Astros Rule 5 Draft Wrap-Up: DeShields on the Move

The Astros Rule 5 Draft a flurry of movement. Here is the breakdown:

Astros drafted RHP Jason Garcia from the Red Sox. Garcia was then traded to Baltimore.

Texas Rangers selected OF Delino DeShields

Seatlle selected LHP David Rollins.

Red Sox selected RHP Jandel Gustave.

In the Triple-A phase of the draft, the Astros selected C Luis Flores from the Cubs.

The Cubs drafted OF/1B Ariel Ovando from the Astros. According to Brian McTaggart, Ovando signed with Houston for $2.6M when he was 16 years old.

Let’s start at the top. DeShields being selected by Texas certainly caught Jeff Luhnow by surprise. Here is what Baseball America had to say about DeShields, “DeShields is the best combination of speed and power you will find in this year’s Rule 5 class. He stole 101 bases back in 2012 and has stolen 50+ bases each of the past two seasons while also reach double digits in home runs twice in the past three years. He’s still raw in center field but his speed allows him to make up for some poor reads. He also played second base in the past so he could also fill in there. DeShields has always shown on-base skills that could allow him to become a leadoff hitter.”

David Rollins pitched in Corpus Christy last season, going 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 78 innings. In 2013, he pitched in one game at the Triple-A level and went six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out eight. Seattle will likely try and hide him in their superb bullpen in order to hang onto Rollins.

Jandel Gustave hasn’t pitched above A ball, and went 5-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 2014. According to Baseball America, “Power arms are always in demand, so when a team can land a pitcher who will touch 100 mph on a pretty regular basis, understandably a lot of scouts will be interested.” Baseball America also thinks he is a potential “stash pick” meaning he won’t see the field much, but the Red Sox hope he can help them down the road.

Luis Flores, the catcher that the Astros selected in the Triple-A portion of the draft, split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2014. His cumulated totals: .253 average with 5 home runs and 21 rbi in 194 at-bats. Flores’ standout stat is his on-base percentage, which was .388 (.440 in Triple-A). He walked more than he struck out, (41 to 37) which is refreshing.

Finally, the Cubs selected Ovando from the Astros. Ovando has not been above A ball in his career (which was in 2013), and spent 2014 in Low-A ball with Tri-City. The 21-year old hit .237 with a .287 OBP, one home run and 14 driven in.