(Ed Note: Click here for Winston’s coverage of the major league phase of the 2016 MLB Rule 5 Draft, which was published on Thursday, December 8)
We’ve already covered the major league phase of the 2016 Rule 5 Draft on Saturday (see above link!) so here’s a very quick primer on the minor league phase of the same draft (aka the supplemental part of the draft that you don’t hear quite as much about).
Where eligibility for the minor league phase differs (mind you, it’s the same group of players — players signed to their first pro contract at age 19 or older and that have spent four seasons in the minors, or players who signed their first pro contract at age 18 or younger and has spent five seasons in the minors) is that players in this group who were NOT selected to their club’s 40-man roster this offseason are then placed on a minor league roster (Triple-A, Double-A or one of the Class A rosters, each of which also have number limits as to how many players can be protected there). They can only be taken by their selecting club at a higher level than they are protected by their current club. In this phase, clubs can draft players who were protected on teams’ Double-A or Class A rosters and add them to their Triple-A roster if there’s room on them.
Unlike the major league phase, the minor league phase is more of a straight-out purchase. For $24,000 apiece, any player taken in this phase becomes a member of the drafting organization. He doesn’t have to be offered back and he can be assigned to ANY level of the minors to play the following year, as long as there’s room to protect him at the Triple-A level during this offseason.
Got it? Good.
By the way, while their potential major league impact is not as immediate in this phase, there have been many major league players in the last several years who came to their clubs via this phase of the draft (ex: Marlins infielder Justin Bour in 2013 debuted the next spring, while three minor league Rule 5 veterans – pitcher Richard Bleier (LHP, Yankees), catcher Omar Narvaez (C, White Sox) and pitcher Matt Buschmann (RHP, Diamondbacks) – all made their big league debuts this past season, so don’t sleep on some of these guys
Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft – Minor League Phase
Round 1
1. Reds
Jose Adames, RHP, Marlins
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/165 B/T: R/R Age: 23y, 10m
Player Stats
Originally signed by the Marlins in August 2010 out of the Dominican Republic, Adames has posted a combined 3.65 ERA in 126 games, 40 of them starts, over six seasons, striking out 285 batters while walking 166 in 353 innings and limiting opposing hitters to a .262 average. His mid-90s fastball is the eye-catcher here, but he needs to hone his control and command. He was on and off of the DL for most of 2016, going 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA at High A Jupiter (Florida State League).
2. Padres
Trevor Frank, RHP, Indians
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/195 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 5m
Player Stats
Being picked by the Padres marks a homecoming of sorts for the native of El Cajon, a suburb bordering on San Diego, and that clearly appeals to Frank, who quickly posted on his Twitter feed (@TrevorFrank56) “Can’t wait to see what comes next” with his self-proclaimed via hashtag #hometownteam. An eighth-round pick in 2013 out of Cal-Riverside, he spent 2015 and 2016 at High A Lynchburg (Carolina League), posting a 1.59 ERA there in limited innings in ’15 and a 2.47 ERA with 17 saves last summer, striking out 43 while walking 10 in 43 2/3 innings. His career numbers are pretty sweet as well: 7-11 with a 2.43 ERA in 136 games over four seasons, striking out 166 while walking just 26 in 155 1/3 innings and limiting opposing batters to a .212 BAA.
3. Rays
Ty Hensley, RHP, Yankees
Ht/Wt: 6’4″/220 B/T: R/R Age: 23y, 4m
Player Stats
The first-round pick (30th overall) by the Yankees in 2012 after being named Oklahoma’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year has not been able to catch a break when it comes to his health and well-being, so a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered. He’s missed the last two seasons after undergoing not one but two Tommy John surgeries, and lost 2013 after surgery for a hip impingement. He also suffered injuries in late 2014 after having his jaw broken in a fight at a house party (according to published reports, the aggressor was not happy that Hensley didn’t want to share the details of his signing bonus). His very abbreviated career numbers have been impressive when he’s been able to take the mound: 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 games, 14 of them starts, striking out 54 in 42 2/3 innings while walking just 18 and limiting hitters to a .217 BAA.
4. Braves
Cesilio Pimentel, LHP, Pirates
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/185 B/T: L/L Age: 23y, 11m
Player Stats
The southpaw reliever from the Dominican Republic signed with the Pirates in July 2011 and has never posted an ERA over 3.98 in that time, combining for a career 2.96 ERA in 100 games, striking out 243 while walking 81 in 252 innings and limiting opposition to a .214 average. In 2016 at Class A West Virginia (South Atlantic League), he went 2-3 with a 2.65 ERA, fanning 48 while walking 15 in 51 innings.
