Rule 5 Reports: Orioles RHP Pedro Beato Selected by Mets

Pedro Beato was one of the hot names floating around as a potential Rule 5 pick, so it’s surprising he lasted until the second-to-last selection. A former top starter prospect a few years back, his results never seemed to match his stuff. A transition to relief breathed some life back into his prospectdom in 2010, but does that justify the Mets’ selection?

Beato, 24, is a big righty who once boasted a six-or-seven-pitch repertoire. That’s been pared down to a generic fastball-slider combination over the years, but those two pitches solved Double-A well enough.

Still, he didn’t post astronomical whiff numbers there, which likely limits his ceiling to a seventh-inning type. Given that he’s not going to be any more ready for the bigs in 2011 than Jenrry Mejia was in 2010, this goes back to the problem the Nationals have with Brian Broderick: Sure, the guy can help in the future, but not so much you want to waste a 2011 roster spot on him.

It’s not a complete throwaway like some of the picks (ahem, Robert Fish), but it’s certainly not great.