Rockies acquire arms in draft
Carvajal and Merricks picked up in Rule 5 Draft
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com 12/13/2004 4:30 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- Hoping to acquire power arms for their bullpen, the Rockies took a
chance on a pair of Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguers, right-hander Marcos
Carvajal and left-hander Matt Merricks.
Milwaukee selected Carvajal with the fourth overall pick and traded him to
the Rockies for either two minor league players or $75,000. Colorado used the
fifth pick for Merricks.
Merricks, 22, has appeared on the Major League radar. Atlanta sent him to Los
Angeles for left-handed relief pitcher Tom Martin, who helped the Braves to
the playoffs. Merricks pitched for Single-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A
Greenville with the Braves' organization and Single-A Vero Beach with the
Dodgers, and went a combined 8-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 25 games and 22 starts.
Merricks is considered to have a 95 mph fastball and an above-average
changeup. A bone spur at the back of his elbow hindered the development of
his breaking ball.
Carvajal, 20, finished 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA in 37 relief appearances for
Single-A Columbus (Ga.) and Double-A Jacksonville.
The numbers that mattered to the Rockies don't appear on the regular stat
sheets.
Last season, right-hander Allan Simpson was Colorado's hardest thrower at 92
mph when he was consistent with his fastball. Chin-hui Tsao hit 95 mph on
occasion, but just as often threw at 89 mph. Rockies scouts have clocked
Carvajal and Merricks as throwing harder more consistently than any current
Colorado reliever. Velocity could be the ticket to the Majors for either of
them in 2005.
In either case, the Rockies must keep both on the Major League roster or
offer them to the Dodgers for $25,000. If the Dodgers don't accept the offer,
the players must clear outright waivers before the Rockies can put them in
their minor league system.
"These guys have bigger arms (than Colorado relievers), that's our
understanding," Hurdle said.
They won't be handed jobs. It's true that Colorado entered the Winter
Meetings, which concluded on Monday, in search of two relievers. But the
Rockies will continue to look for experienced relievers to help the back of
the bullpen.
If Carvajal or Merricks can make the team, they can fit what Colorado is
trying to do with a young bullpen -- groom pitchers to become late-innings
relievers, possibly compete for a closer spot, in the near future.
"They'll come into Spring Training and we'll get to see them pitch and find
out if we can protect one," Hurdle said. "Obviously, it would be a stretch to
protect two unless there are some other kind of circumstances in the bullpen.
But there's always other options that run through these kinds of situations.
In worst-case scenario, we'll return them."
In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, Colorado selected a pair of
left-handers, Keith Ramsey from Cleveland (10-4, 3.86 at Single-A Kinston and
1-1 at Triple-A Buffalo), and Chris Steinborn from Detroit (8-11, 3.99 at
Single-A West Michigan).
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
--
★☆^^滿滿ㄉㄟ幸福與感動^^☆★
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 210.69.200.1