Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Burt Talks Sports

Rule 5 selection Nick DeBarr was sent back to Tampa Bay today, putting the cost to select him at $25,000. (It initially costs a team $50,000 to select a Rule 5 player, but it gets half back if the player doesn’t stick with the team.)

The record will show that DeBarr pitched one scoreless inning, but he also executed a flawless frame against Boston College. As I stated in a previous post, you could see why the pitcher was worth taking a chance on. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery two years ago, he came back topping out at 96 mph last season. But, in this crowded bullpen of the Sox, taking a flier on a pitcher who hadn’t pitched above Single A was simply too much of a leap of faith. Sometimes a deal can be worked out, but in this case you’re talking about two teams in the same division whose relationship might still be frayed from last year’s Adam Stern incident. (Tampa Bay blocked Stern on waivers, forcing his trade to Baltimore until after the season.)

DeBarr genuinely seemed thrilled to be in Fort Myers, often seen taking in the scene with a wide-eyed enjoyment. By the way, can you name the most successful Rule 5 draft choice? Roberto Clemente (in a round-about way). This from our friends at Wikipedia:

Scout Al Campanis signed Clemente for the Brooklyn Dodgers with a $10,000 bonus later in 1953. His new team, however, was unable to fit him into a star-studded outfield featuring 1953 National League All-Stars Carl Furillo, Duke Snider, and Jackie Robinson. Rules of the time required a team signing a player for a bonus, including salary, of more than $4,000 to keep him on the major league roster for two years or risk losing him in an off-season draft (the predecessor of today’s Rule 5 Draft). Nevertheless, the Dodgers chose to have Clemente spend the 1954 season in the minors, with the Montreal Royals, even though it meant they could lose him at the end of the year.

George Bell wasn’t a bad choice, either.

The Red Sox also sent down Abe Alvarez today, who always intrigued me. Here is kid who he Red Sox deemed worthy of a second-round pick in 2003 despite the fact he only threw 88 mph (tops) and was blind in one eye. They weren’t alone in their infatuation with the lefty, either, as the Blue Jays admitted that they would have taken him with the next pick if Boston hadn’t stepped in. I remember his first pro stint, in Single A Lowell, he didn’t surrender an earned run in his 19 innings, flawlessly spotting his pitches. But for some reason Alvarez’s velocity had dropped by 3-4 mph over the last few years, limiting his major league viability. The Red Sox snuck him through waivers this offseason, but after missing time to tend to personal issues this spring, he evidently had fallen too far behind the rest of the hurlers at this time. As one American League executive told me last year, Alvarez could be a viable major league starter one day, but not in a place like Boston.

Also, in case you missed it, Trot Nixon played in his first game Saturday for the Cleveland Indians. He is taking it slow this spring after December back surgery.

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