[ayaghmour2]

I didn't initially expect to add in the Rule-5 draft, but after freeing up some roster spots I realized that we have very few guys who can't be optioned and our bench was on the thinner side. That doesn't necessarily mean the guy we took is going to stick, but there were a few guys I liked available, and we ended up with my #1 choice.

That would be former Minutemen 3rd Round Pick Paul Caissie, who has been passed up in the prospect ladder by Rick Masters, Yank Taylor, and Danny Taylor, all young corner bats in the minors who rank inside the game's top 100 prospect list. Caissie himself ranks a respectable 272nd, good enough for 30th in our organization after the Molina trade. A lefty bat, he's got experience at left and first, but most of his time has come in his natural position of right field. This year, however, Boston began working him out more at his secondary positions, with 73 games at first, 25 in left, and just 44 in right. He's not a great defender, so it may not end up where he plays, but he does have an exciting bat. He made 627 trips to the plate for AA Worcester, and the 23-year-old hit an impressive .330/.399/.464 (123 OPS+) with a personal high 10 home runs. He added 38 doubles, 3 triples, 73 runs, 71 RBIs, and 64 walks in an impressive all-around season. Dixie's always been a fan of his game, labeling him an above average player, but I really liked what he did at the plate this season. He's always had a strong hit tool, but this season the extra base hits come, and he's now had back-to-back 60 walk seasons. Only one Cougar, Skipper Schneider, drew 60 walks this season (61), and Caissie's 10.2 BB% top Skip's 9.5. That would rank third among Cougars with 450 or more PAs, and the two guys who walked more frequently then him had nearly 200 fewer chances. As exciting as he is, Caissie is probably not quite big league ready, so about all he can do for us is give us a lefty bat off the bench. Our outfield skews right, which works in his favor, but he'll need to impress this spring to stick.

We also lost one player, as the Stars snapped up Franklin Thomas. That's back-to-back years the Stars poached our system, although they did let Billy Biggar back before the season started. That could be the case again, as the unranked Thomas was their fourth selection. Thomas had a great end to the season, slashing .333/.439/.503 (145 OPS+) in 49 games after receiving a promotion to Milwaukee. As great as that looks, he's never hit near that, and was at .272/.361/.444 (112 OPS+) in a sample that was actually above 200 PAs. 25 in January, we have a lot of outfielders like Thomas, but one advantage he has is his decent center field defense. I used him mostly in the corners, but the former 9th Rounder has great speed and was only not in center because of all the talented center fielders we have. If he makes the opening roster, it's likely as a 4th outfielder, but that's a role he's perfect for. You can never have too much depth, so it's not good we lost him, but at the same time it's a loss we can afford, and if I really wanted him I could have protected him myself.