Mets lose Matt Bowman to Cardinals in Rule 5 draft

While Mets prospect Wuilmer Becerra went untouched in the Rule 5 draft today, the organization lost right-handed pitcher Matthew Bowman to the Cardinals. The 24-year-old was the 30th overall pick in the Rule 5 draft. As per the rules of the draft, Bowman must remain on the Cardinals' active roster all season with St. Louis or be offered back to the Mets. Bowman's selection represented the Mets' sole involvement in the major league portion of the draft. The team passed on selecting a player with its 24th overall pick.

A Princeton alum, Bowman spent the 2015 season in Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 5.53 ERA with 5.0 strikeouts per nine innings in 140 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. A sabermetric-oriented student of the game, Bowman was taken by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2012 amateur draft.

The Mets received contributions in 2015 from a pair of players who were Rule 5 picks last year. Sean Gilmartin, selected from the Twins organization in the 2014 draft, played a prominent role in the Mets bullpen, with a 2.67 ERA in 57.1 innings. Additionally, Logan Verrett appeared in 14 games with the Mets after the Baltimore Orioles took him in the draft and lost him on waivers to the Texas Rangers before Verrett wound up back in the Mets' organization.