And…it’s yet another pitcher with the eighth pick in the Rule 5 Draft.
However, Aneury Rodriguez boasts something that none of the six pitchers taken before him can: He’s legitimately ready to be a major league starting pitcher.
How did he last until the eighth pick, you ask? Beats me; I like this pick the most out of all of them thus far. Rodriguez is coming off a solid season with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, but the 22-year-old has little chance of breaking into the Tampa rotation anytime soon, so he was expendable for the Rays. He’s a big strike-thrower with low-to-mid-90’s heat and solid offspeed stuff–the sort of guy who should be somewhere between a third and fifth starter. With well over 100 Triple-A innings, he’s pretty much big-league ready, and the Astros could always use young talent–it’s a match made in heaven, no?
I have to say, I criticize the majority of Houston’s moves, but this one is extremely good. Rodriguez can be a back-of-the-rotation starter or solid middle reliever this season, so unlike most Rule 5 picks, he won’t be a strain on the roster. Furthermore, he has the potential to wind up being a rotation rock for the next half-decade. Well done indeed.