Winkler selected in Rule V

[Hawk]

David O'Brien
@DOBrienAJC
#Braves take RHP Daniel Winkler from Rockies in Rule 5 draft

(JR Graham selected from Atlanta by the Twins)

Looks like he's coming back from Tommy John: http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/...surgery/17775/

The Rockies organization has been hit with more bad news. According to a major-league source, prized right-handed pitching prospect Daniel Winkler will have to undergo Tommy John (reconstructive elbow) surgery.

Winkler, pitching like an ace for Double-A Tulsa, injured his right elbow last Saturday pitching against the Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals. He threw 3 2/3 hitless innings before he left the mound in the fourth inning.


Winkler told the team that something felt wrong in his elbow. An MRI this week confirmed that he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, and he will have to have surgery to repair his elbow.

Fellow Double-A right-handers Eddie Butler and Jon Gray have received more publicity than Winkler, who was drafted out of Central Florida in the 20th round in 2011. Butler made his big-league debut last Friday in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Winkler was having a terrific season with the Drillers until his injury. He was 5-2 with a 1.41 ERA while striking out 71 and walking only 17. He was certainly on the Rockies’ radar. Now he’ll be out of action for at least a year.

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"Does not impress radar guns, all he does is get people out, changes speeds, crosses right-handed hitters up with low three-quarters delivery. Durable, efficient, fourth/fifth starter material in a neutral environment but fly ball tendency could be problematic here." -John Sickels, Minor League Ball

"Colorado's 20th-round pick in 2011, has fringy stuff but survived in a tough hitting environment last year thanks to a good sinker and the ability to throw strikes." -Baseball Prospectus Annual, 2013

"Winkler’s 24 and has only made nine starts above Class A. He has a fringy fastball and modest scouting reports. So, it’s easy to forget that Winkler led the minors with 175 strikeouts last season and was the Cal League pitcher of the year. His stuff doesn’t stick out, but so far he’s done well at Double-A Tulsa in 2013." -Baseball America

"Winkler’s going to need that [sharp] command to continue succeeding at Tulsa and beyond. The margin for error will never be great, considering his stuff. But he’s shown thus far he’s capable of making it work." -Jake Seiner, MiLB.com

[rico43]

A very promising Class AA pitcher was the Braves' surprise choice.

Daniel Winkler, a 6-2, RHP was 5-2, 1.41 in 12 startrs for class AA Tulsa. He allowed only 33 hits in70 innings, with 71 Ks.

[yeezus]

Looks like a really good pickup. What's the book on him? Someone must not believe in his stuff, or something.

[Millwood1Hitter]

Twins sure seem to have a hard on for pitchers coming up in our system.

Really dissappointed to lose Graham, wasn't that long ago that he was regarded as a guy that potentially could replace Kimbrel in the back of the pen, or at least be a dominant late innings reliever.

[Deester11]

Looks like a really good pickup. What's the book on him? Someone must not believe in his stuff, or something.

You didn't hear much because he was a 20th round pick and I think the Rockies like Jon Gray who got a crazy bonus. Winkler actually out pitched them both. TJ surgery is why he was probably exposed.

Pinpoint control and a funky delivery helps him.

[mcollier]

He had Tommy John surgery after an elbow injury last July.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/...surgery/17775/

And is he related to the Fonz?

[rico43]

The genius of this pick is that he can be kept on the disabled list all season without losing him back to the Rockies.

Interesting that the Mets grabbed Gilmartin from the Twins. Went from No. 1 pick to journeyman in record time.

[MadduxFanII]

This does raise an interesting procedural point: I think keeping a Rule 5 pick on the Major League DL satisfies the requirement that he be kept on the ML roster, right? On the other hand, I vaguely recall reading that if a Rule 5 guy is on the big league DL all year that the roster requirement "resets" and he has to spend the next year on the major league team or be returned.

Is that right? Can you get around that by keeping Winkler on the DL all season, then "activating" him to the big league roster for September call-ups?

[emk418]

Seems like a very interesting pickup. But he's recovering from tommy john. Won't he need to stay on our 25 man roster? He had TJ in June.

[MadduxFanII]

Either way, I really like this. He was outstanding in 2013 as well (10 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 in 157 innings). Well done scouting team.

[Millwood1Hitter]

Winkler has average stuff but has dominated at every level that he has been on, so might be a diamond in the rough especially if he could add a few mph to his fastball after TJ surgery. He's also a fly ball pitcher so I think that is another reason why the Rockies overlooked him as a legit prospect.

[Hawk]

David O'Brien
@DOBrienAJC
In minor league phase of Rule 5, #Braves take catcher Steve Rodriguez from Dbacks Double-A roster

[nsacpi]

Seems like a very interesting pickup. But he's recovering from tommy john. Won't he need to stay on our 25 man roster? He had TJ in June.

He will take up a spot on the 40-man. But once the season starts we can stash him on the DL. Probably keep him there most of the year. Or if we send him down it will be classified as a rehab assignment for as long as we can get away with it.

If nothing else, the front office's emphasis on acquiring pitching has been very consistent this off-season. In the case of Winkler, the price is negligible and there is some upside.

[UNCBlue012]

I'm thrilled with this pickup. Even with the TJ surgery, this could be a huge move in the long run. If anything, he's a guy that could be flipped as part of a package.

[rico43]

His game-by-game lines look like a No. 1 starter in the making, But this photo might hint at the future arm problems. (Note: in the game pictured here, he allowed one hit and struck out 10 over seven innings. That's very high on the badass scale.

[MadduxFanII]

Sean Gilmartin for Ryan Doumit is a strong contender for World's Most Irrelevant Trade.

[yeezus]

Sean Gilmartin for Ryan Doumit is a strong contender for World's Most Irrelevant Trade.

I'm not so sure. In hindsight, I would have rather had Gilmartin stinking in the minors and have gone after a different bat for the bench, than have Doumit come in to the ML team and stink it up. We thought he'd be a good bench piece and that was wrong. Could have looked elsewhere without that trade.

[rico43]

I'm not so sure. In hindsight, I would have rather had Gilmartin stinking in the minors and have gone after a different bat for the bench, than have Doumit come in to the ML team and stink it up. We thought he'd be a good bench piece and that was wrong. Could have looked elsewhere without that trade.

Once you said "hindsight," the rest is blahblahblahblah

Everyone was pretty much happy to have GIlmartin gone. And I thought at the time that Doumit might be one of the very best pinch-hitter available, as did many of us. Just one more thing that went wrong in 2014.

[weso1]

Might turn out to be the best move of the offseason.

[yeezus]

Once you said "hindsight," the rest is blahblahblahblah

Everyone was pretty much happy to have GIlmartin gone. And I thought at the time that Doumit might be one of the very best pinch-hitter available, as did many of us. Just one more thing that went wrong in 2014.

I agree, I thought at the time that it was a good move.
I was disputing that it was "irrelevant," because Doumit was so bad for us last year. That kinda makes it relevant.