The Milwaukee Brewers selected two players in Thursday morning’s Rule 5 draft of unprotected minor-league prospects.
The Brewers selected second baseman Colin Walsh from the Oakland A’s and right-handed pitcher Zach Jones from the Minnesota Twins.
The Brewers then selected left-handed pitcher Mitch Lambson in the first round of the Triple-A phase off the Double-A Mississippi roster of the Atlanta Braves and right-handed pitcher Kender Villegas was picked in the second round of the Triple-A phase off the Double-A Springfield roster of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 26-year-old Walsh is a switch-hitter who played at Class AA Midland last season. He had 39 doubles, 13 homers and 49 RBI in 619 plate appearances while striking out 124 times. Walsh was originally a 13th round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Stanford in 2010.
The 25-year-old Jones split last season at the advanced A and Class AA levels in the Twins organization. He is a hard-throwing reliever who was 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 45 games last season. He had 68 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings and 12 saves in 15 chances.
Jones was a fourth-round draft pick in 2012 out of San Jose State.
Both players must go on the Brewers’ 40-man roster, which now stands at 36. Each pick costs $50,000 and teams have to keep the players on the major-league roster for a full season or offer them back to their original teams.
Brewers make deal with Boston
The Brewers acquired 3B/OF Garin Cecchini from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
The 24-year-old Cecchini spent most of the 2015 season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he hit .213 with 7 HR and 28 RBI in 117 games. The left-handed batter spent time defensively in left field, first base and third base at Pautucket.
Cecchini (Chick-KEE-nee) was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. Over five minor-league seasons, he owns a .279 batting average with 28 HR, 231 RBI in 510 games. Cecchini was an all-star in each of his first three seasons in the minors.