Bierd Selected From Detroit in Rule 5 Draft

GM's across baseball convened today to conduct the Rule 5 Draft. The Orioles made four selections in total, including one selection in the major league phase.

Orioles today selected four minor league players in the Rule 5 Draft, including RHP Randor Bierd from the Detroit Tigers organization in the Major League phase of the draft.

Bierd, 23, combined to go 4-3 with one save and a 2.93 ERA in 42 games in 2007, splitting the season between Class A Western Michigan and AA Erie. He was 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 15 games at Western Michigan and 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 27 games, including 3 starts, with Erie. Opposing batters hit just .195 (48-246) off him between the two teams.

The 6-foot-4 native of the Dominican Republic was the third overall pick in the draft and his selection gives the Orioles 38 players on their major league roster.

In the minor league phases of the draft, the Orioles selected two players for their AAA Norfolk team and one player for AA Bowie.

The Orioles selected LHP Ryan Rodriguez off the Chicago White Sox's AA Birmingham roster and 1B Tim Brown from San Diego's AA San Antonio roster in the AAA phase of the draft. Rodriguez went 4-8 with a 5.70 ERA in 34 games, including 12 starts, for Class A Winston-Salem in 2007. Brown batted .274 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI in 109 games for San Antonio. Both players were assigned to AAA Norfolk.

In the AA phase of the draft, the Orioles selected RHP J.P. Martinez off Minnesota's Class A Fort Myers roster and assigned him to AA Bowie. Martinez spent most of the 2007 season at AA New Britain but also pitched at Class A Fort Myers and AAA Rochester. He combined to go 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 45 games between the three teams.

A total of 60 players were selected during the three phases of the draft, including 18 in the major league portion. The Orioles did not lose a player in any of the three phases.