Dodgers select infielder Angelo Mora in minor league portion of Rule 5 draft

The Dodgers on Thursday selected switch-hitting infielder Angelo Mora from the Orioles in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft on the final day of the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla.

No Dodgers were taken in the major or minor league phase of the draft, which saw 61 players switch teams. There were 18 players taken in the major league portion of the draft though none by the Dodgers, who have a full 40-man roster.

Mora hit .291/.334/.435 with nine home runs and 24 doubles in 107 games between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies system in 2017. He signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on Nov. 28.

Signed by the Phillies out of Loma de Cabrera in the Dominican Republic in February 2011, Mora has primarily played the middle infield in his minor league career. In 2017 Mora started 47 games at at second base, 24 games at shortstop, 21 games at third base, and one game each in left field and right field.

Mora turns 25 in February.

In 2017 Mora hit .303/.344/.496 as a right-handed batter and .287/.330/.409 as a lefty.

Mora won the Larry Rojas Award in 2016, given annually to the prospect who has “a love and respect for the game of baseball, an outstanding work ethic and pride in being a member of the Phillies organization.”

He is currently playing with Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League.

Last year the Dodgers took two players in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. One of them made the majors, with left-hander Edward Paredes posting a 3.24 ERA in 10 games, with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 8⅓ innings.

The Dodgers paid $24,000 to Baltimore for the selection of Mora. Draft picks in the major league phase cost $100,000. Unlike the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, there is no obligation to add or keep a player taken in the minor league phase on the 40-man roster.