MLB Rule 5 Draft Anticipation: 40-man Roster Additions

Jul 14, 2013; Flushing , NY, USA; USA pitcher

throws a pitch during the 2013 All Star Futures Game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The deadline for adding players to a team’s 40-man roster in order to protect them in the December 12 Rule 5 Draft was last night (midnight, November 20) and there was a flurry of activity by teams looking to protect some of their young talent. We’re going to run it down here by team, but much of this information comes from MLB Trade Rumors and MLB.com. For more information and commentary, visit our sister sites on the FanSided network.

AL East

The Baltimore Orioles protected three players from the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday: left-handed pitcher Tim Berry, righty Eddie Gamboa and catcher Michael Ohlman. Berry, 22, had a strong season in High-A Frederick of the the Carolina League while Ohlman, also 22, led the Carolina League in batting with a .313/.410/.524 line. Gamboa is a 28 year old pitcher who has developed a knuckleball and was very strong in Double-A Bowie but walked 28 in 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A Norfolk.

The Boston Red Sox added three to the 40-man, including two big prospect names. Pitcher Anthony Ranaudo, outfielder Bryce Brentz and third baseman Garin Cecchini. Cecchini and Ranaudo are in the top 100 prospects for MLB.com with Ranaudo impressing in both Double-A and Triple-A while Cecchini combined for an OBP of .443 between High-A and Double-A.

The Yankees added five players as well as acquiring super-utility man Dean Anna from the Padres. Anna had an outstanding season for Triple-A, hitting .331 with a .410 OBP. Added to the 40-man roster were pitchers Jose Campos, Bryan Mitchell and Shane Greene, outfielder Slade Heathcott and catcher Gary Sanchez. Heathcott had a solid season in Double-A while Sanchez had an up-and-down season split between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. Of the three pitchers, Mitchell and Greene both reached Double-A and Greene shows excellent control (walking only 30 in 154 1/3 innings). Campos spent the season in Class-A Charleston posting strong numbers for a 21 year old.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, four players are being added to the roster: righties Jesse Hahn, Kirby Yates, lefty C.J. Riefenhauser and infielder Vince Belnome. 25-year-old Belnome had an outstanding year in Triple-A Durham, posting an OBP over .400 and playing three infield positions. Hahn was outstanding in High-A Charlotte while Riefenhauser and Yates excelled in Triple-A.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, there were only two additions. Deck McGuire, the eleventh overall pick in the 2010 draft, goes on the 40-man after a solid season in Double-A while his New Hampshire teammate, CF Kenny Wilson also grabs a spot. The Blue Jays are sitting at 39 players on the 40-man roster.

AL Central

The White Sox are adding infielder Carlos Sanchez and outfielder Trayce Thompson to the 40-man roster. Thompson appears to be a very good defensive outfielder, splitting time between center and right field in Double-A Birmingham but still has work to do with his bat, hitting .229/.321/.383. He stole 25 bases and hit 15 home runs, showing a lot of potential if he can cut down his strikeouts (139 in 590 PAs).

The Indians added Jesus Aguilar, a hard-hitting first baseman, to their 40-man in addition to pitchers Bryan Price and Austin Adams, infielder Erik Gonzalez and outfielder Carlos Moncrief. Both pitchers had outstanding seasons, striking out gobs of batters.

The Tigers added a grand total of seven players to the 40-man, bringing the total up to 39 (teams must have at least one spot remaining to select players in the Rule 5 Draft so this leaves them able to do so). Three pitchers — lefty Kyle Lobstein and righties Justin Miller and Jose Valdez — were added as well as first baseman Jordan Lennerton (who played for the World team in the MLB Futures Game), shortstop Eugenio Suarez and outfielders Daniel Fields and Steven Moya.

For the Royals, four players were added: outfielder Lane Adams, righty Michael Mariot, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and middle infielder Christian Colon. Colon was strong in Triple-A at the age of 24 while Mariot, who turned 25 last month, had a decent season out of the bullpen for Triple-A Omaha. Both Adams and Cuthbert are considered to be highly rated prospects who both reached Double-A. Cuthbert struggled after a promotion from High-A while Adams still managed to put up good numbers despite a drop of about 30 points to his batting average after his promotion.

