WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 1: Riley Ferrell #70 of the Houston Astros throws the ball against the Boston Red Sox during a spring training game at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 1, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Astros defeated the Red Sox 10-5. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
PEORIA, AZ – MARCH 1: Richie Martin #68 of the Oakland Athletics fields during the game against the San Diego Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex on March 1, 2017 in Peoria , Arizona. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
The 2018 Rule 5 Draft has come and gone, and man was it quick. It took no time at all for teams to blaze through the players they thought were diamonds in the rough.
This is a complete list with some background on not only the MLB level Rule 5 Draft selections, but also the Minor League phase. There were 14 players selected in the major league phase, 43 in the farm phase, and already several trades have taken place.
Before jumping in, it is worth noting that two teams did not make a single pick today: the Rockies and the Dodgers. The Giants were the only team to pick twice in the first phase, and the Rays led the second phase with four selections.
In terms of loss, the Blue Jays, Astros, and Dodgers each lost two in the initial phase to lead the pack. By losing a draft high five players in the Triple A phase, the Yankees were the big losers with six total players departing on the day. Only the Padres, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Brewers, and Twins managed to keep all of their players.
I did make some predictions prior to the draft, which can be read here. Spoiler alert, I got one name correct. So, without further ado, here are the results of the 2018 Rule 5 Draft sorted by team.
With the first overall selection in the Rule 5 draft the Orioles took Martin. He is a solid defender who posted a .300 batting average in Double A last year. They also traded international bonus pool money for Jackson to give themselves some solid potential up the middle.
Grover was recently signed by the Reds out of an Independent League. One thing is known for sure about him and that is his ability to light up a radar gun.
Total Players Lost: 4
RHP Jeffeson Medina (Rangers), OF Randolph Gassaway (Pirates), 2B Corban Joseph (Athletics), and 1B Wilson Garcia (Indians)
For the second year in a row, the Royals are stocking up on pitching. McWilliams has a high ceiling but can be considered a risk. Ellis was acquired for cash right after the draft and he represents a very solid bullpen option, or potentially a back-end starter.
Triple A Phase: N/A (Traded pick away)
Total Players Lost: 2
RHP Elvis Luciano (Blue Jays) and LHP Luis Lugo (Cubs)
The White Sox went with a first baseman in the Triple-A phase of Rule 5 Draft. He is not a power threat with only 17 home runs as a professional. But the 26-year-old has good bat to ball skills and patience with a career .292 batting average and a 157/155 K/BB ratio in four seasons.
Total Players Lost: 1
RHP Cristofer Melendez (Padres, traded to Pirates)
Ferrell will jump into the Marlins top 30 prospects at number 21. He can get his fastball into the upper 90’s with a plus slider. If he can find control, then he will blossom into reliable high leverage reliever.
There are a lot of up and coming potential starters in the Tigers organization, so they decided to get a reliever in the Rule 5 Draft. Garrett is a power arm who has fallen into a closer role in recent years. He converted all five save attempts he had at the Triple A level last season.
Joe is a versatile fielder who has played every position except for shortstop and catcher in the minors. He came alive offensively in 2018 hitting .299 with a career high 17 homers across the Double and Triple A level.
Triple A Phase: N/A
Total Players Lost: 2
RHP Taylor Grover (Orioles) and RHP Rafael De Paula (Braves)
After a rough start to his career, Medina was moved to the bullpen and everything has improved. He still has a long way to go, but his strikeout numbers have an increase and teams are getting less hits off of him. Triple A will be tough for him after not surpassing A ball, but the 24 year old started his career in 2012 so he has plenty of experience.
Total Players Lost: 2
RHP Reed Garrett (Tigers) and RHP John Fasola (Cardinals)
The Giants were the only team to select twice in the first phase of the Rule 5 Draft. They took a southpaw who still showed swing and miss ability after missing the 2017 season following Tommy John surgery. Ferguson is less likely to stick in the majors. He can defensively play any position in the outfield, but his bat is questionable.
