Now that we're past the unofficial halfway point of the season, it's time to look back at the Rule 5 draft and see how the 18 players taken are working out this season. Given that a good chunk of the fanbase went "huh, that guy?" when the Tigers selected Victor Reyes first overall, are there any obvious hindsight choices that they should have gone for, given the results of this season so far? To do this, I compiled a list of all 18 draft picks, where they currently are, and the MLB stats for those that have stuck it out to this point (all stats and WAR via Baseball-Reference); there are only seven players currently on a major-league roster or the disabled list.
Draft Pick |
Player Name |
Position |
Picking Org |
Original Org |
Current Status |
1 |
OF |
Tigers |
MLB with Tigers |
||
2 |
RHP |
60-Day DL with Giants |
|||
3 |
RHP |
60-day DL with Phillies |
|||
4 |
OF |
Phillies |
Traded to Rangers, MLB |
||
5 |
RHP |
Diamondbacks |
Traded to Royals, MLB |
||
6 |
RHP |
Traded to Royals, MLB |
|||
7 |
RHP |
Returned |
|||
8 |
RHP |
Returned |
|||
9 |
Nestor Cortes |
LHP |
Yankees |
Returned |
|
10 |
RHP |
MLB with Marlins |
|||
11 |
1B |
Yankees |
Returned |
||
12 |
RHP |
Twins |
Returned |
||
13 |
RHP |
Twins |
Marlins |
Returned |
|
14 |
RHP |
Diamondbacks |
Giants |
Minors with Diamondbacks |
|
15 |
LHP |
Astros |
Rangers |
Returned |
|
16 |
RHP |
Orioles |
10-Day DL with Orioles |
||
17 |
RHP |
Marlins |
A's |
MLB with Marlins |
|
18 |
RHP |
Orioles |
Yankees |
Returned |
To mix it up a bit, here's a list of those seven players and what they've managed to accomplish this season.
- Victor Reyes, OF, Tigers - Victor has had incredibly limited playing time in the first half, and for a few months was basically the designated pinch-runner for Victor Martinez. He's come on a bit with increased playing time, but for the season is slashing .221/.229/.513 with an OPS+ of 39, 5 stolen bases, and a WAR of -0.4. Hasn't exactly lit the world on fire in his 95 at-bats (small sample size!)
- Carlos Tocci, OF, Rangers - Carlos' 38 at-bats make Reyes look like a regular, and he's slashed a paltry .105/.209/.367 for an OPS+ of 0. Yep, zero. He's worth -0.6 WAR.
-
Brad Keller, RHP, Royals - Brad has done the best of the bunch, starting a few games for the Royals to the tune of 3.13 ERA, 1.374 WHIP, 3.55 FIP, and 1.7 WAR over 63.1 innings. However, he's only struck out 36 and has walked 27, but limiting the homers (one total) is keeping him productive.
-
Burch Smith, RHP, Royals - Unlike his teammate Keller, Burch has had a pretty rough go so far. He's appeared in 26 games, starting two, and has a line of 5.98 ERA, 1.603 WHIP, 5.42 FIP, and -0.3 WAR over 43.2 inninngs. He's striking out far more than Keller, but nine home runs will kill any pitcher's line.
- Elieser Hernandez, RHP, Marlins - Woof. 6.14 ERA, 1.568 WHIP, seven home runs, and only 27 strikeouts through 44 innings (five starts). Moving on.
- Pedro Araujo, RHP, Orioles - Another victim of smaller sample size, this guy really seems to represent the Orioles' struggles this season. 7.71 ERA, 1.679 WHIP, 7.40 FIP, -0.5 WAR, and 29 strikeouts in 28 innings. Oh, and don't forget the insane nine home runs given up in those 28 innings.
- Brett Graves, RHP, Marlins - Graves only has 7.1 IP on the season, sporting a 7.36 ERA, 1.773 WHIP, only three strikeouts, and -0.2 WAR.