The Minnesota Twins protected four players: lefty Logan Darnell, outfielder Max Kepler, middle infielder Jorge Polanco and first baseman Kennys Vargas. Kepler, a 20 year old from Germany, played in the Arizona Fall League after a mediocre first year of full-season ball. Darnell is 24 and reached Triple-A Rochester this season. Polanco is also 20 and had an outstanding year in the Midwest League for Cedar Rapids while Vargas is a 23-year-old, 6’5″ Venezuelan who hit 19 HRs in the Florida State League.

March 28, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop

(8) throws to first against the Miami Marlins during the spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

AL West

The Houston Astros didn’t announce that they were adding any players to the 40-man roster on Wednesday but they did lose three players and claimed Ryan Jackson off waivers from the Cardinals. Jake Elmore was claimed off waivers by the White Sox. John Ely was released and J.D. Martinez was sent to Triple-A outright. Reports are now surfacing that the Astros will add OF Domingo Santana, RHP Asher Wojciechowski and LHP Luis Cruz to their roster.

The Los Angeles Angels only added one player to the 40-man roster: outfielder Randal Grichuk. Grichuk was drafted on spot ahead of Mike Trout and the 22 year old had a good season in Double-A Arkansas, hitting 22 home runs.

Oakland is adding one player to the 40-man in anticipation of the Rule 5 Draft, right-handed pitcher Raul Alcantara. Alcantara was acquired with Josh Reddick in the Andrew Bailey trade and had a very strong season, showing great command by walking only 24 batters in 156 1/3 innings between Class-A and High-A ball.

The Seattle Mariners added four players: outfielder Stefen Romero, reliever Logan Bawcom, outfielder James Jones and first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Romero, 25, impressed in the Arizona Fall League “Fall Stars” game, hitting two opposite field home runs although his lifetime minor league stats don’t reflect that kind of power (only 11 in Triple-A Tacoma last season). Bawcom, also 25, was very strong in relief in Tacoma while Jones, another 25 year old, split the season between Double-A and Triple-A with very solid results. Choi, a 22-year-old Korean, rose from High-A through Double-A to Triple-A, showing outstanding strike-zone control and excellent gap power.

The Rangers are adding three players to the 40-man: right-handed pitchers Lisalverto Bonilla and Ben Rowen and infielder Luis Sardians. MLB.com had the 20-year-old Sardinas rated as the #84 prospect coming into 2013; he played mostly at High-A Myrtle Beach before moving up to Double-AFrisco in the Texas League. Bonilla was outstanding in Frisco but got roughed up when he was exposed to the Pacific Coast League Triple-A competition. Rowen was outstanding at both Double-A and Triple-A levels and, at 25, could find himself competing for a major league job.

NL East

For Atlanta, three were added: lefty Carlos Perez, righty Luis Vasquez and infielder Elmer Reyes. Vasquez was just signed to a minor league contract and had reached Triple-A in the past two seasons with the Dodgers’ organization. Perez, 22, had 13 innings in High-A Lynchburg and Reyes (in addition to some playing time in the Arizona Fall League) had a very solid year in Lynchburg.

The Miami Marlins added six players including four pitcher to the 40-man roster. Right-handed pitchers Michael Brady, Jose Urena and Angel Sanchez were added in addition to lefty Grant Dayton. The two position players were catcher J.T. Realmuto and Brent Keys. Brady, 26, excelled out of the bullpen in Double-A Jacksonville while Urena, 22, was strong in a starting role in High-A Jupiter. Sanchez, 23, reached High-A after starting the season in the Dodgers organization in the Midwest League and Dayton, 25, struck out 56 in 38 innings in his second go-round in Double-A Jacksonville. Realmuto, 22, hasn’t impressed offensively but spent 2013 in Double-A and Keys, 23, dominated the Florida State League with a .418 OBP before earning a late-season callup to Jacksonville.

The Mets added four pitches to their roster: lefty Steven Matz and righties Erik Goeddel, Jeff Walters and Jacob deGrom. Matz is a curious case who was drafted in 2009 but only pitched in 2012 and 2013, racking up just 135 1/3 minor league innings so far. He was outstanding last year in the Sally League (Class-A) striking out over 10 batters per nine innings with a fastball that touches 97 mph. DeGrom is the closest to the majors, reaching Triple-A Las Vegas last year while Goeddel and Walters both spent the season in Double-A Binghamton.

The Phillies are adding catcher Tommy Joseph, lefty Rob Rasmussen and outfielders Aaron Altherr and Kelly Dugan. Joseph had an injury-plagued year, seeing the most time in Triple-A Lehigh Valley while Rasmussen split his season between Double-A and Triple-A, seeing a drop-off from his excellent Double-A stats when he hit the rough Pacific Coast League. Altherr is only 22 and put up very good numbers with the High-A affiliate in Clearwater, Florida while Dugan showed some excellent power, splitting the season between Clearwater and Double-A Reading.

