Orioles select outfielder Joey Rickard in Rule 5 draft

The Orioles today announced that they have selected outfielder Joey Rickard in the Rule 5 Draft from the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Rickard, 24, batted .321/.427/.447 (127-396) with 28 doubles, eight triples, two home runs, 55 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 117 games between Class A-Advanced Charlotte (23 games), Double-A Montgomery (65 games), and Triple-A Durham (29 games) last season. Originally selected by the Rays in the ninth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, he has hit .283/.390/.397 with 76 doubles, 13 triples, 13 home runs, 149 RBI, and 73 stolen bases in 359 career minor league games. With this move, the Orioles' 40-man Major League roster is full. In the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Orioles selected right-hander Cory Jones from the St. Louis Cardinals organization and left-hander Chipper Smith from the Miami Marlins organization in the Triple-A phase. Jones, 24, has gone 9-4 with a 3.81 ERA (43 ER/101.2 IP) in 21 career minor league starts over three seasons. He did not pitch in 2015 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jones last pitched in 2014, making five starts with Class A-Advanced Palm Beach. He was originally selected by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Smith, 25, went a combined 5-7 with a 4.39 ERA (53 ER/108.2 IP) in 26 games (20 starts) between Class A-Advanced Jupiter (five games) and Double-A Jacksonville (21 games) last season. Originally selected by the Marlins in the 38th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, Smith has gone 20-17 with a 3.50 ERA (126 ER/324.0 IP) in 102 career minor league games (44 starts) over four seasons.