Phillies Rule 5 Draft Results
By Matt Veasey
In today’s Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies lost 3 players and added 2 new players to the organization.
RHP Kyle Simon was claimed from the Phils by the Colorado Rockies with the 2nd pick in the 2nd Round, the 16th overall player selected.
RHP Delvi Francisco was claimed by the Cleveland Indians 13th pick in the 2nd Round, the 27th player selected overall.
And with the 17th pick in that 2nd Round, the 30th overall selection, the Dodgers took outfielder Peter Lavin.
The 24-year old Simon was originally the Orioles 4th Round pick in the 2011 Draft, and came to the Phillies in the trade that sent Jim Thome to Baltimore.
The 22-year old Francisco was a non-drafted FA out of the Dominican Republic by the Phils in 2010. The 27-year old Lavin is a California kid whose father is a Hollywood actor of the same name, which may explain the Dodgers interest.
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The Phillies added both of their choices in the 1st Round: UT Adubel Herrera at 8th overall from the Texas Rangers, and LHP Andrew Oliver at 13th overall from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Herrera turns 23-years old in a couple of weeks. He was a Rangers 2008 signing out of Venezuela in the July 2nd period. Herrera has played 2nd and 3rd bases and the outfield, and is viewed as a utility player with on-base ability and speed.
Rules for Rule 5 Draft
Oliver was a Detroit Tigers 2nd Round Draft pick in 2009, and as recently as 2012 was the Tigers #4-ranked prospect by Baseball America. He has pitched in 7 MLB games with the Tigers, 5 in 2011 and 2 in 2012.
The 27-year old Oliver was a starting pitcher his entire career until this past season when he was converted to the bullpen. The Phillies see him as a candidate to stick as a lefty arm out of their pen in 2015.