5. Diamondbacks
Jon Fitzsimmons, RHP, Indians
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/205 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 0m
Player Stats
The Canadian native originally signed with Kansas City as a minor league free agent in July 2013 coming out of Canisius College (NY), but was released after the 2014 season following two forgettable Short-season campaigns at Idaho Falls (Pioneer League). After that, he honed his craft for a summer with the Quebec Capitales of the independent Can-Am Association. Throwing a fastball in the low 90s, a cutter and a changeup, his 1.26 ERA and 13 saves in 25 games there this past summer caught the Indians’ eye and he inked with Cleveland in August, then posted a 3.31 ERA in 10 games at Class A Lake County (Midwest League), where batters hit just .158 against him.
6. Phillies
Jorge Flores, SS, Blue Jays
Ht/Wt: 5’5″/160 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 0m
Player Stats
A 19th-round pick in 2012 out of Central Arizona College, Flores hit a combined .256 in 470 games in the Jays’ organization over five pro seasons. He’s had a taste of some good competition, having split 2016 between High-A Dunedin (Florida State League) and Double-A New Hampshire (Eastern League) as well as having played for Hermosillo in his home country of Mexico for the past three winters.
7. Brewers
Art Charles, 1B, Reds
Ht/Wt: 6’6″/220 B/T: L/L Age: 26y, 0m
Player Stats
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the 20th round of 2010, the 6-foot-6 lefty combined to hit .236 with 66 homers and 279 RBIs in six minor league seasons with the Jays and the Phillies, getting as high as Double-A. The power was always there, as he connected for 11 homers, 72 RBIs and 34 doubles at Class A Lakewood (South Atlantic League) in 2013 and 19 homers at High-A Clearwater (Florida State League) in ’14, but it wasn’t until he was released and landed with New Jersey of the independent Can-Am Association in 2016 that he really put it together, hitting .352 with 29 homers and 101 RBIs to earn Baseball America’s Indy Ball Player of the Year honors, earning the league’s Triple Crown and MVP awards. He was inked by Cincinnati in October, but clearly had also caught the eye of the Brewers.
8. Angels
Matt Williams, INF, Cardinals
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/170 B/T: R/R Age: 27y, 3m
Player Stats
A 15th-rounder in 2011 out of Liberty University, Williams has hit .260 over six pro seasons and batted .263 with one homer and 35 RBIs at Triple-A Memphis (Pacific Coast League) last summer, stealing 11 bases. He had back-to-back 20-steal seasons earlier in his career but speed is not really part of his package. The Angels like his versatility in the infield, where he can play second, third and shortstop.
9. Rockies
Anthony Bemboom, C, Angels
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/195 B/T: L/R Age: 26y, 10m
Player Stats
If Bemboom’s name is familiar, you may be a fan of the longtime off-season feature “Moniker Madness” at MLB.com, where he finished 13th in 2013 (the famous “Sicnarf Loopstok” rout year) and 26th in 2014. A 22nd-round pick in 2012 by the Angels out of Creighton, he’s hit .233 over five pro seasons and batted .222 last summer in 72 games between Double-A Arkansas (Texas) and Triple-A Salt Lake City (Pacific Coast League).
10. Marlins
Cal Towey, OF, Angels
Ht/Wt: 6’1″/215 B/T: L/R Age: 26y, 10m
Player Stats
Drafted in the 17th round of 2013 out of Baylor, Towey has hit .267 over four combined seasons with 33 homers in that span. Like Bemboom, taken with the previous pick in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, he split his 2016 campaign between Arkansas (Texas League) and Salt Lake (Pacific Coast League), hitting .264 with a career-high 13 homers along with 49 RBIs in 135 games. The Seattle-area native was a standout shortstop in high school and, after the Angels made a brief effort to convert him to catcher, he moved to right field professionally.
11. Royals
Kelvin Magallanes, RHP, Yankees
Ht/Wt: 6’1″/201 B/T: R/R Age: 22y, 4m
Player Stats
The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic was signed by the Yankees in January of 2012 but has yet to rise past the Rookie Gulf Coast League, plagued by command issues. In five seasons, he’s gone 1-13 with a 6.89 ERA, limiting opposing batters to a .248 average and striking out 127 in 160 2/3 innings while walking 144. His 2016 campaign in the GCL, though, marked the first year he struck out more than he walked, going 0-4 with a 6.42 ERA in 11 games, striking out 27 and walking 18 in 33 2/3 innings.
