Gadea Made Rays Move In Unusual Way

Kevin Gadea (Photo by Paul Gierhart)

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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—The Rays had been one of the most quiet teams on the Rule 5 Draft front this decade, choosing not to pick a player in the major league portion of the draft every year since 2010.

The availability of Kevin Gadea made them buck that trend.

The Rays drafted Gadea, a 22-year-old righthander, from the Mariners with the No. 4 pick in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday morning.

The 6-foot-5, 188-pound Nicaraguan has never pitched above low Class A, but showed enough stuff and control to convince the Rays he could hang on in a major league bullpen for a year and eventually be developed as a starter.

“It’s been a while since we made a selection in the major league phase and we really like the upside in Gadea,” Rays vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said. “You’re looking at a guy that is a starter profile that has a chance. He’s got a good foundation in place with the size and delivery and ability to command the fastball and is a strike-thrower and that also has a good chance to stick, which is what you need these guys to do to be able to help a ‘pen now as we bring him along.”

Gadea began as a third baseman before converting to the mound late in his amateur career on the recommendation of Mariners Nicaragua scout Luis Molina. He eventually signed with the Mariners for $42,000 as a 17-year-old during the 2012 international signing period.

The Mariners brought Gadea along slowly after the transition with four years in Rookie ball before jumping him to low Class A Clinton late last season. Gadea excelled in his first taste of full-season ball, showing a fastball up to 95 mph with a changeup that flashed plus and, most importantly, impeccable control. He struck out 72 and walked just 11 in 50 1/3 innings for the LumberKings.

“Our scouts saw him really well this year, he missed a lot of bats,” Rays director of baseball development Peter Bendix said. “Really it was the strike-throwing and the stuff. You never know the guys confidence, what he’s actually going to be like in a major league game until you actually do it, but his success, his strike throwing, the reports we have on his makeup, if somebody is going to be able to make that jump (from Low-A to the majors), we feel fairly confident that he has a chance.”

INDIANS LOSE A BIG ONE

Perhaps no prospect taken in the Rule 5 Draft had a better mix of prospect pedigree and performance than outfielder Anthony Santander, taken by the Orioles from the Indians in the second round of the major league phase.

Santander, 22, was available and fell only because he had offseason shoulder surgery on his throwing shoulder, putting his immediate future in flux.

The switch-hitting Venezuelan hit .290/.368/.494 with 20 home runs and 95 RBIs at high Class A Lynchburg in 2016, along with 42 doubles and 10 stolen bases. He was in line to rank as the No. 13 prospect in a very deep Indians system.

“Santa is certainly a high upside prospect,” Indians farm director Carter Hawkins said. “He was a force at the plate at Lynchburg last year from both sides of the plate, great approach at the plate offensively, had some leadership qualities as well. Right now he’s going through his rehab with his shoulder injury, so obviously hope the best for him as he goes through that. We’re excited for him to have this opportunity but it hurts to lose him.”

ASTROS HAVE SOME FUN

The Astros took a knuckleballer in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft for the second time in four years, picking 28-year-old righthander Jared Mortensen from the Rays system. They previously took lefthanded knuckleballer Blaine Sims from the Braves in 2013.

“He’s a fun pick. What’s an Astros minor league Rule 5 without us taking a knuckleballer right?,” Astros pro scouting director Kevin Goldstein said. “This was the first year, 2016, where he became a full-time knuckleballer and you can see a lot of walks but you also see he struck out nearly 11-per-nine; the pitch really danced. You give him a shot and see if it works out.”

Mortensen went 7-7, 5.23 at Double-A Montgomery in 2016 with 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings but also 7.1 walks per nine innings.

The Astros also nabbed catcher Eduardo De Oleo from the Diamondbacks in the minor league phase. The 23-year old Dominican was limited to 21 games in 2016 due to injury but showed enough in limited time to intrigue the Astros.

“Really good arm, a six (60 on 20-80 scout scale), maybe a double-plus arm,” Goldstein said. “He’s a guy who we’ve seen some power out of and hope that can manifest in games. We needed some catching depth and thought he was a good fit. He speaks really good English and the reports on the makeup are good.”

HALEY MOVES AROUND

Justin Haley had an interesting morning. In a span of about three hours, the 25-year old righthander was a member of four different organizations.

Haley began the day as a member of the Red Sox, was taken by the Angels 10th overall in the Rule 5 draft, was immediately traded to the Padres for cash or a player to be named later, and was then traded again by the Padres to the Twins in exchange for righthander Miguel Diaz, the top overall selection in the draft.

Haley, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound Fresno State product, was considered one of the most major league-ready prospects available after going 8-6, 3.59 in half a season in Triple-A Pawtucket’s starting rotation in 2016.

CHARLES FINDS ANOTHER HOME

Art Charles couldn’t find a team who wanted him during the 2016 season. Now, he’s had two teams pick him up in a span of six weeks.

Charles, BA’s 2016 Indy Ball Player of the Year, was drafted by the Brewers from the Reds in the minor league phase of the draft. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound slugging first baseman hit .352 with 29 home runs and 101 RBI with New Jersey of the Can-Am Association last season and signed a minor league deal with the Reds on Oct. 24.

Charles previously played 2010-2015 in the Blue Jays and Phillies organizations, reaching Double-A.

YANKEES POPULAR PICKS

The Yankees lost the most players in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft with four, all in the first 13 selections.

Catcher Luis Torrens (No. 2), righthander Tyler Jones (No. 7), lefthander Caleb Smith (No. 9) and lefthander Tyler Webb) were the four Yankees selected. All but Torrens were at Double-A or higher in 2016.

The Yankees having four farmhands drafted so quickly doesn’t come close to the record, however. The Pirates saw five of their players drafted in the first six picks of the 2003 Rule 5 Draft.