Pitchers once again dominated the big league phase of the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings, with 11 out of 15 unprotected players selected on Wednesday.
The Chicago White Sox, who suffered a 121-loss season, had the first pick and chose 24-year-old right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers’ system. Smith, originally an undrafted free agent from Wake Forest, was signed by Milwaukee in July 2021. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound pitcher has compiled a record of 13-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 157 innings, spanning 19 starts and 54 relief appearances in three minor league seasons.
A total of 14 teams made selections in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, which involves players left off 40-man rosters after several years in the minors. Notably, the Atlanta Braves made two selections after going without a pick since 2017. Atlanta selected right-hander Anderson Pilar from the Miami Marlins with the 11th pick, followed by infielder Christian Cairo from the Cleveland Guardians with the 15th pick. Pilar, 26, was originally signed as a minor league free agent by the Colorado Rockies in 2015 and has made 213 minor league appearances, including 17 starts, with a record of 28-20 and a 2.86 ERA.
Teams are required to pay $100,000 to select a player in the major league portion of the draft. Selected players must remain on the big league roster for the entire upcoming season or be placed on waivers and offered back to their original team for $50,000.
Among the 10 players selected in last December’s Rule 5 draft, six remained with their respective teams, including five right-handed pitchers. Notably, the Minnesota Twins selected right-hander Eiberson Castellano with the ninth pick. Castellano, the current minor league pitcher of the year in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, split last season between High-A and Double-A, finishing with a 6-5 record and a 3.99 ERA over 103 2/3 innings, striking out 136 batters while walking 29. The Phillies also made a selection, picking right-hander Mike Vasil from the New York Mets organization with the 14th pick.
Two of the four position players selected came from the Detroit Tigers organization: catcher Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman. Miami, drafting second after Colorado opted not to select, chose Hicks, while Workman was picked by the Chicago Cubs with the 10th selection.
Related topics
