Indians add five to 40-man roster
11/18/2005CLEVELAND -- The Indians added five Minor Leaguers to their 40-man roster Friday when they purchased the contracts of first baseman Michael Aubrey, outfielder Brad Snyder and pitchers Brian Slocum, Edward Mujica and Rafael Perez.
The five additions expanded the club's 40-man roster to 39 and protects these players from selection in the Rule 5 draft next month.
"All five would have been selected," said Indians farm director John Farrell. "That really becomes a factor, first and foremost."
Aubrey, who was the Tribe's No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, was among the players added despite missing most of the 2005 season. He was sidelined with a back injury that he suffered at Double-A Akron in June while sliding awkwardly into second base.
Aubrey, 23, also missed more than a month of action in 2004 with a strained right hamstring, but he batted .283 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 28 games last season before the injury.
Snyder, another 23-year-old player who was selected in the 2003 draft, batted a combined .279 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs in 133 games between Akron and Class A Kinston. His 22 homers doubled his career Minor League total, and his marks for doubles (21), RBIs and games were career bests.
He was also one of seven Indians prospects to participate in the Arizona Fall League this offseason. He batted .367 and finished his AFL season with a seven-game hitting streak for the Mesa Solar Sox.
"For a premium draft choice, this is a logical step in their progression," Farrell said. "[Aubrey and Snyder] are extremely excited. I think it validates the talent that they are."
Slocum, a talented 24-year-old right-hander, spent his first full season at Akron, where he posted a 7-5 record and a 4.40 ERA in 21 games. He was primarily a starter at Akron, but he did some relief work for the Solar Sox this offseason.
Mujica did all of his '05 work in relief between Akron and Kinston. He finished with a 3-1 mark, a 1.64 ERA and 24 saves in 52 appearances.
The right-hander's most remarkable stat, though, was his strikeout-to-walk ratio (more than 9 to 1), which led the Tribe's Minor League system. He struck out 65 and walked just seven batters in 60 1/3 innings.
Mujica is now the youngest player on the club's 40-man roster at 21, taking the distinction from right-hander Fausto Carmona, who's six months older.
Perez was the only left-handed pitcher of the bunch added to the 40-man roster. He split the 2005 season between Akron and Kinston, posting a combined 12-8 record with a 2.62 ERA.
"I think when you look at players like Perez and Mujica, it signifies a tremendous scouting job by those scouts who selected a player when he's 16 years old," Farrell said. "Each has progressed tremendously."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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