McDougall does look very interesting, though other than him, I'm not sure I see a hitter that JP would want. The trouble with Rule 5 guys, of course, is that they normally sit on your bench all season long and their development stalls (DeWayne Wise, Exhibit A). That's why Thurman was a great choice: he could, and did, contribute meaningfully during the course of the season. As a result, I don't look too much at Class-A guys, on the theory that they're just not ready to do much in a major league game.

I can see a couple of other pitcher possibilities, though. Craig Anderson of the San Antonio Missions (Seattle AA) is intriguing: 7-7, 3.20 ERA and 143 H in 152 IP. Less attractive is his 64/94 BB/K ratio, which even in the Texas League can't be considered promising. The Altoona Curve's Justin Reid (Pitssburgh AA) did better at 28/108, with almost a hit an inning (151 in 153), but his 4.33 ERA might indicate some difficulty ahead, and the K/IP ratio isn't staggering. I may do some more digging later this weekend to see if anyone else crops up.

Adrian Hernandez (Yanks righty AAA)
Yes he's probably always been overated but outside of walks (and subsequently ERA) his ratios are quite decent although they've all taken a disastrous turn at the major league level in the past. 109 Ks in 109.1 ip in the minors does seem to indicate some talent. His hit and homerun rate looks acceptable too. He could just be another Loaiza but he may be the most experienced of the pitchers available.

Ryan Kibler (Rocks righty AA)
Ok his AA performance kind of sucked this year, but it's coming off a great year he had in '01 though a lot of that was at lower levels.

Reds GM Jim Bowden said the other day (I can't find the quote, so I'm paraphrasing) that even though his team had never found an acorn worth keeping, they're going to keep shaking the Rule 5 tree. So will Toronto, as they're a solid 1-for-1 under current management.

The Jays, assuming no further improvements, have a 2003 bullpen anchored by Escobar and Politte, with Creek and Kershner from the south side and Tam as the "early" righty short man. There's room for a "long" man (multi-inning middle reliever, like Corey Thurman last year) and the versatility of the Jays' position players, plus the newly-acquired depth in AAA, makes carrying 12 pitchers a viable option. Call that twelfth guy what you will: "swing man" between the bullpen and emergency starter, or the out-of-fashion (derogatory?) "mopup man."

As much as I like McDougall, it would seem there's more upside in taking a pitcher. El Duquecito Hernandez has disappointed the Yankees and is 27 -- at least -- so I'm not recommending him, just pointing him out as an available "name." Don't forget that last year, Thurman was on the Royals' 40-man until they Rule-fived Ascencio; it showed impressive preparation and flexibility for Team Ricciardi to pounce on that mistake. In other words, who the Jays select tomorrow might not be anywhere on Mayo's list, but it's still fun to look for needles in AA haystacks.

Actually, I remember reading a Rany column on the Royals that was worried about exposing Thurman to the draft before the rule 5 draft occured.