Padres add three to roster

The Padres on Friday added three players to the 40-man roster, protecting them from other clubs in the Rule 5 draft.

Right-hander Craig Italiano, left-hander Steve Garrison and outfielder Chad Huffman are Big Leaguers. November Big Leaguers, but Big Leaguers nonetheless.

You can get the lowdown on this trio by reading the Padres press release or Corey Brock's news story on padres.com.

For all three, it's an accomplishment to be protected by the parent club. That means the front office values you -- and thinks other clubs value you too. A major factor on which players get exposed to the Rule 5 draft is whether they might get picked.

The Rockies, for instance, gambled that no clubs would be able to carry a middle infielder on the Big League roster all last season. So they left Everth Cabrera off the roster and eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

That worked out pretty well for the Padres, who not only were willing to jump Cabrera from Single-A ball but quickly made him the everyday shortstop.

Although all three players added to the 40-man roster Friday have every right to be proud, it's a particular accomplishment for Garrison. He's little more than a year removed from shoulder surgery.

This could have been a lost year as he worked his way back, which inevitably would have made it more likely he would be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. He pitched only 34 innings in the regular season, most of that at the rookie level, but he had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League as the Padres made the wise choice of extending his opportunity to pitch.

Garrison made six starts for the Peoria Saguaros and went 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in the hitter-friendly league.

The MiLB.com website took notice of Garrison during the fall league season and wrote this piece on him early this month. It's worth a read if you missed it the first time.

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