Today’s Rule 5 Draft was pretty uneventful; Atlanta didn’t lose any players to anyone’s MLB roster, nor did they add anyone to theirs. However, the fairly new Triple-A phase of the draft did see some movement.
Atlanta lost RHP Alex Aquino to the Pirates. Notice I said RHP Alex Aquino, this might be confusing for some because, like myself, I remembered him as a shortstop. Atlanta started converting him to a pitcher over the last few seasons, but he was stuck in Danville this past season and did not seem like he’d be a part of the club’s future. It’s unclear if the Pirates see him as a piece in the field or on the pitching staff, but they obviously have a lot of faith in him if they’re adding him to their AAA roster from Rookie Ball.
Aquino Career Batting: .269/.314/.341/.655, 1 HR, 38 RBI in 106 Games
Aquino Career Pitching: 5.30 ERA w 48 K over 52.2 IP
Atlanta chose to acquire some infield depth with the selection of Wendell Rijo from the Yankees. Rijo was originally an international signing by the Red Sox, but he has been all over the place. He was part of the Red Sox-Brewers trade that sent Aaron Hill to Boston; then, he was moved to the Yankees for cash considerations. He’s been playing professionally since 2013, but he’s still just 24 years old and is much-improved compared to how he started his career. However, this feels like nothing more than a depth move for Gwinnett – don’t expect him to be taking at-bats for the Braves.
2019 Stats: .258/.325/.438/.763, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 4 SB
2019 AAA Stats: .270/.324/.496/.821, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB
Career Stats: .240/.319/.362/.681, 37 HR, 237 RBI, 34 SB