Arizona Diamondbacks add catcher Oscar Hernandez in Rule 5 Draft
Dec 11, 2014, 5:22 PM | Updated: 7:44 pm
The Arizona Diamondbacks, in need of catching help after trading Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs, added Oscar Hernandez from the Tampa Bay Rays with the first overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft.
Players taken in the Rule 5 draft must be kept on the major league roster for the entire season, or offered back to their original team for $50,000.
Hernandez, 21, spent 2014 at Single-A Bowling Green, where he batted .249 with 9 home runs and 63 RBI.
“We are excited about getting a young catcher that has tremendous upside,” said De Jon Watson, D-backs Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations. “He has tremendous hands, an above-average arm and his game-calling is extremely sound. Our scouts were very impressed when we saw him against our Minor League clubs, and believe he has an opportunity to help us at the Major League level.”
Hernandez’s best season was in 2011, when he hit .402 with 21 home runs and 66 RBI in the Venezuelan Summer League.
But where he is apparently at his best is behind the plate as a defender. He threw out 41 percent of base stealers last season, and has a career mark of 42 percent in five minor league seasons. He also has posted a fielding percentage of .983.
According to Marc Tompkin of TampaBay.com,, Hernandez could develop into a “catcher who limits running games while hitting 15-20 home runs.”
Tompkin adds that Hernandez is athletic for a catcher, but an average runner. He also notes that Hernandez “projects as a below-average hitter, albeit with above-average power potential.”
Later in the Rule 5 Draft the D-backs added right-handed pitcher Tim Crabbe from the Cincinnati Reds organization. Last season, in Triple-A Louisville, he went 5-7 with a 4.13 ERA. He allowed 104 hits and 37 walks in 93.2 innings while striking out 60.
Since Crabbe, 26, was taken in the minor league portion of the draft, the D-backs can assign Crabbe to any level in their organization.
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