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DD Martin · 07-27-2021, 02:59 PM

Rolling through the Minor League Rule 5
Next Stop the Indy Draft

Yesterday we picked up our top choice in our minor league draft, although it is at a position where we have excess talent. We selected Houston 2B Dale Robbins (23 B-R). In limited chances during the 37 season he hit 333/429/998 with 4 home runs and 10 RBI's in 72 at-bats. He was rated the #1 prospect in the Lone Star Association and was rated as the #2 position player in the league.

Here is what our scout has to say about Robbins.......Dale Robbins is 6'0 2B from Dracut, MA. He was originally picked in the 1932 draft in the 16th round by the Baltimore Cannons. He has a chance to be an above average hitter with a loose, quick stroke that works inside the ball. He is a great runner using his speed to pick up an extra base when he can. At maturity he should have an above average eye and draw 80 walks a season. Robbins is projected to be a high contact leadoff type with speed and a good eye

He is exactly what we are looking for so he will start the year at AAA Newark and will be starting every day. We will need to sort out some of the 2B we have in the organization because it is over-flowing with them. Perhaps a few will get a chance to try the hot corner or LF.

As I said he was #1 on our list of players we submitted for the minor league draft. Another player on the list was OF William Walker who the NY Gothams took with the first choice. If he was not taken we would have had Walker high on the list for the Indy league draft tomorrow.

Roster Movement

We continue to tinker with the roster and add some bullpen arms through the waiver process. We had taken RP's Gary Harris (I think I called him Greg before) and Gil Knight in December. This time around we grabbed RP Jack Richardson 30, off waivers from St. Louis. Richardson was 10-5 last season with 8 saves but a 5.75 ERA. The bloated ERA stems from 3 RP appearances in August but before that he was holding his own with an ERA right at 4.00. He has been added for depth and will get a shot in spring training, but he is out of options. So he will have to make the team or go through waivers again. It's 50/50 if he would accept a AAA assignment if he went through waivers unclaimed.

To make room for Richardson we had to let someone go. The player I DFA did a really nice job last season when he was picked up and is one of my former favorite players for a short time in Cleveland. I'm talking about 33-year-old 2B Russ Combs who hit 310/350/778 in 145 at-bats last season. The fact is Russ was taken a roster spot on the team and while he can play other infield positions some, he is in decline defensively and we again have a glut of 2B types on the organizational roster.

Prior to the Rule 5 draft we had DFA RP Jim Cavender (32) who has had about 9 lives in his career between Cleveland and Detroit. This is not the first time I have DFA Cavender and he has always found a way back to our 40-man roster. This time though he might have a tough situation getting back on the roster with all the RP pitchers we have coming into spring training.

Another player we DFA was corner OF Henry Reid. Reid was our 2nd Rule 5 pick last year and there were multiple times I considered sending him back. But by the time I had decided to do just that, we were so far into the season that we just kept him. He could be a decent OF/1B hitter but doesn't have much power. If he goes unclaimed I would assign him to AAA where he will likely play the opposite corner from the other Rule 5 pick last year Sid Williams. Williams needs everyday at bats and with the trade for Elmer Nodle last year, he wasn't going to get them likely in Detroit next year.

Added Update (because I forgot earlier) - In a surprise move the New York Gotham’s claimed DFA Hardin Bates 30 off waivers from Detroit. There was another claim by the Brooklyn Kings but because of their last place finish in the FA the Gotham’s won “the prize”. Now while Bates won an Allen Award with the Gotham’s years ago, he has not flashed anything close to that performance in over 2 seasons. With the massive building and youth movement by New York it caught me by surprise, but he was once a golden boy up there. I didn’t expect I’d retain Bates when I DFA because if no one took a chance on him via waivers, I figured he’d refuse a minor league assignment.

The trade we did to acquire Bates from the Chicago Cougars obviously didn’t pan out. We sent Luis Sandoval and a 6th round pick in that deal. This off-season Chicago traded Sandoval for a “4th” round pick. Bates was 7-13 with a 5.40 ERA and 3 saves. He wasn’t great in either a SP or RP pitching role, so we cut him loose. Maybe he will find the old magic again, but my guess is not.

