The Phillies took pitcher Kenneth Herndon, from Anaheim, in the 2009 Rule 5 draft this morning. He was in Triple A for the Angels last season after being a 5th round pick in 2006. Looks like a solid young arm to add to the organization.
From AngelsWinBlog:
Herndon throws a heavy fastball, hitting 94-95 MPH that he likes to pound the inner half with, making it hard for hitters to extend their arms. Herndon also flashes a tight slider, though it can use more tilt to generate more whiffs, and he features an average offspeed offering. Herndon has exceptional control, walking just 16 batters in 100.2 innings pitched.
The Rule 5 draft can be pretty confusing if you’re not aware of what it is exactly. The goal of the draft is to keep teams from stockpiling major league-caliber talent in their minor league systems when other teams would be willing to have them play in the majors.
Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization’s forty man roster and were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.
If a player is picked, he must be carried on the drafting team’s 25 man major league roster for the entire season, or offered back to the original team for a fee.
There have been a lot of notable players drafted in the Rule 5. Shane Victorino was drafted twice in the Rule 5. Dan Uggla, Johan Santana and Josh Hamilton have also changed teams during the Rule 5 draft. Hell, Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente was a Rule 5 draftee.
You can read more about the Rule 5 draft here.
Teams can find gems, it just takes some work. The draft was put into place to level the playing field a bit, and it seems to be working out pretty well.
In other Rule 5 news, the Mets took Triple A pitcher Carlos Monasterios from the Phillies and then flipped him to the Dodgers for cash.
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