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Sox make a Rule 5 selection

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Sox were again active in the Rule 5 draft, selecting pitcher Nick Debarr, 23, from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization.

Debarr was 4-3 with a 2.74 ERA at Class A Visalia last season. He missed all of 2005 with Tommy John surgery. A 14th-round pick in the 2002 draft, Debarr has had five seasons of pro ball.

''We beieve he's a guy that has a chance,'' said Allard Baird, Red Sox special assistant. ''Obviously coming out of A ball, we'll have to wait and see.''

The Sox must keep him on the 25-man roster all season, or offer him back to Tampa.

''He has an above-average fastball and he has a split-finger [fastball] that is a still-developing pitch,'' said Baird. ''He needs to gain some consistency in his delivery.

''Obviously there's some projection involved here. I think the key, especially being in Boston, is that we think he's a tough makeup kid. He's very aggressive.''

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art  at 12:57 PM | Permalink