7Mo

That's what an additional 30-45 days in '20 at AAA does for a player...... And I'd add some laughing emoji or something but I don't know how, or why, to do that.

Not to quibble but that Fangraphs post says he's strictly a first baseman. Well, now I see a quote saying he's a corner outfielder. So, um, nevermind. Cespedes was second in the minors in average exit velocity at 96 mph, according to FanGraphs.com lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen. Qualls said Cespedes, who’s primarily a corner outfielder, likely will be assigned to low Single-A Delmarva. “Cristopher Cespedes had kind of a breakout season,” Qualls said. “He had a .930 OPS. Just a real interesting toolsy kid as a 21-year-old. He still has a couple years of control and we liked a lot of his batted-ball metrics and thought he was a nice addition to our system.”

I hope it's ok if I miss the kiss and make up part. I do, in fact, know a Mary. And a Sherry, Kerri, Jeri, and Teri. None however make me merry.

Bailey is a really interesting dude. 5'9" guy who is really thoughtful and curious about all the technology. Connolly has an article on The Athletic about the Rule 5 results but there's a link in there focusing on what the Astros have done developmentally and how Bailey is really kind of a perfect example of what they do. Really good Jake Kaplan article.

I think you can count on Akin in '20. Elias has said he'll be given a chance to break camp with the big club. Even if that doesn't happen, I think he'll be up early and hopefully stay the rest of the year. Kremer probably has a good chance to be up late in '20.

AND an all star right fielder and all star second baseman. Might take a minute for them though.

Hey, Merry Christmas dude. You've made your point a few times. Let's move on. Is it snowing where you are? Do you hear sleigh bells? Tis the season of 4 new Rule 5 names. How could anyone not be thrilled with that? @Moose Milligan

Good post!!

— If a team chooses a player in the Rule 5 Draft, they will pay $100,000 to the team he was chosen from. — The receiving team will put the player on its Major League 25-man roster for all of the following season, and must be active for a minimum of 90 days. — If the player does not remain on the Major League roster, he is placed on outrightwaivers. If he goes unclaimed, he is offered back to his original team for $50,000. If the original team declines, the receiving team may option him to the minor leagues.

I would imagine they'll tell him to prepare as a starter and then decide in ST. Seems like a long shot to me but then, today is the first time I'd ever heard his name.

Well, there's a small fee involved. Send credit card info and I'll see what I can do.

Toro is quite the prospect.

You're not in the group text?

Athletic's just traded for Buddy Reed, one of the most talked about Rule 5 possibles.

The sincerity is palpable.

@Luke-OH Curious where Bailey would fit in the O's top 30 when you have time.

The MiLB phase doesn't have the same restrictions. I believe he can play anywhere.

I'm pretty sure he was joking but whatever, I appreciated being able to follow the draft and have a good idea about a lot of the names, thanks to the great work you did. Thanks.

The foundation of trades are typically put together during the winter meetings and then finalized later, in large part because teams don't want to add a player to their 40 man before the Rule 5.

Down yes, but in 2017 he was 92-94 and touched 95. In 2019, he's touching 97. Rucker found the best stuff of his career. 95-97 mph happened often, and from May 18 to the end of the season, Rucker had a 2.76 ERA, striking out 66 in 58.2 IP, and allowing just a .329 slugging.

Rucker video: https://2080baseball.com/draft-prospect-video/michael-rucker/

Here's a good article on Rucker. https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2019/10/10/the-sleeper-cubs-pitching-prospect-with-the-rapidly-rising-fastball-velocity/

Rucker has had a big velo jump. https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2019/10/10/the-sleeper-cubs-pitching-prospect-with-the-rapidly-rising-fastball-velocity/

Looks like he spent all of '18 and '19 in AZL.

11 total selections in the major league phase. Minor league phase to come. Video on Rucker. https://2080baseball.com/draft-prospect-video/michael-rucker/