LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL The Astros selected right-handed pitchers Aneury Rodriguez and Lance Pendleton during the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft this morning at the Winter Meetings. Rodriguez was selected in the first round while Pendleton was taken in the second round.
The Astros did not select any players in the Triple A or Double A phases of the draft. We re satisfied with who we got, General Manager Ed Wade said. We targeted three guys and ended up getting two of them.
The 22-year-old Rodriguez (6-3, 180) pitched in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system in 2010, posting a 7-5 mark with a 3.80 ERA (48ER/113.2IP) in 27 combined appearances (17 starts) at Montgomery (A) and Durham (AA).
A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was originally signed as a 17-year-old by the Colorado Rockies in 2005.
Rodriguez is pitching in the Dominican right now and throwing the ball well, Wade said. Felix (Francisco) has seen Aneury pitch and said that in addition to having a good arm, he knows how to pitch. He s still young, so there is potential there.
Pendleton, 27, had pitched in the Yankees minor league system since being selected by them in the fourth round of the 2005 June Draft. A native of Kingwood, TX, Pendleton pitched for Rice University in Houston.
In 2010, he was 12-5 with a 3.61 ERA (62ER/154.2IP) in a combined 29 appearances (27 starts) at Trenton (AA) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) with 57 walks and 133 strikeouts. In 102 career minor league appearances (88 starts), he has posted a 32-22 record with a 3.39 ERA with 168 walks and 421 strikeouts.
Lance has put up good numbers in his minor league career, Wade said. Our reports say that he has very good command of his pitches. Both he and Aneury will have a chance to take advantage of an opportunity in Spring Training.
Clubs selecting players in the Rule 5 Draft pay a $50,000 fee to the player s former club. By rule, both Rodriguez and Pendleton must remain on the Astros Major League roster for the entire 2011 season, or be offered back to their original clubs for a fee of $25,000.
The Astros did have one minor league player taken by another club. Right-handed pitcher Jeiler Castillo was selected by Oakland in the Double A phase of the draft.
