Five names to watch in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft

LHP Tyler Jay, Minnesota Twins

Tyler Jay rose to prominence as a dominant force at the back end of the University of Illinois bullpen. He proved enough to be taken sixth overall in the 2015 draft. He continued to work out of the bullpen in his first professional year, but was stretched out to start in years following. It is a long shot, but someone might take a chance on him in the Rule 5 Draft.

He is ranked 22nd among Twins prospects thanks largely to a plus fastball and an above average slider. Jay will also flash a curveball and changeup. It is likely that his ceiling at this point is going to be an anchor at the back of the bullpen.

Injuries have been an issue early on in Jay’s career. A strained neck in 2016 held him to only 83 innings on the year. He returned in 2017 only to throw 11 innings before the injuries held him out again.

Suffice it to say, Jay’s starting career is largely over. However, if he can find consistency with his slider, there is a reliable reliever in there somewhere. It seems the biggest roadblock in his development has been overcoming the mental battle following the injuries and just trusting himself again.

There is use for a lefty throwing in the mid 90’s with a decent slider. As stated in his MLB Pipeline profile he will likely turn into a two pitch reliever. At 24 there is still some time for Jay to find himself again. Maybe a change of scenery could help.

It is not any teams top priority to take a chance on an injury prone pitcher. A team would have really needed to see something in the minors or in his Arizona Fall League tenure.

All that said, it is unlikely that a team takes a chance on Jay. He could be a diamond in the rough, but the rough is just a little too thick at this point. Expect him to find his potential in a Twins uniform.