Mariners Draft Jose Flores in Rule 5 Draft

I know I’m a little late to the party as the Rule 5 draft was yesterday morning. I’ve been very busy with school and soccer but here it is now.

Thursday was the final day of Winter Meetings which meant the Rule 5 Draft would be in the morning. The Mariners had the number 2 pick in the draft giving them the opportunity to draft a solid player to contribute to the team during the season.

After the Pirates used their number one pick to draft Josh Rodriguez from Cleveland, the Mariners drafted another player from the Indians’ organization. Seattle drafted 21 year old, Jose Flores. This 6’3”, 185lb RHP did not pitch above class A last year. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen last year putting up good numbers.

He had a total of 28 outings where he pitched 42.0 innings. He posted a great ERA of 2.14 and a WHIP of 1.00. He also struck out 51 batters and walked only 7. That gave him a K/9 of 10.9 and a BB/K ratio of 7.29. He showed very good control for a pitcher his age.

Scouts have said he has a low-mid 90’s fastball that can reach 95 pretty regularly. It is pretty straight but he throws it with great command and hits the strike zone. What he does lack is a solid secondary pitch. If he develops one of these pitches he could be a good option in the bullpen. The Marines scouting director, Tom McNamara, was able to see Flores a few times in person while he played against Low-A Clinton. He must have liked what he saw.

Jack Zduriencik stated “He’s an upside guy. He’s got a low- to mid-90s fastball. He’s got a good arm, he’s aggressive and he throws strike.

And that’s exactly what he is to the Mariners- a high upside guy. They took a chance here as he lacks experience at higher levels. He will have to be on the Mariners active roster the whole season. If he does not have a good spring then I expect he will be offered back the Indians for $25,000 which is half of the $50,000 claiming fee.

The best case scenario is that he develops into a good reliever. With great command of his fastball, he will be able to come into games late and throw strikes. A reliever that can consistently throw strikes is very valuable to a team and I think this is the upside that Zduriencik saw in him.

The Mariners could have taken a few guys that are much closer to Major League ready. They liked their chances with Jose Flores and we should all hope he can develop some secondary pitches if he plans on being with the Marines this season.