The many links between the Blue Jays and Giants

Sam Moll and Travis Bergen – Recent Rule 5 Picks

Travis Bergen, formerly a member of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Double-A team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, was selected by the Giants in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft in Las Vegas this past week. Prior to leaving the organization, he’d appeared in games for every single Blue Jays affiliate except the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. My colleague Clayton Richer excellently summed up why losing Bergen was so unfortunate in a recent column that can be found here.

Bergen, 25, spent the majority of 2018 as a closer, racking up eight saves and pitching to an incredible 0.95 ERA in 56.2 innings, most of them for the Fisher Cats. He also added 74 strikeouts and 15 walks to go along with an excellent 1.006 WHIP. Last season, he appeared in nine games split between the Gulf Coast Blue Jays of the Gulf Coast League and the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League.

Additionally, in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, Sam Moll, a left-handed pitcher who the Jays claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in March, was selected by the Giants as well. A more detailed analysis of that selection can be found at this link, via KNBR.

Moll, a native of Lakeland, Tennessee, appeared in 15 games for the Triple-A Bisons in 2018, pitching to an ERA of 5.30 while striking out 19 and walking five. Prior to joining the Blue Jays organization, he’d logged time with the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies organizations, appearing briefly in the majors for the Athletics in late 2017.