Still active in the second phase, the Giants grabbed a third baseman with a baseball last name. He does not have the power, but he is a career .277 hitter in the minors. Moll is another lefty arm, and he has seen some unsuccessful MLB time. He battled injuries in 2018, but could bounce back with his new team if healthy.
Total Players Lost: 3
RHP Dusten Knight (Twins), OF Jeffrey Baez (Diamondbacks), and RHP Ian Gardeck (Rays)
Luciano is still only 18 years old and he could contribute out of the bullpen. If he can rely on a plus fastball and a slightly above average curve, then he might just stick. Coming out of Rookie level only a season ago, there will be a question of maturity, but there is no question of his potential.
There is no question that Garner can strike people out. In 199 professional innings, he has accumulated 226 strikeouts. He does carry the weight of a suspension over his head.
Total Players Lost: 3
RHP Jordan Romano (White Sox traded to Rangers), LHP Travis Bergen (Giants), and LHP Sam Moll (Giants)
There were very few people who could have predicted that Dowdy would have been selected in the Rule 5 Draft. He was certainly a case where a change of scenery hurt last year. After a decent run with the Toledo Mud Hens, he posted an ERA over six with the Indians organization. All things considered, his stuff is nasty.
Lee was a great pickup for the Mets as a top prospect for the Marlins. He got a taste of the majors, but it will be a year or two before he will be back. The appeal to Mazza is his control, and he has shown a lot of improvement in the last couple years. And finally, Ghelfi is a decent hitting catcher. He found himself buried and struggling for time in the Brewer organization, but thrived with the Angels. This will be a telling year.
Knight has seen nothing but success since being a 28th round draft pick in 2013. He carries a career ERA of 3.11 as a reliever with 394 strikeouts in 357 innings of work. This could be the kind of guy who, in a couple of years, fans will wonder where he came from.
The Phillies went young with their one selection in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, Troya is only 21. He has been a starter, but a transition to the bullpen in 2018 saw a huge uptick in strikeouts. After averaging around a strikeout an inning as a starter, he fanned 55 batters 38.2 innings as a full time reliever.
The upside was there for Esparza a few years ago when he led the Indians organization in strikeouts. However 2018 brought him an injury riddled year. It is worth a pick to see if he can regain his 2016 form when he recorded 141 strikeouts.
Total Players Lost: 4
SS Julio Garcia (Brewers), SS Alberto Triunfel (Cardinals), C Mitch Ghelfi (Mets), and SS Riley Unroe (Braves)
Green spent most of the 2018 season with the Tampa Tarpons in A ball with an ERA in the mid three’s before getting a taste of Double A. He will get the chance to show his stuff in the desert as a bullpen arm, but it is hard to see him sticking around.
The Diamondbacks might be on to something with Baez. He has shown a nice combination of power and speed, hitting as many as 13 homers in a season with 203 career steals.
Total Players Lost: 2
RHP Jason Creasy (Braves) and RHP Cristofer Ogando (Rays)
Besides starting a very popular brand of shoe in 1908, the 25 year old has found his swing in recent years. He hit nearly .300 in Double A last year with a K/BB ratio of 79/61.
The Pirates remained silent in the MLB phase, but came alive in the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Gassaway has good bat to ball skills and does not strikeout a lot, but not much else. There is not much about Nicasio other than he profiles as a reliever down the road.
Total Players Lost: 2
1B Jordan George (White Sox) and C Rafelin Lorenzo (Cubs)
The Cardinals took a risk by drafting Fasola. He has had success in his career, but he tore his ACL in a collision at home plate in July of 2018. The hitter, Triunfel, has shown improvements but his .232/.292/.344 slash leaves a lot to be desired.
Total Players Lost: 2
RHP Chris Ellis (Rangers, traded to Royals) and RHP Winston Nicasio (Pirates)
Standing at 6’4″ tall and weighing in at 220 pounds, Brennan has a really good frame to throw the ball from. He has been a reliever through the minors and that is what he will get a chance to do in Seattle. With a low 90’s fastball, he will need to rely on location to stay a full year.
