Here's a nice recap of why the Astros took Tampa Bay's Aneury Rodriguez in today's Rule 5 draft:
At the start of the Winter Meetings, it was the Rays' Rodriguez who was talked about the most as a player sure to be taken. Houston took him right after the Nationals picked, at No. 8, and like Ramirez, the soon-to-be 23-year-old improved his stock in winter ball. Rodriguez has a 1.22 ERA and .193 opponents' batting average in seven Dominican League starts. Unlike Ramirez, though, Rodriguez spent most of the year at Triple-A and had some success there (3.80 ERA in 113 2/3 innings), so Houston believes he's ready to compete at the Major League level.
Ed Wade:
"Being able to get these two guys provides us with depth of competition for a starting role in Spring Training, and we'll see where it goes from there. It's good to add some quality [talent] to the organization, and we understand what the Rule 5 process is and are satisfied with the way it went."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