The Washington Nationals added three to the 40-man roster: righty Aaron Barrett, left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis and outfielder Michael Taylor. Barrett, 25, had a very strong year in Double-A Harrisburg last season, striking out 69 in 50 1/3 innings while Solis, also 25, was very strong in High-A Potomac and the Arizona Fall League. Taylor, not to be confused with the Michael Taylor who plays for Oakland, is a 22 year old who posted a strong season repeating High-A Potomac.

NL Central

The Chicago Cubs added a pair of minor leaguers to the 40-man roster: RHP Dallas Beeler and IF Arismendy Alcantara. Beeler, 24, is a big righty who pitched well in an injury shortened season in Double-A and finished off in the Arizona Fall League while Alcantara, one of the team’s top prospects is a 22-year-old Dominican who had a very good year in Double-A, earning Southern League mid-season and post-season All-Star honours.

The Cincinnati Reds add four including catcher Tucker Barnhart, righty Chad Rogers and outfielders Juan Duran and Ryan LaMarre. Barnhart, 22, had a strong year in Double-A Pensacola, Rogers was solid reaching Triple-A Louisville, Duran hit 20 home runs in High-A Bakersfield and LaMarre got himself a cup of coffee in Triple-A.

The Milwaukee Brewers added four to the 40-man roster including two players who played in the Arizona Fall League. First baseman Jason Rogers slugged 22 home runs for Double-A Huntsville while first baseman Hunter Morris bested that number with 24 of his own in Triple-A Nashville. Right-handed starter Brooks Hall had a good season between High-A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville while Kevin Shackelford had an even better season pitching out of the bullpen with the same two clubs.

The Pirates have protected two of their top prospects, Gregory Polanco and Alen Hanson. Hanson got some great reviews in the Arizona Fall League and both are were ranked in the top 100 prospects in the majors before the 2013 season.

The news of Chris Carpenter‘s retirement upstaged the announcement that the St. Louis Cardinals were protecting three players. Top prospect Oscar Taveras, outfielder Mike O’Neill and infielder Greg Garcia were also protected. Taveras, 23, is universally rated as one of the top five prospects in Major League Baseball and excelled at Triple-A despite an ankle injury that kept him out of most of the season. O’Neill, a speedy 25-year-old, has outstanding plate control, striking out only 37 times all season, one of the lowest rates in professional baseball and Garcia, 24, had a .377 OBP in Triple-A playing 2B, SS and 3B (although mostly shortstop) in 2013.

NL West

The Arizona Diamondbacks protected two players before the deadline. Bo Schultz, a 28-year-old righty, had a strong season in Double-A before struggling in the tough environments of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League while 23 year old outfielder Ender Inciarte stole 43 bases for Double-A Mobile in 2013.

The Colorado Rockies have added 20-year-old Jayson Aquino. Aquino might be a bit of a stretch for Rule 5 selection, having only 64 innings in the Sally League last season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers added three pitchers to the 40-man roster: Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia and Jarret Martin, all three of whom pitched for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. Baez, a 25-year-old converted pitcher reached Double-A in his first year on the mound with some very good numbers. Garcia, 23, was outstanding out of the bullpen in Double-A Chattanooga while Martin, a 6’4″, 24-year-old lefty pitched exclusively out of the bullpen after getting promoted to Chattanooga after starting in High-A.

The San Diego Padres have made some room on their roster for three players being protected in the Rule 5 Draft. They added two righties, Keyvius Sampson and Donn Roach, and a lefty, Juan Oramas. All three spent a fair bit of time in San Antonio, playing in the Double-A Texas League. Sampson put up outstanding numbers there before being promoted to Triple-A Tuscon while Oramas played most of his injury-shortened season at the home of the Alamo and Roach was there the entire year.

The San Francisco Giants added four players to the 40-man roster: right-handed pitchers Kendry Flores and Hunter Strickland, third baseman Adam Duvall and center fielder Gary Brown. Strickland, 25, pitched for the High-A San Jose Giants, posting outstanding numbers in limited innings. Duvall, also 25, was solid in Double-A Richmond while Brown (also 25) showed some power in Triple-A Fresno. Flores, the youngest of the group at 21, had an tremendous year in his first full-season with the Augusta Greenjackets in the South Atlantic League.