Atlanta Braves Select Armando Rivero in Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft is underway this morning, and the Braves have made an interesting selection that could bolster their bullpen for 2017.

With the fifth selection in the 2017 Rule 4 Draft, the Atlanta Braves have snatched Cuban-born RH Relief Pitcher Armando Rivero from the Chicago Cubs.

Rivero is interesting because he has been a top prospect in the Cubs organization, though his star had lost a bit of its luster and he’s still trying to reclaim that status.  While 2016 went a long way toward that goal, the Cubs nonetheless left him unprotected and Atlanta has gabbed him.

In 2015, there was a report that his electric fastball had lost some voltage – velocity, specifically.  Mind you, that still put him in the low-mid 90’s, but that still represents a change, and one that was getting him hit more at AAA Iowa that season.

Rivero is also interesting because he’s another in the line of Cuban escapees who literally risked life to get off the island – his trek to freedom coming in 2011.

Rivero will be 29 years old in February.  He stands 6’4″/190.  While 2015 was a struggle for him on the mound, 2016 was not.  In his second full year at AAA Iowa, his strikeout rate was fully restored (at nearly 14 per game) and his ERA dropped lower than it had been since AA in 2014 (2.13) over 43 games and nearly 68 innings.

I’m pretty sure that audition didn’t hurt either.

The knock on Rivero has been about control, but if he’s back to throwing in the mid-upper 90’s and missing bats like this, then the Braves may have stolen an arm than could actually stick in the bullpen for the required year on the 25-man roster.  Could be quite a bit like Mauricio Cabrera… maybe with a bit less velocity, but better control, actually.

AAA Portion – Another Selection

The Braves made another pick today – one that will have to be placed on their AAA Gwinnett roster.  He’s a 23-year-old lefty-handed pitcher (24 in January; mostly a reliever) named Cesilio Pimentel.

He’s from San Critosobal, D.R. and stands 6’2″/185.  He was signed by the Pirates on an International Free Agent deal in 2011, progressing to High-A in their system (for all of 2 innings) before being moved back to “regular” A in 2016.

I don’t have much on Pimentel, but he has solid stats all around:  strikes out roughly 1 batter per inning; walks 1 every 3-4 innings, keeps the ball in the park and gets batters out (2.65 ERA in 2016 over 51 innings and 29 appearances).

Not a lot stands out, though – he’s not on any top prospect lists, and the best mention I have is that he was “well regarded” when signed.

As usual, when I see the Braves pick somebody like this, I think “they saw something they liked.”  He’ll get a shot to show that at AAA this season.

Win a Few, Lose a Few

Williams Perez was released by the team to make room for Rivero, who becomes the 40th player on that list.  Also:

Next: Morning Chop: For Sale!

Bird had been one of the players acquired in that ill-fated trade with the Dodgers that brought in Hector Olivera and sent out Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, and Luis Avilan.  Paco Rodriguez is now the only remaining player from that deal still on any Braves’ roster… unless you count Johnson, who opted to come back to Atlanta and stay a while… or the Competitive Balance draft pick.