Musings The 2019 Rule 5 Draft
2019 Rule 5 Draft Notes
For those that might be unfamiliar with the Rule 5 Draft, the Rule 5 Draft allows teams to take players that typically were in the minors for about 5 years that aren’t protected by a teams 40 man roster and gives them the opportunity to play in the major leagues if a team feels that player has the talent to make onto their major league roster. If the player does make it onto that teams major league roster they must stay with the major league team the entire season otherwise the player will return back to the original team they were with the year before.
This year’s 2019 Rule 5 Draft was quite unpredictable as some would think that perhaps a team would have taken a left handed pitcher that they could use out of the bullpen, a backup catcher for added depth, or maybe even a few more players could have been chosen as baseball now allows for a 26 man roster. Here is a breakdown of a few of the players that were chosen in this year’s rule 5 draft.
#1 Detroit Tigers- Rony Garcia, RHP (NYY)
Rony Garcia was perhaps the top name being mocked according to Baseball America, although it was still very much a crapshoot. Scouts seemed to feel that he was one of the top players available and he was the first one chosen. In 2019 Garcia added some more velocity and was able to touch 96-97 mph with his fastball typically sitting about 93 mph. He also added a cutter and his best secondary pitch is his low 80s slider. He will also at times use a changeup that is more of a chase pitch. There is thoughts that his stuff might play up even more if he’s used out of the bullpen.
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#2 Baltimore Orioles- Brandon Bailey, RHP (HOU)
Brandon Bailey was also considered one of the top names that could have gone first but he wasn’t quite as impressive as perhaps Rony Garcia. Bailey’s fastball typically sits around 92-94 mph and he is a good competitor that put up solid numbers at AA Corpus Christi (3.30 ERA, 10.0 K/9). His secondary pitches are average at best but he showed the ability to get outs on a fairly consistent basis at AA.
#3 Miami Marlins- Sterling Sharp, RHP (WSH)
Sterling Sharp was perhaps the most well known player chosen in the Rule 5 Draft after having success in the Arizona Fall League and being ranked among the top 15 prospects in the Washington Nationals system according to mlbpipeline. Sharp is a very athletic pitcher as he was recruited to play college basketball. He doesn’t have any above average pitches at the moment, but he is adept at keeping the ball in the yard as he only allowed 1 homerun over 82.2 innings. He does his best keeping hitters off balance with a solid fastball-changeup combo.
Want some more on the Marlin’s current infield situation? We’ve got you covered here.
#4 Kansas City Royals- Stephen Woods, RHP (TB)
Stephen Woods might have some of the best stuff among all the pitchers chosen in the Rule 5 Draft but he also might have the worst control of all the pitchers selected. Through his first 3 seasons he averaged 7 walks per 9 innings pitched. However he did show improvements in 2019 and has a plus fastball-curveball combo.
#5 Seattle Mariners- Yohan Ramirez, RHP (HOU)
Yohan Ramirez is another pitcher that has big time stuff but struggles with control (7.5 BB/9 at AA). His fastball sits in the 94-97 mph range and tops out at 99 mph. He also uses a low 80s curveball that is an above average pitch. He owned right-handed hitters in 2019 (.138 AVG against) and had an excellent K/9 rate of 13.4 and seems like a high risk, high reward type pitcher.
#6 Cincinnati Reds- Mark Payton, OF (OAK)
Mark Payton was the first hitter selected in the Rule 5 Draft and he displayed plenty of power in 2019 as he hit 30 home runs with Las Vegas. If he has a good spring training there’s a chance that he could make it to Cincinnati as a power hitting 4th outfielder.
Other 2019 Rule 5 Draft Picks
#7 San Francisco Giants- Dany Jimenez, RHP (TOR)
#8 Oakland Athletics- Vimael Machin, UTIL (CHC)
#9 Chicago Cubs- Trevor Megill, RHP (SD)
#10 Boston Red Sox- Jonathan Arauz, 2B/3B (HOU)
#11 Baltimore Orioles- Michael Rucker, RHP (CHC)
