The Rule 5 Draft typically marks the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, but this year it amounted to virtually the only news this week during a lockout.
The Cincinnati Reds had one open slot on their Triple-A roster, and they selected outfielder Ronnie Dawson from the Houston Astros with their lone pick Wednesday. Dawson, a 26-year-old outfielder, had five at-bats in the Majors last season and played 94 games at Triple-A.
Dawson, who grew up near Columbus and went to college at Ohio State, had a .249 batting average and .341 on-base percentage at Triple-A with 21 doubles, seven homers and 43 RBI.