The
Red Sox added pitchers
James Vermilyea (Toronto),
Victor Ramos (Pittsburgh) and
Jason Richardson (Atlanta), as well as second baseman
David Bacani (NY Mets) during today's
Rule 5 draft.
Vermilyea (pictured), 23, split time between AA New Hampshire and AAA Syracuse , going a combined 6-3, with a 3.65 ERA in 101 innings. He was the only player taken in the Major League portion of the draft, and thus would be required to stay on the 25-man roster (or the DL) for the entire 2006 season, or else must be offered back to Toronto. Vermilyea is said to be a "groundball pitcher that commands the strike zone with many different pitches."
Ramos, 24, went a combined 3-5 with 34 strikeouts in 32.1 innings of work between low-A Peoria, high-A Boise and AA West Tennessee in 2005.
Richardson, 25, split time between high-A Myrtle Beach and AA Mississippi while pitching in the Atlanta system. He went a combined 1-4 with 63 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched in 2005.
Bacani, 26, split time between AA Binghamton and AAA Norfolk in 2005, hitting a combined .280 with 5 HRs and 47 RBIs while getting on base at a sound .375 clip in AA, but a measly .250 in AAA. The Red Sox lost pitcher
Henry Cabrera to Pittsburgh and third baseman
Vince Harrison to St. Louis during the course of the draft.
