Nationals Farm Authority

• Rule 5 Draft Prospect - Justin Jones 
• Rule 5 Draft Prospect(s) - The Smiths
• Rule 5 Draft Prospect - Jamie D’Antona

Another path teams will take in the Rule 5 draft is selecting a raw young power relief pitcher who may still be a few years away. These types of guys are attractive because you don’t necessarily lose a year of development time with them. They still get their side sessions, throw in the bullpen in front of guys who can give them some recommendations of what works/what doesn’t, and they can be brought into blowout games for actual game experience. One such guy who is drawing interest is Colorado Rockies RHRP Pedro Strop.

Pedro Strop RHP

Year	Team	Age	Org	Level	G/GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	HR9	BB9	K9
2006	Casper	21	Col	Rk	11/0	13	2.08	0.85	0.7	1.4	15.2
	Asheville	21	Col	A	11/0	13.1	4.73	1.13	2.0	3.4	8.8

Strop was originally signed by the Rockies out of the Dominican Repulic in 2002 as a shortstop. After batting 208/273/297 in 161 minor league games over three season, the Rockies converted him to the mound with promising results. He already has a mid-90s fastball to go along with an above average slider. Scouts have reported that he appears to have a good feel on the mound. The 21-year old Strop projects out as a power relief pitcher.

As I mentioned, he is certainly not ready to contribute at the major league level in 2007. But he is promising enough that the Nationals could keep him on the 25-man in order to allow him to work with both pitching coach Randy St. Claire and Luis Ayala, a RHRP with a comparable repertoire. As part of a rebuilding effort, a guy like Strop is an interesting gamble.