Thomas Kahnle, the Yankees fifth round selection in the 2010 draft, reminds me of Texas' Coty Woods pick from us last year, a 24-year old AA reliever with good surface numbers that could contend for the #7 spot in the bullpen if the Rockies don't make another relief move. If the Rockies do fill their pen, Kahnle could also be traded to another club looking for bullpen depth late in Spring Training if he performs well. The right handed reliever's numbers include an extremely high strikeout rate (over 11 K/9 every pro season of his career), mixed with inconsistent control that took a nosedive in 2013 (nearly 7 BB/9), making his 2013 season almost Matzekian.
The Rockies lost infielder Russell Wilson (of NFL fame) to the Texas Rangers during the AAA phase of the draft, which means that Texas does not have to include the player on the 40-man roster. I am uncertain as to the advantages Texas sees of taking Wilson here (I even joked about the possibility of Wilson being selected in yesterday's draft thread), as it seems extremely unlikely that Wilson would have any interest in attempting to jumpstart a baseball career as a successful NFL quarterback. Texas may be taking advantage of an opportunity to have the rights to Wilson in the case that he decides to return to the baseball diamond during a future Summer, just as the Rockies did by holding onto him all this time.
I am disappointed that the Rockies didn't take a position player, as our bench is still missing a couple of pieces while our pitching is pretty much spoken for. That said, there's still no hole on our roster that can't be filled elsewhere via either free agent signing or trade. Best case scenario, this indicates that the Rockies intend to fill these spots with more proven talent. Worst case scenario, Jordan Pacheco, opening day reserve catcher and/or righty corner guy.
The team's 40-man roster now sits at 39 players, and will be a full 40 when Justin Morneau signs.