Schuster, Nieto top picks in Rule 5

Left-hander, catcher taken by Astros, White Sox respectively

By Sam Dykstra

December 12, 2013

Some players got some new homes Thursday morning. The only thing left to determine is how permanent the moves will be.

Nine players were selected in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, highlighted by first overall pick and left-handed pitcher Patrick Schuster.

Schuster, who had been part of the D-backs organization entering the day, was picked by the Astros in the Draft but is being moved to the Padres to complete Wednesday's trade that sent reliever Anthony Bass to Houston. The southpaw posted a 1.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks in 44 1/3 innings at Class A Advanced Visalia last season. It was the 23-year-old's second season in the California League.

Schuster made a name for himself at J.W. Mitchell (New Port Richey, Fla.) High School where he threw four straight no-hitters in 2009. The D-backs took him in the 13th round that year.

Adrian Nieto was the second choice of the Draft, moving from the Nationals to the White Sox. The 24-year-old Cuban catcher slashed .285/.373/.449 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 110 games for Class A Advanced Potomac last season. He also batted .271/.345/.333 in a 13-game stint in the Arizona Fall League.

Kevin Munson (Phillies), Tommy Kahnle (Rockies), Brian Moran (Blue Jays), Seth Rosin (Mets), Wei-Chung Wang (Brewers), Marcos Mateo (D-backs) and Michael Almanzar (Orioles) rounded out the other nine selections in the Major League portion of the Draft. Moran and Rosin were both traded to the Angels and Dodgers, respectively, following their selections.

Those players picked in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft must stick on his new team's 25-man roster for the entirety of the 2014 regular season, lest they be returned to their previous organization.

Thirty-four selections were made in the Triple-A portion and just two were picked in the Double-A section. The biggest name in the later rounds doesn't even play baseball anymore. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was taken in the Triple-A round by the Rangers. Wilson last played second base in the Rockies system in 2011.

Here's a breakdown of each Rule 5 selection:

Rule 5 Draft selections

MAJOR LEAGUE
PICK	NAME	POS	NEW ORG	OLD ORG	2013 NOTES
1	Patrick Schuster	LHP	HOU	ARI	Pick expected to be moved to Padres
2	Adrian Nieto	C	CWS	WAS	.285/.373/.449 at Class A Advanced Potomac
3	Kevin Munson	RHP	PHI	ARI	4.12 ERA, 66 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings
4	Tommy Kahnle	RHP	COL	NYY	2.85 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 45 walks in 60 innings
5	Brian Moran	LHP	TOR	SEA	3.45 ERA, 85 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings, traded to Angels
6	Seth Rosin	RHP	NYM	PHI	4.33 ERA in 26 Double-A games (23 starts), traded to Dodgers
7	Wei-Chung Wang	LHP	MIL	PIT	3.23 ERA in 12 Gulf Coast League games (11 starts)
8	Marcos Mateo	RHP	ARI	CHC	1.74 ERA in 31 innings across three levels
9	Michael Almanzar	3B	BAL	BOS	.268/.328/.432, 16 homers, 81 RBIs at Double-A Portland
TRIPLE-A
ROUND (PICK)	NAME	POS	NEW ORG	OLD ORG	2013 NOTES
1	Ravel Santana	CF	HOU	NYY	.593 OPS at Class A Short-Season Staten Island
2	Justin Bour	1B	MIA	CHC	.237/.313/.461, 18 homers at Double-A Tennessee
3	Evan Crawford	LHP	CWS	TOR	5.60 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 23 walks in 45 innings
4	Charles Cutler	C	CHC	PIT	.298/.397/.420 in 86 games at Double-A Altoona
5	Kevin Thomas	RHP	MIN	STL	3.00 ERA, 80 strikeouts, 18 walks in 63 innings
6	Roberto Espinosa	RHP	TOR	PIT	2.30 ERA, 31 strikeouts, 15 walks in 27 1/3 innings
7	Jonathan Velasquez	RHP	NYM	MIN	Hasn't pitched in Minors since 2010
8	Kevin Mattison	OF	MIL	MIA	.216/.293/.368, 18 steals at Triple-A New Orleans
9	Jacob Lemmerman	SS	SDP	STL	.231/.353/.367 at Double-A Springfield
10	Jose Valdivia	RHP	LAA	SEA	2.23 ERA, 36 strikeouts in 20 Class A Short-Season innings
11	Michael Lee	RHP	ARI	ATL	3.77 ERA in 26 games (21 starts) over two levels
12	Julio Borbon	OF	BAL	CHC	.200 average, .558 OPS in 73 MLB games
13	Theo Bowe	OF	WAS	CIN	.206/.260/.307 in 99 games with Double-A Pensacola
14	Michael O'Brien	RHP	CIN	NYY	4.17 ERA, 124 strikeouts in 27 games (25 starts)
15	Russell Wilson	2B	TEX	COL	Plays quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks (NFL)
16	Enderson Franco	RHP	TB	HOU	5.05 ERA in 12 starts at Rookie-level Greeneville
17	Tyler Sample	RHP	PIT	KC	5.06 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 49 walks in 48 innings
18	Tim Atherton	RHP	OAK	MIN	2.54 ERA, 102 strikeouts, in 95 2/3 Class A innings
19	Jonathan Roof	SS	BOS	PHI	.254/.321/.381 across two Class A levels
20	Gregory Miclat	SS	STL	TEX	.244/.330/.284 across three levels
21	Carlos Vazquez	LHP	HOU	NYM	2.93 ERA, 22 strikeouts, seven walks in 30 2/3 innings
22	Brady Shoemaker	OF	MIA	CWS	Didn't play in 2013 (shoulder surgery)
23	Omar Narvaez	C	CWS	TB	.267/.311/.333 with Class A Short-Season Hudson Valley
24	James Fuller	LHP	MIN	NYM	3.24 ERA, 58 strikeouts, 25 walks in 50 innings
25	Richard Bleier	LHP	TOR	TEX	3.32 ERA in 81 1/3 innings across two levels
26	Vinnie Catricala	3B	MIL	OAK	.621 OPS, traded to A's from Mariners during season
27	Adolfo Reina	C	SDP	DET	.193/.241/.283 across two levels
28	Hector Hernandez	LHP	ARI	STL	3.55 ERA, 88 strikeouts, 48 walks in 121 2/3 innings
29	Martires Arias	RHP	WAS	NYM	5.81 ERA in 12 games at Rookie-level Kingsport
30	AJ Morris	RHP	PIT	CHC	4.75 ERA in 31 games (10 starts) at Double-A Tennessee
31	Jesus Ustariz	3B	STL	DET	.280/.391/.452 in 53 games across two levels
32	Tony Thompson	3B	MIA	OAK	.250/.322/.428, 18 homers, 92 RBIs at Class A Advanced Stockton
33	Scott Shuman	RHP	TOR	SF	9.51 ERA, 39 strikeouts, 42 walks in 28 innings
34	Felipe Gonzalez	RHP	PIT	NYY	2.23 ERA in 11 games (five starts) in the GCL
DOUBLE-A
ROUND (PICK)	NAME	POS	NEW ORG	OLD ORG	2013 NOTES
1	Blaine Sims	LHP	HOU	ATL	8.44 ERA in 53 1/3 innings across three levels
2	Kelvin Castro	RHP	MIA	NYY	3.21 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 11 walks in 33 2/3 innings

Sam Dykstra is a contributor to MiLB.com.