The Rule 5 Draft is designed to prevent Major League clubs from hoarding prospects that are either very close or are ready to take the next step to in the careers.
For a player to receive eligibility for Rule V selection, they must:
- not be on a teams 40-man roster
- have played 4 years and signed at 19 year-old
- have played 5 years and signed at 18 years-old
Only teams with less than 40 players on their 40-man roster are eligible to select players left unprotected by another team. There are normally only a hand full of intriguing prospects left unprotected each year. If a team feels a prospect is worth protecting, they’re added to that teams 40-man roster. If a prospect is left unprotected it is usually due to a full roster or the team feels the prospect’s chances of reaching their earlier potential have diminished.
One team’s garbage is another team’s treasure.
The Texas Rangers selected Delino DeShields Jr (3rd overall) in Thursday’s Rule V Draft. The Ranger appear set at the infield position with middle infielders Elvis Andrus, Jurickson Profar, Rougned Ordor, Hanser Alberto, Ryan Rua, and Luis Sardinas. So it is unlikely that Delino DeShields Jr got selected to challenge for a spot in the Rangers infield.
The Rangers once had one of the most potent offensive outfields in the game, but now….not so much. The current outfield of Shin-Soo Choo, Leonys Martin, Michael Choice, and Jake Smolinski is good defensively but lacks pop. The four outfielders combined for 32 home runs, not that Deshields will help in that respect.
DeShields has moved between the outfield and second base throughout his minor league career. Originally drafted as a centre fielder, DeShields would play over 300 games at second base over his first 3 full seasons. In 2014, Delino converted back to the outfield and played 78 games in CF and 29 games in LF. His plus-speed allows him to cover a lot of ground, but he will likely stick at LF over CF.
At 21 years-old, DeShields was 3 years under than his competition and struggled for the first time in his professional career. He still managed to swipe 50+ bags.
| Year | Lev | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | AA | 114 | 411 | 75 | 97 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 57 | 54 | 14 | 61 | 112 | .236 | .346 | .360 | .706 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/13/2014.
Delino has always showed an ability to get on base. Once on base he is uses his plus-speed to impact the game. Despite his struggles in 2014, he still managed a 12.0 BB%, but his stats were negatively affected by his low BABIP of .293. If Dave Magadan and Bobby Jones can get DeShields to stay within himself and cut down on his 20 K%, he become a premier leadoff hitter in the Texas.
2015 Outlook: DeShields will get a good look in Spring Training and will likely earn a spot on the bench. He should spell Leonys Martin in CF against LHP (.250) where he hit .269. Will be used as a pinch runner and late game defensive replace in LF.