Yesterday, the Miami Marlins just completed their innocuous 2013 Rule 5 draft. Twenty-one years ago, on December 7, 1992, the Marlins participated in their first Rule 5 draft. While losing a journeyman minor league catcher in Jim McNamara, the Marlins added three prospects in right-hander Stanley Spencer, lefty Mike Myers, and outfielder Scott Pose. Each was viewed as pieces that would be good assets for an expansion team.
Stanley Spencer
Righty Stanley Spencer was once considered a prize pitching prospect that was a keeper. He was a first-round pick (35th overall) of the then-Montreal Expos in the 1990 amateur draft. Spencer was also selected as a member of the 1990 College Baseball All-America team. He was talented to the point that Spencer was once considered an equal talent to his former Stanford teammate, and potential Hall of Fame pitcher, Mike Mussina. However, Spencer was injured early in his professional career and became available in the Rule V draft. He would never pitch for the Marlins and wasn't healthy enough or ready to pitch in MLB until 1998 with the San Diego Padres. He would go on to pitch in only parts of three seasons. Spencer pitched in a total of 23 games; 21 as a starter. He pitched a total of 118 2/3 innings, posting a 5.54 ERA. and a 3-9 career record.
Mike Myers
Lefty Mike Myers was a former fourth round pick in the 1990 amateur draft by the San Francisco Giants. At the time, the talented 23-year old was teetering in the Giants farm system. At the time, he was a struggling minor league starter with a common name. This made it easy for him to be lost in their system as easily as his name could be lost in a conversation. Prior to spending his time in MLB as a reliever, Myers' only claim to fame, like many others with the common name, was that he shared his name with a rising comedic star and also with a certain fictional horror film character. However, this Mike Myers would establish his own name in MLB.
Although he would only appear in two games and two innings for the Marlins, Myers ended up being the Marlins' best pick from the 1992 Rule 5 draft. While he was never "groovy" or made anyone fear for their lives like his famous namesakes, he became one of the more respected lefty relievers in the game. With his awkwardness of being one of the few lefties that threw in a side-arm, submarine style, many hitters hated getting into the batter's box to face him. Many that faced or saw him would remember him as another noteworthy Mike Myers. He would go on to pitch thirteen MLB seasons, 883 total games (all in relief), and 541 2/3 career innings, posting a 4.29 career ERA and 25-24 record with 14 saves, for nine MLB teams. He led the American League twice in total appearances. He pitched in nine postseason games. He was a part of the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox team that "broke the curse". This selection was the first of many quality Rule 5 selections that the Marlins would make in the team's history.
Scott Pose
OF Scott Pose was a former late round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1989 amateur draft. Of these three Rule V picks, Pose was considered the most intriguing because of his scrappiness and speed. He also was coming off of a season in Double-A in which he batted .342. This caught the attention of the Marlins. The Marlins GM at the time, Dave Dombrowski commented that "Pose has the fastest chance of being in the majors". That actually did occur as Pose ended up becoming the Marlins Inaugural Opening Day starter in center field. However, for his overall career, Pose's success was quite a bit more modest. He ended up becoming a journeyman minor leaguer who played parts of four MLB seasons in a long professional baseball career. Pose would end up with MLB career totals of 353 plate appearances, 313 at-bats, 75 hits, 0 homeruns, 21 RBI, 9 stolen bases, and a .240 batting average for three MLB teams. He played in one MLB postseason game, not having a plate appearance, in the 1997 AL Division Series between the Yankees and Indians. His legacy in the game is that he is the answer to Marlins trivia questions about the Inaugural Opening Day lineup.
These were the players that were selected twenty-one years ago, in the Marlins first ever Rule 5 Draft.