Jason Cooper

Dave · November 19, 2004 at 3:26 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Last year, I stumped for Chris Shelton, who ended up being selected first overall in the rule 5 draft by the Tigers. With most of the 40 man rosters being finalized already, it appears to me that this years potential rule 5 steal is Moses Lake’s own Jason Cooper. He had a disappointing season for Double-A Akron, but there’s still life in his bat. For those who trumpet the cause of Ryan Howard, I’d suggest that Cooper is actually a comparable talent. He’s a 1B/LF with some serious power who can be pitched to and will have to make adjustments against good breaking balls. He’s not a star in the making, but could be a nifty bat off the bench.

Jason Cooper, folks. Let’s get the bandwagon rolling.

Comments

27 Responses to “Jason Cooper”

  1. David J Corcoran on November 19th, 2004 3:32 pm

    23 and already in AAA. Seems to have good power numbers, and because he has been as high as AAA, could even be productive at the major league level. Let’s do it.

  2. David J Corcoran on November 19th, 2004 3:32 pm

    He’d be at least as good as John Mabry.

  3. Andy Stallings on November 19th, 2004 3:53 pm

    How about Josh Labandeira?

  4. Grant on November 19th, 2004 3:54 pm

    I guess I’m on board, but this man is no Chris Shelton! A couple of questions: What happened to Shelton he only played approx 50 games between the minors and Detroit this year. Also if a team picks up a guy in the rule V draft do they have to put him on their 40-man roster?

  5. Dash on November 19th, 2004 3:58 pm

    Grant – The answer to your question is yes and no. The rule V draft works funny. If I understand it correctly, players selected in early rounds do have to be at the ML level. Later rounds they are just added to your whatever level you assign them to. I could be way off base on this though.

  6. The Ancient Mariner on November 19th, 2004 4:00 pm

    Dash — the answer to your answer is yes and no. There are three parts to the Rule 5 (not “rule V”–the rules are denoted by Arabic numerals, not Roman) draft. A player taken in the major-league Rule 5 draft must stay on the ML roster the entire season or be offered back to his original organization for $25,000 (you have to pay $50,000 per pick). Then there are the AAA and AA Rule 5 drafts, which carry no roster requirements whatsoever, as far as I can tell.

  7. The Ancient Mariner on November 19th, 2004 4:01 pm

    Oh, and I agree that I’d like to see us grab Cooper.

  8. Grant on November 19th, 2004 4:01 pm

    Yeah, I guess that was the case with Ugueto in 2001, he must have been an the Mariners first round pick that year.

  9. Evan on November 19th, 2004 4:11 pm

    Does the Rule 5 draft work like the amateur draft, in that you have to take someone in this round to keep your pick next round?

  10. Econ guy on November 19th, 2004 4:50 pm

    Great idea on Cooper. On an interesting side note, I think that it would be neat to see Cooper and Garbe play together again (or at least in the same organization).

    When Cooper and Garbe were in high school together they were both looked at as pretty good prospects.

  11. The Ancient Mariner on November 19th, 2004 5:31 pm

    Re #9–Evan: yes.

  12. chris d on November 19th, 2004 5:33 pm

    When is rule 5 draft and in what order do M’s pick?

  13. chris d on November 19th, 2004 5:37 pm

    Also, can M’s take someone like Spezio off their 40 man roster and hope someone claims him and use that spot for someone else?

  14. David J Corcoran on November 19th, 2004 5:39 pm

    Re 13:

    No. The best we can do is Designate Him For Assignment, giving us 10 days to trade, release, or outright him to the minors (at his discretion). Most likely he would refuse an outright assignment, so we would be stuck with finding a trade suitor or we would end up releasing him.

  15. John on November 19th, 2004 7:15 pm

    Re: # 12 – at the end of next month’s winter meetings the Ms will pick in the same order that they’ll pick in next June’s FA draft.
    Here’s something to tide you over:

    2002 Rule 5 Draft Results
    December 16, 2002

    Major League Phase

    Major league clubs draft eligible players off Triple-A reserve lists. Teams select in reverse order of their 2001 finish, alternating by league and beginning with the National League. Players selected in the major league phase of the draft cost $50,000 apiece and must remain on the selecting team’s big league roster for all of the 2003 season or be offered back to the player’s original team for $25,000.

    It’s two years old. Teams are not limited to drafting AAA players for MLB teams.
    And this business of it being the NL’s turn to go first no longer holds.
    (Arizona will go 1st, but not by virtue of their being an NL team; by virtue of their having the worst record in MLB–both leagues are now integrated (in the new CBA)for draft purposes.)

    (I can’t yet access Alan Schwarz’s primer on the Rule 5 Draft. When I do, I’ll post it–if the draft hasn’t been held yet.)

    BTW, DAVE, I see that LUIS UGUETO is not on your “Future Forty.” What’s your take on him?

  16. John on November 19th, 2004 7:20 pm

    Here it is. [Rule 5 Draft]

    http://tinyurl.com/cg69

  17. David J Corcoran on November 19th, 2004 8:20 pm

    Note that in Baseball Prospectus, they list Ugueto’s position as “Running Joke”. I don’t think DMZ or Dave like Ugueto that much.

  18. Jerry on November 19th, 2004 10:13 pm

    Guy,

    Look at what has become of us! It is the end of November and we are talking about semantics and the intricacies of the Rule 5 draft!

    Please, give me a decent rumor. A crazy trade in the works. Or an offer to a player that is actually good news. Pavano is coming for a visit, but I have mixed feelings on that one. No news on Beltre.

    I am getting bored.

  19. Michael on November 19th, 2004 10:20 pm

    And on the Rule VO 5 front, Leone for third are quoting the A’s as claiming Jermaine Clark (once of this parish) and Jack Cust.Now Clark is not a budding superstar or anything, but you have to wonder is he would have been a very serviceable and cheap replacement for Santiago. Cust? Budget price Bucky?

  20. Fox Mulder on November 19th, 2004 10:34 pm

    Isn’t Bucky a budget price Bucky?

  21. Moses on November 19th, 2004 11:30 pm

    Anybody know if either Dan Johnson (OAK) or John Gall (StL) are available in the ule-ray ive-fay this year? Both are very good 1B with clubs that may not need them.

  22. Rumpus on November 20th, 2004 9:23 am

    Johnson isn’t, Gall won’t be either.
    Cooper is definitely a worthy risk to take in the R5. Injuries have reduced his arm to nothing and, realistically, he could use another 1000 AB in the minors – but he’s a quick bat, plus power, and a conception of the strike zone.

  23. Grant on November 20th, 2004 4:55 pm

    Shelton won the AFL MVP, to bad we never got the chance to pick him up last year.

  24. Jim Thomsen on November 20th, 2004 6:02 pm

    Bucky’s making the major-league minumum. How could Cust be an improvement on that?

  25. Jim Thomsen on November 20th, 2004 6:02 pm

    Another 1,000 AB in the minors? He should spend another 7 years there?

  26. John on November 20th, 2004 6:06 pm

    Whatever. It seems that the Mariners definitely have their eye on someone.
    Why else would they open up a spot on their 40-player roster by trading a major leaguer (WILLIAMS) for a minor leaguer who hit .219 last year.

  27. The Ancient Mariner on November 20th, 2004 7:49 pm

    Ummm, 1000 AB is ~2 years, not 7 . . .