2020 Rule 5 Draft

The Bus Ride
41

Thanks, Coach. Really humanizes the process and reiterates just how damn good you have to be to play professionally, let alone reach the bigs.

42

The funnel gets very narrow before MLB.

1 Like
43

FWIW, of the Astros Top 30 Prospects for MLB Pipeline, they need to add these guys to the 40 man roster to protect from the Rule 5 draft:

Jeremy Pena
Joe Perez
Shawn Dubin
Yainer Diaz
Alex McKenna
Jose Alberto Rivera
Jojanse Torres

Pena and Perez seem like automatic additions. Maybe also Dubin and Diaz.

As much as I like McKenna, a 24 year old in AA with a history of significant injuries and lingering questions about his bat seems more likely to go unprotected or included in a trade. Rivera and Torres are intriguing pitching prospects, but perhaps not enough to warrant adding to the 40 man.

Just my proverbial two cents/wild ass guess.

44

A good friend of mine here in Napa played for Saint Mary’s University (Division I program in the Big West Conference). Brett was a great player in high school who was good enough to have several offers, but unfortunately just not good enough to start for a Division I program.

A very narrow funnel indeed.

ETA: Brett played with former Houston Astro Brett Wallace in high school. Told me Wallace was arrogant as hell and enjoyed letting everyone else on the team know how much better he was.

45

Rivera was selected last year and returned. Command continues to be a problem. I doubt he will be protected but he may be selected.

46

My opinion based on what I have seen is that the most likely players to get taken:

  1. pitchers with great stuff. Command and experience level are of lesser importance.

  2. pitchers who have some projection left but don’t meet that requirement.

  3. position players who have the versatility to make the team as the last guy on the bench or MLB level tools that have not developed for one reason or another ( usually injury or late bloomer)

  4. any pitcher that scouts feel can be a solid MLB contributer and they have the ability ( deep bullpen or no chance to compete) to let him sink or swim in the bigs.

47

Probably selective memory on my part, but because the team that picks a guy has to keep him on the 26(?)-man roster all year, I think pitchers tend to be more frequent targets because it’s easier to stash them in the arm barn.

2 Likes
48

I agree. I think it’s much tougher to keep a position player but it has happened.

The Astros lost Arauz to Boston a couple of years ago and he is still there.

49

There are more than just these that 8 players that will need to seriously be considered though.

The Astros have proven that the top 30 prospects aren’t as accurate and indicative of MLB performance as one might think.

50

Thanks, VB. Totally forgot the Angels selected him last year.