Given MLB’s reluctance in releasing an official list of names available in the Rule 5 draft, I’ve taken to scouring the blogs out there for the other teams in hopes of uncovering some of new possibilities.
I’ll start with the Atlanta Braves and Talking Chop who was kind enough to highlight their top Rule 5 eligibles. Of the names mentioned, the one that intrigued me was Carl Loadenthal.
Loadenthal was an undrafted minor league free agent signed in 2003 by the Braves from Rider University (in New Jersey). He’s a center fielder with solid range but more importantly he appears to not only possess the ability to get on base at a much better than league average basis, he also has enough speed to steal bases. Below are Loadenthal’s numbers versus league average over his career (I omitted his 2006 in Double-A since the sample size was only 19 games).
| Year | Lg/Player | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Loadenthal | 310 | 347 | 375 |
| 2003 | GCL | 249 | 318 | 346 |
| 2004 | Loadenthal | 307 | 389 | 441 |
| 2004 | Appalachian | 260 | 330 | 388 |
| 2005 | Loadenthal | 262 | 357 | 348 |
| 2005 | South Atlantic | 261 | 336 | 393 |
| 2005 | Loadenthal | 283 | 348 | 439 |
| 2005 | Carolina | 262 | 339 | 405 |
| 2006 | Loadenthal | 323 | 425 | 427 |
| 2006 | Carolina | 257 | 335 | 384 |
| 2007 | Loadenthal | 300 | 383 | 357 |
| 2007 | Southern | 259 | 334 | 392 |
Loadenthal will turn 26 in December so it’s getting to the point where he will need to make the next step soon or be passed by younger players, and given the Nationals plans this offseason to identify a center fielder and leadoff hitter, Loadenthal might be a consideration.
Another name that intrigued me was 2B JC Holt.
| Year | Lg/Player | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Holt | 321 | 374 | 407 |
| 2004 | Appalachian | 260 | 330 | 388 |
| 2005 | Holt | 268 | 329 | 326 |
| 2005 | South Atlantic | 261 | 336 | 393 |
| 2006 | Holt | 309 | 376 | 381 |
| 2006 | Carolina | 257 | 335 | 384 |
| 2007 | Holt | 312 | 380 | 382 |
| 2007 | Southern | 259 | 334 | 392 |
The 24-year old Holt (turns 25 in December) is another guy with little power but above average speed and the ability to get on base as well as steal a few. He reminds me a little of Jamey Carroll (though Holt is left-handed). The Nationals already have their share of middle infielders with Felipe Lopez, Ronnie Belliard and Cristian Guzman so taking a middle infielder might not be in the offing.
There really are not any pitching eligibles that intrigue me in the Braves organization.
Louis J. | 30-Nov-07 at 10:55 am | Permalink
Brian
Good investigative work for us….Why doesn’t MLB want to make the Rule 5 names public? I assume the list is available for the teams and the players know they were not protected. BA had the list and gave us a highlight of some Rule 5 players. So what’s the secret they’re trying to protect?
Mitch | 30-Nov-07 at 7:56 pm | Permalink
More of what makes baseball great, speculation. Good work on digging the info, I agree with you that Loadenthal has some solid stats and is teetering on making the next step.