Orioles select Almanzar in Rule 5 draft (updated)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles were among nine teams making selections in the major league phase of this morning's Rule 5 draft, taking third baseman Michael Almanzar off Triple-A Pawtucket's roster. Almanzar, 23, batted .268/.328/.432 last season at Double-A Portland of the Red Sox's organization, with 29 doubles, 16 homers, 81 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 131 games. He's a career .250/.302/.373 hitter in six minor league seasons. Almanzar, a right-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic, also plays first base. The Red Sox signed him as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. Almanzar's father, Carlos, pitched in the majors from 1997-2005. The Orioles passed in the second round. They have 39 players on their 40-man roster. None of the Orioles' eligible players were chosen in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Update: In the Triple-A phase of the draft, the Orioles selected outfielder Julio Borbon off the Double-A Tennessee roster in the Cubs organization. He was a supplemental first-round pick (35th overall) by the Rangers in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Borbon has interested the Orioles in the past. He's a career .272/.318/.347 hitter in parts of four major league seasons and played for the Rangers in the 2010 World Series. Borbon appeared in 72 games with the Cubs this season, batting .202/.284/.279. He doesn't have to stay on the Orioles roster all season, since he was chosen in the Triple-A phase. Borbon batted .260/.360/.329 in 24 games at Triple-A Iowa. The Orioles passed on their selection in the Double-A phase of the draft. They didn't lose a single player in any phase of the Rule 5.