Cubs select Padres righty in Rule 5 Draft |
SAN DIEGO – The Chicago Cubs today selected right-handed pitcher Trevor Megill from the San Diego Padres in the Major League portion (first round, ninth overall) of the Rule 5 Draft.
Megill, 26, last season combined to go 2-2 with six saves and a 3.86 ERA (26 ER/60.2 IP) in 39 relief appearances, primarily with Triple-A El Paso along with stops at Double-A Amarillo and Single-A Lake Elsinore. He walked just 22 and struck out 87 batters, good for an average of 12.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, while reaching the Triple-A level for the first time in his career. The six-foot, eight-inch righthander is 11-3 with 10 saves and a 3.38 ERA (59 ER/157.0 IP) in 102 career minor league games, all in relief, since he was selected by San Diego in the seventh round of the 2015 Draft out of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In his career, he has recorded a 1.20 WHIP, allowed just 0.9 home runs per 9.0 innings and walked 48 batters with 216 strikeouts (an average of 12.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings). The Cubs lost infielder Vimael Machin and right-handed pitcher Michael Rucker in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Machin was selected in the first round (eighth overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies and Michael Rucker was selected in the second round (11th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles. In the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart from the Toronto Blue Jays (first round), first baseman Jerrick Suiter from the Pittsburgh Pirates (second round), outfielder Vance Vizcaino (third round) from the Colorado Rockies and infielder David Masters from the Washington Nationals (fourth round). Stewart, 28, appeared in 13 major league contests last season between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, going 4-0 with a 9.82 ERA (28 ER/25.2 IP). In six minor league seasons, he has gone 25-25 with a 3.88 ERA (196 ER/454.2 IP) in 107 games, including 83 starts. Suiter, 26, has batted .264 (527-for-1,997) with 92 doubles, 10 triples, 25 homers and 277 RBI in 576 minor league contests since making his pro debut in 2014. A native of Valparaiso, Ind., he hit .235 (96-for-408) with 14 doubles, four homers and 39 RBI in 121 games last season with Double-A Altoona. Vizcaino, 25, batted .266 (81-for-304) with 14 doubles, seven homers and 36 RBI in 89 games with Double-A Hartford last season. He has a career .265 average (270-for-1,018) with 44 doubles and 11 homers in four minor league seasons. Masters, 26, batted .256 (68-for-266) with 17 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBI in 82 minor league games last season, primarily with Single-A Potomac. He has a .221 average (397-for-1,797) with 37 homers in 552 minor league contests. The Cubs also lost left-handed pitcher Faustino Carrera and infielder Carlos Sepulveda in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Carrera was selected in the first round by Tampa Bay and Sepulveda was selected in the first round by the Dodgers. Chicago’s 40-man roster now stands at 38 players. Hoyer on Cubs Rule 5 pick Trevor Megill: pic.twitter.com/nCNaW2moQO Hoyer on adding bullpen depth in Rule 5 draft pic.twitter.com/wnx41X0EHR Hoyer said Cubs actually tried to trade for Trevor Megill before 40-man rosters were set in November. Wound up getting him in the Rule 5 Draft This is the pitcher that the Cubs took in the Rule 5 draft. https://t.co/o59eAmCmDY
