There are any number of possibilities for the Rule V draft, so rather than having one massive preview post I thought it might be best for Conor and I to just pump out a handful names at a time as we have time leading up to December’s draft.  Here I pluck some low hanging fruit.

RHP Adam Miller, CLE – Miller is a guy with big upside and a frail finger.  The 2003 1st rounder has put up great numbers throughout his minor league career, but has had a helluva time staying healthy, especially in recent years.  Miller hasn’t logged a minor league inning since 2008 and has at least four finger surgeries to his name.  Miller has/had great stuff, so if reports indicate that he still has his mid-upper 90s heat and appears healthy enough to pitch during Spring Training, I’m sure some team will try and get some use from him out of their bullpen and/or stash him on their DL.

The next two were 2010 Arizona Fall League participants who Keith Law sees as worthy of a pickup according to his Twitter account.

LHRP Nick Carr, NYM – Carr hasn’t pitched above advanced-A ball and has had major issues with free passes throughout his five pro seasons, but he’s always put up big strikeout numbers (double digit K/9 since becoming a reliever) and Law notes that he was sitting “92-96 with a decent changeup” during 2010 Arizona Fall League play, which is enough to make him a player of interest.  That he only walked 3 in 13 innings pitched is a plus.  If I had the opportunity to bring a lefty who could throw in the low-mid 90s into Spring Training at minimal cost I certainly would.  Whether his slider is good enough to make him a potential LOOGY-type is in question, but he is definitely an interesting reliever to keep an eye on.

RHP Craig Heyer, NYY – Heyer is an extreme strike-thrower, walking just 14 batters in his past two seasons (171.1 IP).  According to Law, Heyer features a groundball-inducing “heavy fastball at 90-92 from a slot just below three-quarters”.  The bad news is that he was 24 last season and still in advanced-A ball, but he might survive the season as a swing/middle reliever in the Chris Jakubauskas mold (with presumably more grounders).  If he makes it through the season the picking team could decide to send him back to the minors in hopes of producing a Doug Fister-type starter.

The next two guys were suggested by maqman in a recent comment thread.

LHSP Doug Arguello, HOU – Arguello is a 25 year old lefty who throws in the high 80s and has spent his last two seasons at AA.  Aguello isn’t a great prospect– probably a back of the rotation or swing-man type at best– but his ability to mix his pitches and get lefties out could cause some teams to consider him for a bullpen role.

1B/OF Danny Dorn, CIN – Pitchers get most of the attention in the Rule V, but Dorn is one hitter that could get some consideration from teams.  Dorn, a left handed hitter, has shown some ability at the plate at the AAA level, producing a .944 OPS over 319 plate appearances last season.  He can’t hit lefties and isn’t said to be a good defender anywhere on the diamond so he probably makes the most sense for a National League team who could use him as a pinch hitter, but Seattle could give him a shot if they decide to try and fill the DH position from within.

More to come.