Tigers select OF Reyes in Rule 5 draft

Dec 14, 2017 - 7:13 PM The Detroit Tigers selected Arizona Diamondbacks minor league outfielder Victor Reyes with the No. 1 overall pick of Major League Baseball's Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings Thursday.

The 23-year-old Reyes batted .292 with four home runs, 51 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in Double-A last season.

"We'd seen him for a while," Tigers vice president of player development Dave Littlefield said. "He's a good-looking center fielder, can play all three (spots), a switch-hitter that gets on base. He's still a projection with the bat, but very athletic. And with our situation as it is, it seemed to be a very good fit.

"Strength is the major issue. He's a younger guy and kind of a slender build, but has a good idea of the strike zone, works the count well. He just needs strength for the most part, and I think that's why he was probably available."

The San Francisco Giants selected right-hander Julian Fernandez from the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies chose Nick Burdi from the Minnesota Twins, but he was shuffled to the Pittsburgh Pirates for $500,000 in international bonus pool money.

The World Series champion Houston Astros selected left-hander/outfielder Anthony Gose, who was the lone player selected with extensive major league experience.

Gose, 27, played in 372 major league games as an outfielder before pitching in the Tigers' minor league system last season. He posted an 0-2 mark with a 7.59 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for Class A Lakeland.

"We thought he had the best stuff in the draft," Astros special assistant to the general manager Kevin Goldstein said. "Obviously, because of his lack of experience, it's going to be a bit of a long shot, but we decided to take the gamble because the upside was so good."

The New York Yankees saw four players taken from their farm system in the major league portion of the draft, the most from any team. The Yankees lost right-hander Anyelo Gomez (to the Atlanta Braves), left-hander Nestor Cortes and right-hander Jose Mesa (both to the Baltimore Orioles) and infielder Mike Ford (to the Seattle Mariners).

Players who are not on their team's 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft are eligible for selection. If drafted, a player must remain on the selecting team's major league roster for the entire following season.



2017 Rule 5 Draft Picks



Round 1 (Major League Phase)

1. Detroit Tigers -- OF Victor Reyes (from Arizona Diamondbacks)

2. San Francisco Giants -- RHP Julian Fernandez (from Colorado Rockies)

3. Philadelphia Phillies -- RHP Nick Burdi* (from Minnesota Twins)

4. Chicago White Sox -- OF Carlos Tocci** (from Philadelphia Phillies)

5. Cincinnati Reds -- RHP Brad Keller*** (from Arizona Diamondbacks)

6. New York Mets -- RHP Burch Smith (from Tampa Bay Rays)

7. Atlanta Braves -- RHP Anyelo Gomez (from New York Yankees)

8. Pittsburgh Pirates -- RHP Jordan Milbrath (from Cleveland Indians)

9. Baltimore Orioles -- LHP Nestor Cortes (from New York Yankees)

10. Miami Marlins -- RHP Elieser Hernandez (from Houston Astros)

11. Seattle Mariners -- IF Mike Ford (from New York Yankees)

12. Los Angeles Angels -- RHP Luke Bard (from Minnesota Twins)

13. Minnesota Twins -- RHP Tyler Kinley (from Miami Marlins)

14. Arizona Diamondbacks -- RHP Albert Suarez (from San Francisco Giants)

15. Houston Astros -- LHP/OF Anthony Gose (from Texas Rangers)

16. Baltimore Orioles -- RHP Pedro Araujo (from Chicago Cubs)

17. Miami Marlins -- RHP Brett Graves (from Oakland Athletics)

18. Baltimore Orioles -- RHP Jose Mesa (from New York Yankees)



*Traded to Pittsburgh Pirates; **Traded to Texas Rangers; ***Traded to Kansas City Royals