The winter meetings are currently going on virtually across baseball and one of the big events of the meetings will be Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. It’s a bigger day for the Pittsburgh Pirates because they own the first overall pick. We have posted some previews here of possible picks, and there will be more to come ahead of the noon festivities three days from now. MLB Pipeline posted an article yesterday from Jonathan Mayo, looking at ten names of interest.
The link above has more details, but I’ll quickly go through the ten names, starting with the top of Mayo’s list, which is in alphabetical order.
Omar Estavez, middle infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Young, Double-A experience, makes solid contact. He ranks #21 in the Dodgers system
Jordan Guerrero, right-handed pitcher from the San Diego Padres, who throws hard and misses bats. His command issue holds him back
Kyle Holder, infielder from the New York Yankees, above average defender, who did a decent job with the bat at Double-A in 2019
Marshall Kasowski, Dodgers pitcher who has been mentioned a few times. Throws hard, doesn’t have the best control, but he misses bats as much as anyone
Brendon Little, Chicago Cubs pitcher who we covered here a few times during the draft in 2017 because he was hitting 96 MPH consistently as a lefty, to go along with a solid breaking ball. Doesn’t throw as hard now and hasn’t had as much success as you would like to see, but his stuff should play up as a reliever. He’s ranked 30th in the Cubs system.
Zach Pop, Orioles pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in 2019. He misses bats and gets grounders, plus he has some Double-A success to his credit.
Buddy Reed, #24 ranked prospect for the A’s, tons of tools, but still raw. Mayo says 20-20 HR/SB potential with an above average arm. He has two seasons of Double-A.
Jordan Sheffield, more from the Dodgers. Three-pitch guy who can miss bats, but doesn’t throw a lot of strikes. Spent most of 2019 in Double-A.
Alex Speas, Rangers pitcher who hit 102 MPH this summer. Second round pick in 2016, who has been limited to 71 innings in the pros.
Zach Warren, lefty reliever for the Phillies who has a very nice two-pitch mix, with a high strikeout rate, low BAA and too many walks.
Here are the other articles concerning the Rule 5 draft and available players:
Rule 5 Draft Options from Baseball America
Some Unprotected Prospects the Pirates Could Consider Under Rule 5
Some More Rule 5 Possibilities for the Pirates
