McGuiness, Pressly Selected in Rule 5 Draft

Two former Greenville Drive teammates in 2010 will receive their shot at the major leagues next spring, as right-handed pitcher Ryan Pressly and first baseman Chris McGuiness were selected in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

The Rule 5 Draft allows a player with enough minor league service time to be selected by another team for $50,000, provided he is not on his team's 40-man roster. If he is selected in the major league phase, he must remain on the team's roster for the duration of the season, or he will be offered back to his original organization for $25,000. The draft also includes a Triple-A and a Double-A phase, with the same rules applying but with less money involved.

Pressly was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the fourth pick. Pressly began the 2012 season in High-A Salem's rotation, but really thrived in AA-Portland after being moved to the bullpen. In Portland, he posted a 2.93 ERA in 14 appearances.

He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League this fall, striking out 18 batters in 14 innings to go with a 3.86 ERA in 10 games.

For the Drive in 2010, Pressly made 24 starts and went 5-7 with a 3.72 ERA and struck out 96 hitters in 113 2/3 innings of work.

McGuiness went off the board to the Cleveland Indians with the fifth pick. He had a solid season in 2012 with AA-Frisco in the Rangers organization. He smacked 23 homers and drove in 77 runs while posting a .268 average.

He really broke out this fall in the Arizona Fall League, as his .283 average with four homers and 27 RBIs in 23 games propelled him to the league's MVP award.

After a short six game stint with the Drive in 2009, McGuiness began the 2010 campaign in Greenville and hit .298 with 12 homers in 78 games before being traded to the Rangers.