Every little bit helps and the Twins are hoping the guy they get in today’s Rule 5 MLB Draft turns into a stud.
Minnesota took Brewers pitching prospect Miguel Diaz with the No. 1 pick. The Rule 5 draft allows teams to select unprotected prospects from other teams. But the Twins didn’t keep Diaz. Instead, they sent him to the Padres who then made a deal with the Angels to send starting pitcher Justin Haley to the Twins.
Haley, whom L.A. nabbed 10th overall from the Red Sox, might be a steal.
Haley is among Baseball America’s “cream of the crop” in the draft. To go along with a low 90s fastball and a solid mix of a curve, slider and changeup, Haley has a strange pre-pitch setup. Baseball America explains it like this:
“Haley is the owner of possibly the coolest pre-pitch setups in the minors. He sets up on the third-base side of the rubber, with his other foot straddling the rubber. With the ball in his glove raised in front of his face, he looks in for the sign with his pitching hand cocked at his waist, fingers dancing back and forth like Wyatt Earp ready to draw. He gets the sign for the pitch and then locks, loads and fires.”
At Triple-A last season he went 8-6 with a 3.59 ERA. He was extremely good at Double-A, posting a 2.20 ERA while allowing just one home run in 12 starts.
According to Berardino, Falvey picked Haley for the Indians in the 46th round of the 2010 amateur draft.
One time in past @Twins were involved in Rule 5 trade: 1999 — they traded up to get Johan Santana. Wonder how that turned out?
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) December 8, 2016
We’ll update you when it’s official … whatever way this reported trade goes.
