Phillies pick up reliever in Rule 5 draft

INDIANAPOLIS - The Phillies selected righthander Kenneth David Herndon from the Los Angeles Angels with the 26th selection in yesterday's Rule 5 draft.

Herndon, 24, is a 6-foot-5 reliever who throws a power sinker and slider. Pitching for double-A Arkansas last season, Herndon went 5-6 with 11 saves and a 3.03 earned run average in 50 games. After the season, he pitched for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League, going 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 16 appearances.

"We really like the sinker he has," said pro scouting coordinator Mike Ondo. "We have seen him for three or four years now."

Once selected in the Rule 5 draft, a player must remain on his new team's 25-man roster for the entire next season or the new team risks losing him to the former team. The Phils' Rule 5 selection last year was Bobby Mosebach, also an Angels reliever, who was returned to Los Angeles at the end of spring training. Shane Victorino was a notable recent Rule 5 choice who later found success with the team.

The Phillies also selected righthander Angelo Sanchez from Minnesota in the minor-league phase of the draft. Sanchez, 20, was 5-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 12 rookie league starts last year.

The New York Mets chose righthanded pitcher Carlos Montasario from the Phils' triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, then traded Montasario to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Montasario came to the Phils in 2006 as part of the trade that sent Bobby Abreu to the New York Yankees.