Song is interesting. He’s fulfilling his military commitment. His clock doesn’t start until he’s available to play.
First Round
Nationals – Thad Ward, RHP, Red Sox
Athletics – Ryan Noda, 1B, Dodgers
Pirates – Jose Hernandez, LHP, Dodgers
Reds – Blake Sabol, OF, Pirates
Tigers – Mason Englert, RHP, Rangers
Rockies – Kevin Kelly, RHP, Guardians
Marlins – Nick Enright, RHP, Guardians
Cubs – Pass
Twins – Pass
Red Sox – Pass
White Sox – Nick Avila, RHP, Giants
Giants – Pass
Orioles – Andrew Politi, RHP, Red Sox
Brewers – Gus Varland, RHP, Dodgers
Rays - Pass
Phillies – Noah Song, RHP, Red Sox
Padres – Jose Lopez, LHP, Rays
Mariners – Chris Clarke, RHP, Cubs
Guardians – Pass
Blue Jays – Pass
Cardinals – Wilking Rodriguez, RHP, Yankees
Yankees – Pass
Mets – Zach Greene, RHP, Yankees
Braves – Pass
Astros – Pass
Dodgers – Pass
Reader Comments and Retorts
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1. salvomania Posted: December 07, 2022 at 06:35 PM (#6108607)Just looked the guy up: he's 32 and according to bb-ref his last U.S. professional experience was in 2015, with the Yankees' AAA team; he's been pitching in the Mexican League and Venezuelan Winter League ever since, with varying degrees of success. He was phenomenal in 2022, though, with an 0.89 WHIP and 14.7 K/9 over 46 relief appearances.
I'll wager this works out better than the Cardinals' usual strategy of filling out their bullpen by giving out multi-million-dollar guaranteed contracts to mediocre middle relievers.
22 years old, 7-5, 3.57 ERA, 116/26 K/BB in the Sally League last year. Beats a kick in the head, I guess.
I like his glove but Millas’ bat is pretty weak - didn’t think he’d be tabbed.
Kinda like Englert.
Sure he's probably not gonna stick on the 25-man. But it's a handful of cash (though now that I think of it, it's more than $50 K now isn't it?), some of which you get back assuming his team wants him back. And after seeing him in spring, maybe you decide to work out a trade and stick him at AAA and develop his bat. The Cubs have two Cs in their top 30 per MLB.com -- #15 Ballesteros is a 19-yo at A; #16 Amaya is 24, has just 266 PA over the last 2 years, has no experience above AA either and his main offensive weapon is a very good walk rate. Millas is a healthier version of Amaya.
That's why good organizations trade some of their prospects for other players.
Add Mark Canha to that list, he might be one of the best Rule V picks ever.
It is very rare for a guy in the minor league Rule 5 to pan out.
Does this depend on what you mean by "pan out?" There are few rule 5 guys who immediately stick on the 25-man and become productive? Or eventually become productive?
The 2018 rule 5 (preceding the 2019 season) included:
Jordan Romano -- in the majors every year 2019-22, 157 IP, 165 ERA+, 5.7 WAR, 3 WAA. He was grabbed from the Jays by the White Sox who sent him to Texas who seem to have let him go back to the Jays.
Connor Joe -- fringe-y as they come but up to 700 ML PAs now. Grabbed by Reds from Dodgers and sent back.
I suspect 1 or 2 of the other pitchers had some ML time too.
Maybe it just doesn't happen anymore or maybe they changed the rules but back in the old days, you'd see maybe 1 or 2 cases a year where a team grabbed a guy in the rule 5, liked what they saw but didn't have room on the 25-man but would make a small trade with the original team for the guy's "40 man rights" and stick him in AAA. In 20/20 hindsight, the Rangers certainly should have held onto Romano somehow even if they couldn't hold him on the 25-man all year.
I'm not nearly as obsessed with Millas as I seem, I just noticed him in one of those "best rule 5 guys" articles. Based on that writeup and their b-r pages, he seems at least as good if not better than the Cubs current #3 C (Amaya) ... both of whom might be better than the current #2 (PJ Higgins who came out of nowhere with a nice year last year) and heck #1 is an aged Yan Gomes who might very well put up a 46 OPS+ next year. If a player like that is available for "free" you grab him. Why they didn't/couldn't work out a deal for him before the rule 5 I can't say. Or maybe the Cubs 40-man is more chock-full of talent than I realize. If the worst-case scenario is you waste $25-50,000 then take a chance on a guy.
Cooper had a fantastic minor league season in '71, and got the first of his cups of coffee before finally sticking in the bigs for good in 1974.
here's the rule book from which those drafts get their names.
the rule 5 draft has been around for over a hundred years; i think it may be the oldest draft in pro sports. it is used to keep players from being stuck/stockpiled at lower levels of baseball - for a fee, you could select an unprotected player to go to a higher level of play. in the past, before the minors were affiliated the way they are now, that might get a guy from c ball to a ball - or a way to give teams cracks at bonus babies - or other things. now, it's a way to get a crack at middling but interesting prospects that other teams didn't prioritize (big league phase) or fill the depth chart for an affiliate (minor league phase). people without 3-4+ years of experience also aren't eligible (barring special circumstances, like a voiding of a contract). it also has an effect on other transactions - you'll see deep teams like tampa make a flurry of deals before the protection deadline to trade away guys who might get picked that they don't have room for ... or a trade for jeff mangum (on the mets until a few days ago), now with the marlins delayed until after the draft to ensure that the wasn't selected in the draft ... or delays in minor league signings until after the draft (as those signings either use up 38 man spots or could be picked in the minor league phase ... like s.newton was yesterday by a club that tried but didn't get him on a minor league deal).
it's obscure and minor but, i think, reveals a lot about how baseball the ecosystem works.
I also learned this week there is a Rule 19 draft - for if a team is killed, and the rest of the league disperses players to that team!
For the As in particular, there's no price difference really between the players on their own 40-man roster and the Rule 5 players. I mean Tony Kemp has a higher number because he's played a few years so there's a marginal difference, and Sean Murphy if they keep him, but it's not a big deal.
I assume the reason they still sign someone like Diaz or Peterson (Jace) is because they think they're more valuable than Rule 5 guys (and stats would suggest they are right. Most Rule 5 guys are basically replacement.)
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