Mariners again use Rule 5 Draft to add to bullpen, take RHP Will Vest
Dec 10, 2020, 10:30 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
New Mariners pitcher Will Vest was hitting the upper 90s with his fastball this fall. (Getty)
(Getty)
As they have the past two years, the Mariners used the Rule 5 draft to add a potential bullpen arm. With the 10th pick in the draft Thursday, the Mariners selected right-handed reliever Will Vest from the Tigers organization.
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While the Mariners had roster spots open for a potential selection, coming away with Vest may have been a bit of a surprise.
“He was our first guy on our board,” Mariners assistant general manager Justin Hollander said. “There were two guys we would have taken; he was No. 1.”
Vest, 25, did not pitch in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season but did make the jump from High-A to Triple-A in 2019, posting a 3.27 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 18 walks in 55 innings.
While not invited to the Tigers alternate site for the 2020 season, the former 12th-round pick out of Stephen F. Austin State University did pitch in Instructional League this fall for the Tigers, where Hollander said the late bloomer took significant steps forward.
“The velocity was up, the action was up and command was up was up,” Hollander said. “(His fastball was up) about 1 1/2 mph, sitting on 96, topping out at 98 with what we think is one of the best changeups in the minor leagues. A wicked dive bomb of a changeup.”
Vest also throws what Hollander termed an above-average slider, a pitch along with the changeup the Mariners would like to see him throw more.
“He does have real secondary pitches,” said Hollander. “If anything we will probably ask him to lean on his secondary pitches more than just the pure velo of his fastball, but he is pitching in the upper 90s with two real secondary pitches.”
Players selected in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft must stay on the active roster for the entire season, and they must be active (not on the injured list) for a minimum of 90 days. Should the selecting team wish to remove a Rule 5 pick from the 26-man roster, he must first be placed on waivers. If he clears, he then must be offered back to his former teams for $50,000. If the original team declines the player, he then may be optioned to the minor leagues.
Yohan Ramirez and Brandon Brennan, who currently occupy spots on Seattle’s 40-man roster, are former Rule 5 picks by the Mariners.
In addition to Vest, the Mariners added infielder Amador Arias from the Rays organization in the Triple-A portion of the draft. The 20-year old has played two Dominican Summer League seasons.
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