Another year, another Rule 5 player for the Orioles. Dan Duquette just can’t help himself. This made me chuckle:
Dan Duquette walking into the Rule 5 Draft like pic.twitter.com/6mnFxziR9X
— Ethan Felderstein (@efelderstein14) December 10, 2015
Following in the footsteps of Ryan Flaherty (2012), T.J. McFarland (2013), Michael Almanzar (2014), and Jason Garcia (2015), is Joey Rickard, an outfielder from the Tampa Bay organization.
Here’s the scoop on Rickard:
Rickard, 24, bats right and throws left. Hit .321/.427/.447 at 3 levels of TB system, including AAA Durham #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) December 10, 2015
Rickard played for 3 teams last year, high as AAA, hitting .321/.427/.447 with 2 homers, 55 RBIs and 23 steals. TB's 9th rnd pick in 2012.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) December 10, 2015
Joey Rickard hit .360 with six doubles, two triples and a .437 on-base percentage in 29 games for the @DurhamBulls in 2015 #Orioles
— Tides Notes (@TidesNotes) December 10, 2015
Joey Rickard in rule 5 for #Orioles. Solid 40/45 with the bat. Decent speed. Never considered much of a prospect.
— Camden Depot (@CamdenDepot) December 10, 2015
In other words, Rickard is a professional 5th outfielder.
— Camden Depot (@CamdenDepot) December 10, 2015
Rickard sounds like a nice PH/PR option for the #Orioles – similar to Lough for far less.
— Jonathan French (@JTrea81) December 10, 2015
So there you have it. Some speed, some on-base ability, but not much of a prospect.
Many didn’t expect the Birds to pick a Rule 5 guy this year, as Dylan Bundy will be their de facto “Rule 5” player. Bundy, of course, has to be on the MLB roster all season despite having not pitched at the major league level since a cup of coffee in 2012. That’ll be a story for another day though. Here’s hoping Rickard can contribute to the 2016 Orioles.
On the other end of things, the Angels selected 1B Ji-Man Choi, who the O’s just signed last month, from Norfolk.
