Right after getting minor league utilityman Michael Martinez snatched away from them with the fifteenth pick in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, the Nationals took Cardinals righty Brian Broderick with pick sixteen.
As Rule 5 picks go, Broderick isn’t particularly easy to classify. He’s not a projectable Low-A-er, but he’s also not a polished Triple-A player ready for a seamless jump to the majors.
Broderick, 24, is a big sinkerballer, similar to eighth pick Pat Egan. Like Egan, he rarely misses bats, pounding the strike zone with sinker after sinker.
It’s far from a glamorous skillset, but it certainly can work in the majors. The problem is that Broderick has yet to pitch in Triple-A, so he’s unlikely to be much of a big league contributor this year, and he isn’t going to be an earth-shattering guy down the line, so it seems imprudent to carry him around on the roster all season for meager long-term gain.
I guess the pickings get pretty slim at this point in the draft.