Pat Egan, relief pitcher

Why would the Brewers select him in the Rule 5 Draft? Can he stick?

Egan, who is 6’8″ and a member of the Very Tall Pitchers Without Good Fastballs club, was terrible with the Tides after he was called up from Bowie. He didn’t strike anybody out (17 in 37 innings) and was generally hit hard (54 hits in those 37 innings.) The good news is (1) he pitched much better in lower levels from 2008 through the first half of 2010; (2) he didn’t give up home runs; and (3) he didn’t walk anybody (9). It seems clear that he’s a pitch-to-contact sinker/slider pitcher. The Brewers took him in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft.

I don’t get it. Egan turned 26 in October, so he has zero star potential. Based on what I saw in AAA, there’s no way he can help a major-league team right now. I’m guessing that the Brewers’ scouts saw something in him that they liked. The Orioles took a Brewers pitcher who’s equally unready in the Rule 5 draft; maybe they’ll just work out a deal.