Tomorrow - Indy League Draft and then we chug towards Spring Training

07-27-2021, 02:59 PM	#143
DD Martin All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Seattle area Posts: 966	Rolling through the Minor League Rule 5 Next Stop the Indy Draft Yesterday we picked up our top choice in our minor league draft, although it is at a position where we have excess talent. We selected Houston 2B Dale Robbins (23 B-R). In limited chances during the 37 season he hit 333/429/998 with 4 home runs and 10 RBI's in 72 at-bats. He was rated the #1 prospect in the Lone Star Association and was rated as the #2 position player in the league. Here is what our scout has to say about Robbins.......Dale Robbins is 6'0 2B from Dracut, MA. He was originally picked in the 1932 draft in the 16th round by the Baltimore Cannons. He has a chance to be an above average hitter with a loose, quick stroke that works inside the ball. He is a great runner using his speed to pick up an extra base when he can. At maturity he should have an above average eye and draw 80 walks a season. Robbins is projected to be a high contact leadoff type with speed and a good eye He is exactly what we are looking for so he will start the year at AAA Newark and will be starting every day. We will need to sort out some of the 2B we have in the organization because it is over-flowing with them. Perhaps a few will get a chance to try the hot corner or LF. As I said he was #1 on our list of players we submitted for the minor league draft. Another player on the list was OF William Walker who the NY Gothams took with the first choice. If he was not taken we would have had Walker high on the list for the Indy league draft tomorrow. Roster Movement We continue to tinker with the roster and add some bullpen arms through the waiver process. We had taken RP's Gary Harris (I think I called him Greg before) and Gil Knight in December. This time around we grabbed RP Jack Richardson 30, off waivers from St. Louis. Richardson was 10-5 last season with 8 saves but a 5.75 ERA. The bloated ERA stems from 3 RP appearances in August but before that he was holding his own with an ERA right at 4.00. He has been added for depth and will get a shot in spring training, but he is out of options. So he will have to make the team or go through waivers again. It's 50/50 if he would accept a AAA assignment if he went through waivers unclaimed. To make room for Richardson we had to let someone go. The player I DFA did a really nice job last season when he was picked up and is one of my former favorite players for a short time in Cleveland. I'm talking about 33-year-old 2B Russ Combs who hit 310/350/778 in 145 at-bats last season. The fact is Russ was taken a roster spot on the team and while he can play other infield positions some, he is in decline defensively and we again have a glut of 2B types on the organizational roster. Prior to the Rule 5 draft we had DFA RP Jim Cavender (32) who has had about 9 lives in his career between Cleveland and Detroit. This is not the first time I have DFA Cavender and he has always found a way back to our 40-man roster. This time though he might have a tough situation getting back on the roster with all the RP pitchers we have coming into spring training. Another player we DFA was corner OF Henry Reid. Reid was our 2nd Rule 5 pick last year and there were multiple times I considered sending him back. But by the time I had decided to do just that, we were so far into the season that we just kept him. He could be a decent OF/1B hitter but doesn't have much power. If he goes unclaimed I would assign him to AAA where he will likely play the opposite corner from the other Rule 5 pick last year Sid Williams. Williams needs everyday at bats and with the trade for Elmer Nodle last year, he wasn't going to get them likely in Detroit next year. Added Update (because I forgot earlier) - In a surprise move the New York Gotham’s claimed DFA Hardin Bates 30 off waivers from Detroit. There was another claim by the Brooklyn Kings but because of their last place finish in the FA the Gotham’s won “the prize”. Now while Bates won an Allen Award with the Gotham’s years ago, he has not flashed anything close to that performance in over 2 seasons. With the massive building and youth movement by New York it caught me by surprise, but he was once a golden boy up there. I didn’t expect I’d retain Bates when I DFA because if no one took a chance on him via waivers, I figured he’d refuse a minor league assignment. The trade we did to acquire Bates from the Chicago Cougars obviously didn’t pan out. We sent Luis Sandoval and a 6th round pick in that deal. This off-season Chicago traded Sandoval for a “4th” round pick. Bates was 7-13 with a 5.40 ERA and 3 saves. He wasn’t great in either a SP or RP pitching role, so we cut him loose. Maybe he will find the old magic again, but my guess is not. Tomorrow - Indy League Draft and then we chug towards Spring Training Last edited by DD Martin; 07-27-2021 at 07:29 PM.