Triple A Phase: N/A
Total Players Lost: 3
OF Chuck Taylor (Nationals), Adonis De La Cruz (Yankees), and RHP Chris Mazza
The Braves selected Creasy in the Triple A phase, and he made it as high as Triple A in 2017. However he recorded only six innings at A ball in 2018. The other pitcher, De Paula, is a reliever through and through who posted an ERA of 3.41 in 42 games across Double and Triple A. Unroe is a former second round pick who spent most of 2018 in Double A and hit .226.
The Rays sprung heavy for a group of right handed reliever types in the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Thompson and Gardeck both have upper level experience. The prize might be Gardeck who has 270 strikeouts in 223.1 innings. Ogando and Figueroa were still in Rookie ball last season, so they will be interesting cases.
Total Players Lost: 3
RHP Sam McWilliams (Royals), 3B Peter Maris (Giants), and C Alexander Alvarez (Brewers)
The Rockies sent cash to the Royals to acquire Rabago after the draft. After showing ability with the bat in his first few years, he hit a lowly .176 at the Double A level. He actually moved to catcher after committing 20 errors at short in his inaugural season as a professional.
The Indians took a lefty who has not pitched above A ball in the Triple A phase. He did pitch in both high and advanced level in 2018, posting a 3.28 ERA. Garcia is a switch hitter who found his power stroke last season, hitting .293 with 23 long balls at the A ball level.
Total Players Lost: 4
RHP Kyle Dowdy (Mets), RHP Matt Esparza (Angels), 1B Anthony Miller (Athletics), and RHP Hector Figueroa
Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB Phase: N/A
Triple A Phase: N/A
Total Players Lost: 2
1B/3B Connor Joe and 2B/SS Drew Jackson (Phillies, traded to Athletics)
The Cubs decided to take three players in the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Both pitchers will have some growing to do. They flashed signs of talent, but they struggled at the Double A level. Lorenzo is only 21 and showed the ability to hit, with a batting average north of .300 across Rookie and A ball last year.
Garcia is a switch hitter who can play all around the infield. His bat is not a string suit, but his glove is consistent around the horn. Much of the same can be said about Alvarez. He hit .232 in full season A ball last year, but showed promise behind the plate and at first base.
With the young infield core the Athletics possess, a veteran like Joseph is worth more than what the 30 year old’s numbers present. Payton, however, is a differnet story. He slashed .259/.368/.401 in Triple A last year, and could prove to be better next year. The final pick, Miller, is a big bodied first baseman who strikes out like a power hitter, with 400 career strikeouts in 283 games, but is still working to find consistent power in his bat.
During the Rule 5 Draft the Yankees picked up De La Cruz, who is a 23 year old reliever with a live arm. He sat down 75 hitters via strikeout in 2018 across 57.1 innings. Though his 4.71 ERA could use some work. Hill was acquired via trade with the Tigers. He is an athletic outfielder with a lot of growing yet to do.
Total Players Lost: 6
RHP Nick Green (Diamondbacks), C Chris Rabago (Royals, traded to Rockies), RHP Gilmael Troya (Phillies), RHP Anyelo Gomez (Red Sox), OF Mark Payton (Athletics), and RHP Alexander Vargas (Cubs)
Flores is a 22 year old catcher who spent 2018 in full season A ball. There is a lot left to be desired with the bat with a career slash line of .231/.316/.370. But he is a solid defender behind the plate. He threw out just under half of would-be base stealers last season.
Total Players Lost: 3
RHP Riley Ferrell (Marlins), OF Drew Ferguson (Giants), and RHP Ryan Thompson (Rays)
The Red Sox grabbed two righties in phase two of the Rule 5 Draft. Gomez threw at the Triple A level last year, allowing two earned runs in eight appearances. However, in early May he went on the DL and did not return. Schwaab made it to Double A, but struggled to the tune of an ERA over five last season.
Total Players Lost: 1
OF Tyler Hill (Tigers, traded to Yankees)
Next. A Red Sox salary dump?. dark
It was a busy day for teams in this Rule 5 Draft. Adding and subtracting players is never an exact science, but some of these names will become very relevant in the future.
