Jays lose Romano in Rule 5, leave Vegas with Elvis
The Toronto Blue Jays lost right-hander Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) to the Chicago White Sox in Thursday’s MLB Rule 5 draft. Photo Credit: Amanda Fewer
By Andrew Hendriks
Canadian Baseball Network
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays used the 10th pick (ninth overall) in this year's Rule 5 Draft to select Elvis Luciano, a hard-throwing right-hander, out of the Kansas City Royals organization on Thursday.
Initially signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, Luciano, 18, appeared in 13 games between a pair of the Royals’ Rookie ball outfits last season, striking out 70 batters while issuing only 20 walks in 67 innings. Twelve of his 13 appearances last season came as a starter.
With only 133 2/3 innings of experience as a professional, it's unlikely that the 6-foot-2 product of Boca Chica, DR will crack the big league roster out of camp next spring. Should he fail to do so, the Blue Jays will then be forced place him on waivers before offering him back to the Royals or working out a trade for the relatively unpolished prospect.
In addition to gaining a new arm, the team also lost a pair of hurlers in Thursday's draft.
Markham's Jordan Romano was the first to go, plucked by the Chicago White Sox as the third overall selection. He didn’t stay on the south side for long as the Texas Rangers sent cash considerations to the White Sox for Romano’s contract. Romano will attend the Rangers major-league camp with a shot to pitch out of the bullpen.
In 26 games between double-A New Hampshire and triple-A Buffalo, the 25-year-old righty and Canadian Baseball Network minor league pitcher of the year went 12-8 with an ERA of 4.11 and a respectable K/9 of 8.1 through 142 1/3 frames.
Prior to the Rule 5 draft, Romano had been ranked as the 28th top prospect within the Blue Jays system according to MLB Pipeline.
Toronto also had lefty Travis Bergen go to the San Francisco Giants. In parts of four minor league season within the Blue Jays system, the 24-year-old product of McDonough, Ga., has posted an ERA of 1.27 while striking out 114 batters and walking only 26.
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