Colorado Rockies Rule 5 draft results: Gain a pitcher, lose a pitcher

The Colorado Rockies farm system added a player and lost a player during Thursday’s Major League Baseball Rule 5 draft, the symbolic end of the Winter Meetings.

The San Francisco Giants, with the second overall pick in the Major League phase of the draft, selected right-hander pitcher Julian Fernandez from the Rockies. The 22-year-old went 1-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 51 games last season for Class A Asheville. He came to the Rockies in 2013, pitching in the Dominican League for three seasons before debuting with Grand Junction in 2015.

Last season, Fernandez struck out 57 batters in 58 innings while walking 18 on his way to posting a 1.24 WHIP. Throughout his career, he has a 3.65 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while batters are hitting just .219 against him.

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San Francisco must think highly of Fernandez because the price for acquiring him is steep. Not only will the Giants have to keep him on their 25-man roster for the entirety of next season, they also have to pay the Rockies $50,000. He is also automatically put on San Francisco’s 40-man roster. If the Giants don’t keep him on their roster, he can be offered back to the Rockies for $25,000. If Colorado declines, San Francisco could waive him.

You can see a lot of the rules and regulations surrounding the Rule 5 draft by clicking here.

In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Rockies took left-hander Mitch Horachek with the 19^th pick in the phase. Playing for Class A Frederick (Md.) last season, the 26-year-old native of Littleton, Colo., went 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA. He struck out 68 but gave up 58 hits in 53.1 innings on his way to a 1.54 WHIP. Opponents hit .270 against him last season and he has a lifetime batting average against average of .272.

Next: Quotes from Rockies GM Jeff Bridich on the state of the team

Selecting a player in the Triple-A phase costs a team $12,000 so the gamble for the Rockies on Horachek was not huge.

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