at Peoria and the top closer in the MWL before receiving a June double-jump promotion to AA West Tenn, Campusano as probably on the same track to the big leagues as Clay Rapada (who along with RHP Rocky Cherry, was added to the Cubs 40-man roster last month) before suffering a mid-season season-ending elbow injury (prognosis unknown). But if healthy, Campusano (like Rapada) could be a terrific MLB LOOGY.
RHP Lincoln Holdzkom
Selected by the Astros, the 24-year old Holdzkom was one of two pitchers acquired from Florida at the end of Spring Training for Todd Wellemeyer. Once a promising Marlins relief prospect (good enough to be added to the Marlins 40-man roster in 2003), Holdzkom tore an elbow ligament in 2004 that required Tommy John ligament transplant surgery. Still trying to find his way back, Linc throws hard cider (mid-90's heater and biting slider), and when he's "on," he can be unhittable... and when he's "off"... he can't hit the side of a barn. On the mound, he sort of resembles ex-Piniella "Nasty Boy" Rob Dibble. If Holdzkom can get his mechanics straightened-out and then replicate it, and find a consistent release point, he could be another Bobby Jenks. If he can't, he could be out of baseball this time next year.
INF Jason Smith
It's unusual when a player who was available to all 30 teams in October as a Minor League Free-Agent gets selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but that didn't stop the Jays from selecting 29-year old supersub utility player Jason Smith from the Cubs. A one-time hot-shot shortstop prospect in the Cubs organization, Smith was traded to TB in the deal for Fred McGriff in July 2001, and he has accumulated two-plus years of MLB service time as a utility player over the past few years with TB, DET, and COL. While he never developed into an everyday player, Smith is athletic and versatile (he can play all infield and all outfield positions, and he's also a decent LHPH), with good speed and some HR power (he hit five HR in about 100 PA with the Rockies last season). The Cubs signed Smith as a MLFA last month, and prior to being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, I thought Smith had a pretty good chance to make the Cubs 2007 Opening Day roster as the "25th man" (Freddie Bynum's old slot).
Among the notable Cubs players available for selection in the Major Phase who were not selected are 2B Mike Fontenot, C Jake Fox, 3B Casey McGehee, and LHP Carmen Pignatiello.
The Cubs lost two players in the AAA phase (and these sales are final, the Cubs wil not get these players back):
2B Richard Lewis
The Royals selected Lewis with the second overall pick in the AAA phase. Acquired from ATL during Spring Training 2004 in a deal for RHP Juan Cruz, Lewis was a one-time #1 draft pick of the Atlanta Braves out of Georgia Tech who starred in the AFL in 2003. He was on the Cubs 40-man roster in 2004 and 2005, and was an All-Star second-baseman in the Southern League while playing for West Tenn in '04, before suffering a fractured leg on the last day of the season. Returning to action in 2005 at AAA Iowa, Lewis was just a shell of his former self, and was outrighted to the minors after the season. He was demoted back to AA in 2006, where he was used as a utility player (2B-1B-3B-LF). Blocked in the Cubs system by fellow second-basemen Eric Patterson and Mike Fontenot, Lewis had zero future in the Cubs organization. He will be a Six-Year Minor League Free-Agent after the 2007 season.
RHP Andy Shipman
Selected by the Oakland A's, the 25-year old Shipman was signed as a NDFA out of the University of Missouri in 2003, and was acquired by the Cubs from BOS in a 2004 deal involving LHP Jimmy Anderson. Shipman was the closer at AA West Tenn in 2005, before getting a promotion to Iowa in 2006, where he worked mainly in middle-relief. He could emerge as an MLB middle-reliever at some point down the line.
One other player of note selected in the AAA phase was one-time Cubs BA Top Ten Prospect Justin Jones, the young LHP who went to the Twins as part of the multi-team deal that netted the Cubs Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Murton in 2004. Jones was selected from the Twins by the Washington Nationals (which essentially is the "hometown team" of the Virginia native).
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