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Earlier on Thursday, the Brewers added three minor leaguers to their 40-man roster in a measure meant to protect them from being taken in the December Rule 5 draft. Those three were pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Michael Strong and shortstop Yadiel Rivera. Noticeably absent from the list was reliever David Goforth.
As it turns out, the Brewers just needed a little time to consider. With one empty spot remaining on the 40-man roster, the Brewers have decided to add Goforth, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
A seventh round pick in the 2011 draft, Goforth is a bit older for a prospect at 26 years of age. His first professional season was spent entirely in relief, but in 2012 and 2013 the Brewers tried him as a starter with limited success. In 2014, he repeated Double-A, this time as a full-time reliever, and posted a 3.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He struck out 46 batters and walked 29 over 64.2 innings.
Over his four-year minor league career, Goforth has a 3.99 ERA overall, along with a 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Though his numbers don't look terribly terrific in the minors, Goforth is the kind of guy scouts seem to love and it seemed there would be a strong possibility he would be taken in the Rule 5 draft if left unprotected. He can reach 99 miles per hour with his fastball, but appears to need work on his secondary pitches yet. John Sickels sees him as having a high ceiling, and some believe he could be a potential closer in the future, if everything works out.
With today's moves, the Brewers 40-man roster is now full. If they add any more major league talent through free agency or the draft, someone will need to be removed from said roster.