LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have made infielder Josh Rodriguez the top pick in the Rule 5 draft at the baseball winter meetings.
The draft Thursday is mostly for veteran minor leaguers who were left off their team’s 40-man roster.
The 25-year-old Rodriguez hit .297 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in Triple-A and Double-A for Cleveland.
In all, 19 players were taken in the major league portion of the draft. The New York Yankees made two picks, including Boston pitcher Daniel Turpen.