Rule 5 draft results: Fields, Rondon, Rosenbaum, Pressly, McGuinness are top picks - MLB

I wrote a little something about the Astros selecting right-hander Josh Fields from the Red Sox with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft and here are all the picks:

1. Astros – Josh Fields, RHP (Red Sox)
2. Cubs – Hector Rondon, RHP (Indians)
3. Rockies – Daniel Rosenbaum, LHP (Nationals)
4. Twins – Ryan Pressley, RHP (Red Sox)
5. Indians – Chris McGuinness, 1B (Rangers)
6. Marlins – Alfredo Silverio, OF (Dodgers)
7. Red Sox – Jeff Kobernus, 2B (Nationals)
10. Mets – Kyle Lobstein, RHP (Rays)
14. Diamondbacks – Starling Peralta, RHP (Cubs)
15. Phillies – Ender Inciarte, OF (Diamondbacks)
17. White Sox – Angel Sanchez, SS (Angels)
23. Orioles – T.J. McFarland, RHP (Indians)
24. Rangers – Coty Woods, RHP (Rockies)
31. Astros – Nate Freiman, 1B (Padres)
36. Marlins – Brauilo Lara, LHP (Rays)

So the Astros and Marlins are the only teams to pick two players and 17 of the 30 teams passed on selecting anyone. If you’re looking for in-depth analysis on any of those guys besides Fields the place to go is Baseball America.

Any players selected must remain on the new team’s 25-man roster for the entire season or be offered back to the original team for half of the $50,000 selection fee.

(Thanks to Zachary Levine of Baseball Prospectus for the Rule 5 sign photo.)

Roger Clemens will be an analyst for ESPN when the defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox on opening day.

Clemens made four appearances on last year’s KayRod Cast with Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez. He will be stepping in on March 30 for David Cone, who will be doing the New York Yankees opener against the San Francisco Giants on YES Network.

“Roger has been sort of a friend of ours for the last year, so to speak, he’s in. He’s been engaged, knowledgeable and really present,” said ESPN Vice President of Production Phil Orlins. “You know, whatever past may be, he’s still tremendously engaged and he really brought that every time he was with us.”

Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young winner but his career after baseball has been tainted by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. He is a Houston native and pitched for the Astros for three seasons.

Orlins said that with the rules changes and pitch clock, it is important to have a pitcher in the booth with Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez.

“We don’t feel like we have to have the dynamic of Eduardo with a pitcher, but we certainly think that works. Throw in the added factor of rule changes and it is better to have a batter-pitcher perspective,” Orlins said.

Orlins did not say if this would open the door for future opportunities for Clemens as an ESPN analyst.