Tyler Goeddel tops MLB’s Rule 5 draft list

“Last night on Twitter I was hearing a lot about the Phillies taking me but I didn’t know,” Goeddel said. “You never know what’s going to happen in these situations. So, when I heard my name, I was pretty happy and pretty thankful.”

A supplementary first-round draft pick out of St. Francis-Mountain View by the Rays in 2011, Goeddel steadily climbed the ladder of Tampa Bay’s farm system. He played at Double-A Montgomery last season, where he was a regular middle-of-the-order hitter, playing the entire season as an outfielder.

Goeddel enjoyed career highs in each of the triple-crown categories, hitting .279 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs. He also tabbed a career-high with 132 hits and a .433 slugging percentage. He added 17 doubles, 10 triples and 28 stolen bases in helping the Biscuits to the Southern League playoffs.

“The last month or two was the best I’ve ever played,” Goeddel said. “I think I’ll be able to carry that momentum into next year.”

Goeddel has never been invited to big league spring training, so his chance to earn a spot on the 2016 Phillies’ 25-man roster will be his first. He has previously played in the Phillies’ Grapefruit League facility at Clearwater, Florida though. Last season, while in minor league camp with the Rays, he was utilized as a fill-in player for the major league squad for a handful of games, and got his first Grapefruit League hit at the Phillies’ yard against right-hander Jonathan Papelbon.

“Pro baseball is not easy, that’s for sure,” Goeddel said. “I know I’ve improved every single year. … I know I’ve done a good job of that, adjusting to the grind of playing every day. The Rays have done a lot to help me grow as a pro player and last year was definitely a breakout year for me. I’m glad everything is going the way it is.”

Now making his offseason home in Los Angeles — rooming with his former high school teammate and current Cincinnati Reds prospect Alex Blandino — Goeddel has a historic place in Hillsborough Little League lore. As part of the Hillsborough Little League Majors in 2007, he helped the team to its first ever District 52 title.

Goeddel again led the Hillsborough Majors to the 2008 District 52 title. The team fell in the Section 3 finals both years. Hillsborough went on to win five consecutive District 52 championships.

“Some of the best memories I have where playing for Hillsborough Little League,” Goeddel said.

Goeddel finished his amateur career at St. Francis, where he was part of a talent-laden team including Blandino; current Seattle Mariners prospect Braden Bishop; and Colorado Rockies farmhand Richard Prigatano.

Just weeks prior to Goeddel being drafted by the Rays in 2009, he played his final high school game with the Lancers, a 4-3 loss to the Carlmont Scots in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs. It was probably the most celebrated win in modern Carlmont baseball history, as it marked the biggest of upsets, with St. Francis seeded No. 1 and Carlmont seeded No. 16 in the 16-team bracket.

“I don’t want to say we overlooked them, but we definitely didn’t play our best as a team,” Goeddel said. “It was disappointing for sure because we felt we had the best team in CCS. We wanted to get Coach [Mike Oakland] a championship … but it was fun team to be a apart of for sure.”

The Phillies — who finished the 2015 season with the worst record in the Major Leagues at 63-99 — have seen a marked roster makeover this offseason, especially in the outfield. Along with adding Goeddel, the Phillies claimed outfielder Peter Bourjos from the St. Louis Cardinals and added speedster center field prospect Roman Quinn to the roster.

“I know they have some outfielders but if I do a good job, I have a chance to stick with them for the whole year,” Goeddel said. “That’s the plan.”

Jays select Biagini from Giants

After enjoying his finest season as a pro as a staple of the starting rotation with Giants Double-A affiliate Richmond, right-hander Joe Biagini will be taking his talents north with a chance to make the Toronto Blue Jays’ major league roster next season.

Biagini was selected by the Blue Jays in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old Santa Clara native — who grew up a Giants fan — called Thursday’s transaction bittersweet.

“Obviously, I grew up a Giants fan,” Biagini said. “My dad played (for them too) and I was very comfortable with the organization. They gave me a lot of opportunities, especially my first one.”

A graduate of The King’s Academy, Biagini went on to play at the College of San Mateo in 2009 before taking a medical redshirt in 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He transferred to UC Davis in 2011 and was selected in the 26th round by the Giants later that year.

Through four professional seasons, Biagini made strides each year, culminating in a 2015 campaign during which he posted a 10-7 record over 22 starts. His 2.42 ERA ranked second in the Eastern League.

“I want people to see I’m confident and improving and continuing to do so,” Biagini said. “And I just want to continue to do that and keep proving what I can do.”

Also selected in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft were former Stanford infielder Colin Walsh (by the Brewers from the A’s); former Cal right-hander Blake Smith (by the Padres from the White Sox); and right-hander Luis Perdomo (by the Rockies from the Cardinals), who was selected in the 2009 Rule 5 draft by the Giants, but returned to the St. Louis Cardinals at the outset of the regular season.

The Rule 5 draft works similarly to waiver claims. Any veteran minor league player — based on the variable number of years played, in accordance to the age of the player when he signed his first professional contract — who is not added to his respective team’s 40-man roster after the allotted seasons have elapsed is available to be drafted via the Rule 5 by another organization. The player must be included on the drafting team’s major league roster for the entirety of the proceeding season, or be returned to the previous team.