The Rule V Selections: Analyzing Cesar Cabral And Brad Meyers

Cesar Cabral and Brad Meyers were the New York Yankees two selections in the Rule V draft this off-season. Cabral, a lefty reliever, was selected from the Boston Red Sox, and Meyers, a right handed pitcher, was taken from the Washington Nationals.

If the two do not make the 25 man roster out of Spring Training, they will be returned to their respective former teams, if the teams want them back.

Let's take a look at who the Yankees have in these two.

Cesar Cabral, 23, was originally signed by the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He was drafted in the Rule V draft by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, then claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays, then claimed back by the Rays, then returned to the Red Sox. So he certainly knows the AL East.

John Sickels of Minor League Ball had this to say about Cabral:

Cabral posted a 1.62 ERA in 17 innings for High-A Salem with a 24/5 K/BB, then a 3.52 ERA with a 46/16 K/BB in 38 innings for Double-A Portland. He has pitched excellently in the Dominican Winter League this year, with a 12/2 K/BB in 10 innings and a 0.87 ERA. He has a 90-95 MPH fastball and a good changeup, but is still refining his breaking ball. He picks up a lot of ground balls.

To add to that, Cabral has suffered from high BABIP every season in the minors, with the exception of seventeen games in A ball in 2010. The high BABIP of .369 in 24 games in AA last season led to a .270 BAA.

Cabral held hitters to a .159 batting average against in Winter Ball this off-season.

Look for Cabral to be the leader in the clubhouse to get the last spot on the roster, as he will compete against Clay Rapada and Michael O'Connor to be the second lefty out of the pen.

Follow me after the jump for info on Brad Meyers.

Brad Meyers, 26, is a 6,6 righty drafted in 2007 by the Washington Nationals in the 5th round.

Meyers worked primarily as a starter in 2011, starting in sixteen games in AAA. Like Cabral, a problem for Meyers was his high BABIP, which was .343. The high BABIP led to a .290 BAA, but Meyers was able to keep his ERA down to 3.48.

Here's what John Sickles had to say about Meyers:

Age 26, Meyers posted an amazing 38/0 K/BB in 36 innings for Double-A Harrisburg this year with a 2.48 ERA, followed by a 3.48 ERA with a 74/15 K/BB in 96 innings for Triple-A Syracuse. His fastball is mediocre at 87-90 MPH, but his exquisite control helps play up the quality of his slider, curveball, and changeup. Like Lorin, he could be very useful as a fifth starter or long reliever, but might have an uphill battle to stick in New York.

As Sickels said, Meyers' best chance to stick with the Yankees will be as the long reliever, but that role seems to be filled by either Freddy Garcia or Phil Hughes.

The Yankees won't be so quick to lose either Cabral or Meyers, so look for both of the two to get a lot of pitching time in Spring Training.