Mariners select left-handed pitcher David Rollins from Houston in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft
Left-hander was previously drafted twice by Seattle but did not sign
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced this morning the club has selected left-handed pitcher David Rollins from the Houston Astros in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft.
Rollins was the 12th player selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
The Mariners 40-man roster is now full.
Rollins, 24, spent last season with AA Corpus Christi in the Houston Astros organization. He was 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA (33 ER, 78.0 IP) with 77 strikeouts in 27 appearances including 12 starts.
A player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must be kept on the Major League 25-man roster of the drafting team for the entirety of next season, and the selected player must remain active (not on the disabled list) for a minimum of 90 days. If the player does not remain on the Major League roster, he is offered back to the team from which he was selected.
Once a player is selected, he is automatically assigned to his new organization's 40-man roster.
In parts of four minor league seasons he is 23-16 with a 3.39 ERA (135 ER, 358.2 IP) with 343 strikeouts in 88 games including 64 starts. During his minor league career, he averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays after being selected in the 24th round of the 2011 June Amateur Draft from San Jacinto College, North Campus (Houston, TX). The left-hander was previously drafted twice by the Seattle Mariners in the June amateur draft; in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft and in the 46th round of the 2010 draft.
Rollins was traded by Toronto to Houston as part of a 10-player trade that saw current Mariners left-hander J.A. Happ go from Houston to the Blue Jays.