Playing Hardball With Chris Mathews: Aftermath of the Rule 5 Draft

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

Despite being a concensus top pick, the Rule 5 Draft's best player is also the site of most of its controversy.

With the first overall pick in Double Day's season four Rule 5 Draft, the Pittsburgh Crawfords added to their already formidable minor league system by acquiring 23-year-old Christopher Mathews, the sure-thing closer who is arguably among the most polished prospects in all of Double Day. That the Crawfords drafted Mathews has not been controversial. Rather, it's that Mathews was left unprotected that has caused a stir of commotion among Double Day managers.

One G.M.'s comment that it was as if the draft was held in Cleveland was not too far off-base. The Captains lost a tremendous amount in high-quality prospects. Mathews, their biggest name, has been on the tip of every manager's tongue, but there are others.

Gone are two young potential shortstops; in a league bereft of middle infielders, Honolulu scooped up Clyde Mathews--of no relation to Chris Mathews, except in their similarly shocking displacement--and the Seattle Pilots acquired Daryle Pettyjohn, a surefire shortstop with the potential to be among the better ones in the majors.

Gone also is Mac Kojima, the young third baseman with all the tools to play in the majors, both on offense and defense. The Captains will also bid farewell to starting pitcher Jumbo Espinoza, among others.

The Captains have become a cautionary tale for what might happen if a manager neglects his 40-man roster. Multiple major league-level prospects will be packing their bags and moving out of Cleveland, with fellow rebuilding franchises Pittsburgh and Seattle ending up as big winners and capitalizing on the misfortunes of the Captains in the process.

The process has led for the call amongst owners to mutiny against the Captains' captain, though the status of GM turbohawk is not as of yet known.

Very rarely do I delve outside the realm of objective sports journalism and into tabloid sensationalism. In this instance, the struggles of Cleveland's franchise are just too difficult to ignore, the culmination of which occured last night.

The Captains have made strides towards becoming more competitive in recent days, signing free agent Billy Leonard to play left field and bat alongside slugger Billy Meyers. But with a payroll bursting at the seams and the loss of a couple blue-chip prospects, the reprocussions of a mishandled Rule 5 Draft are dangerous for a city that yearns for a winner.

Last season, the Captains showed signs of turning a corner.

But after last night, the light at the end of the tunnel just got a lot dimmer.