Rangers acquire prospect, set 40-man roster
Delarosa picked up from Cubs; Mendez, Leclerc, Sadzeck and Mazara protected from Rule 5 Draft
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers sent relief pitcher Spencer Patton to the Cubs for infielder Frandy Delarosa and added four players to their 40-man Major League roster on Friday.
The four players are pitchers Yohander Mendez, Jose Leclerc and Connor Sadzeck, and outfielder Nomar Mazara. The move protects those four from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 10 at the Winter Meetings.
Delarosa, 19, is a switch-hitter who spent last season at Class A Eugene in the Northwest League and hit .273 with 20 doubles, 11 stolen bases, a .315 on-base percentage and a .367 slugging percentage. He spent the two previous seasons playing in the Dominican Summer League. Delarosa is primarily a second baseman but can also play shortstop.
The Cubs originally signed Delarosa to a $700,000 signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic in 2012. New Rangers hitting coach Anthony Iapoce is familiar with Delarosa, having spent the past three seasons as a hitting instructor in the Cubs' organization.
"He's a young switch-hitting middle infielder with a good swing and ability to drive the ball from both sides of the plate," Rangers pro scouting director Josh Boyd said. "Our scouts like his offensive upside."
Patton was acquired from the Royals on July 16, 2014, in exchange for reliever Jason Frasor. He pitched in 36 games for the Rangers over the past two seasons and was 2-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.
Mazara, 20, is currently the No. 2-ranked prospect in the organization by MLB.com and No. 14 overall. A left-handed hitter, he spent most of last season at Double-A Frisco where he hit .284 with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs, a .357 on-base percentage and a .443 slugging percentage.
He received a late-season promotion to Triple-A Round Rock and played in 20 games, going 29-for-81 with four doubles, one home run and 13 RBIs. Most of his Minor League time has been spent in right field, where he is considered an average defender with a plus arm.
Mendez, 20, is a 6-foot-4 left-hander who made eight starts and 13 relief appearances at Class A Hickory last season. He was 3-3 with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He is the Rangers' No. 10 ranked prospect.
Sadzeck, 24, is a 6-foot-5 right-hander who missed all of 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He spent last season between Class A Advanced High Desert and Double-A Frisco, going 3-2 with a 5.82 ERA in 14 starts and four relief appearances.
He is pitching in the Arizona Fall League, where he has appeared in seven games and allowed 11 runs in 10 innings. He has five walks and 14 strikeouts, and his fastball has been clocked at 98-100 mph. An 11th-round pick in 2011, he made 24 starts for Hickory in 2013 and was 12-4 with a 2.25 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP.
Leclerc made 22 starts and four relief appearances at Frisco last season and was 6-8 with a 5.77 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. It was his first season as a starter after four years as a reliever in the system. He is rated No. 19 among Minor League prospects in the organization.