12. Astros
Eduardo de Oleo, C, Diamondbacks
Ht/Wt: 5’10″/180 B/T: R/R Age: 23y, 10m
Player Stats
This marks the second year in a row that de Oleo was taken in the minor league phase of the draft, as Arizona took him from the Yankees a year ago. He’s hit a combined .238 over six seasons, very briefly reaching Double-A Mobile (Southern League) for two games in 2016, but hit a combined .261 last summer in an injury-interrupted season. When healthy, he brings a mix of a strong arm, good defense and the kind of intangibles you like to see behind the plate.
13. Yankees
Jorge Saez, C, Blue Jays
Ht/Wt: 5’10″/195 B/T: R/R Age: 26y, 3m
Player Stats
A 32nd-round pick in 2012 out of Lee University in Tennessee, the Miami native has hit a combined .234 over five pro seasons. He split the 2016 campaign between High A Dunedin (Florida State League) and Double-A New Hampshire (Eastern League), combining to hit .260 with a career-best 12 homers and 32 RBIs.
14. Mariners
Paul Paez, LHP, Mets
Ht/Wt: 5’7″/210 B/T: L/L Age: 24y, 7m
Player Stats
Paez was originally a 38th-round pick of the Mets in 2013 out of Rio Hondo College (Whittier, CA), and has posted a combined 12-7 record and 3.29 ERA over four pro seasons, striking out 143 while walking 40 in 164 1/3 innings. Between High A St. Lucie (Florida State League) and Double-A Binghamton (Eastern League) in 2016, he went 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA, striking out 55 in 55 2/3 innings.
15. Cardinals
Austin Wilson, OF, Mariners
Ht/Wt: 6’4/250 B/T: R/R Age: 24y, 10m
Player Stats
It took a while but the Cardinals finally got their man, just maybe not in the way anyone had expected. One of the most intriguing picks of the day, Wilson was a second-round pick of the Mariners back in 2013 out of Stanford University. At the time, he’d had to choose between going to play baseball at one of the best (if not THE best) programs in the country for players who have the baseball skills and the smarts and signing out of high school (Los Angeles’ Harvard-Westlake) with the Cardinals, who had taken him in the 12th round (it was only signability questions that saw him drop that low). Considered a legit potential five-tool prospect, has hit a combined .249 with 42 homers and 179 RBIs over four pro seasons since then, his first season shortened by elbow trouble. He spent the past two seasons at High-A Bakersfield (California League), and gave the home fans who were about to lose their long-time summer home (Bakersfield was contracted when the California League eliminated two clubs and the Carolina League added two new teams for 2017) something to cheer for in the final homestand: He earned California League Player of the Week honors in the final week of 2016 with his first career multi-homer game. If he can cut down on his strikeouts, the change of scenery and fresh start could make Wilson a guy to definitely keep an eye on.
16. Tigers
Sean Donatello, RHP, Marlins
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/205 B/T: R/R Age: 26y, 3m
Player Stats
The former 25th-round pick in 2011 by the Marlins drafted out of the University of Connecticut-Avery Point, Donatello has combined for a 14-15 record and 3.64 ERA with 40 saves in 184 games over six pro seasons, limiting opposing hitters to a .259 average and walking just 74 batters while fanning 209 in 264 1/3 innings. A career reliever, he was on the DL for part of 2015 with tendinitis in his pitching arm, but he still earned Southern League All-Star props that season. Last summer he went 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA at Double-A Jacksonville (Southern League), notching seven saves in 46 outings.
17. Orioles
Jefri Hernandez, RHP, Reds
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/210 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 7m
Player Stats
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2007 by the Colorado Rockies, Hernandez has thrown all of his pro pitches to this point as either a Rockie or a Texas Ranger farmhand, having signed with the latter as a free agent in 2015. Over those eight pro seasons (including a 2013 that was mostly lost to elbow trouble), he combined to go 18-13 with a 3.61 ERA in 215 games, striking out 261 and walking 121 in 333 2/3 innings. He finished 2016 strong with a 2.63 ERA in his final month at Double-A Frisco (Texas League) and signed with Cincinnati as a minor league free agent just a few weeks before the Rule 5 Draft.
18. Blue Jays
Philip Walby, RHP, Nationals
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/190 B/T: L/R Age: 24y, 4m
Player Stats
A 12th-round pick in 2013 by the New York Yankees out of San Diego State University, Walby spent most of his career with the Yankees before being released at the end of last May, signing with the Nationals just two days later. Overall, he’s combined for a 10-7 record and 3.66 ERA in 123 pro games, striking out 183 batters in 174 2/3 innings while allowing 151 hits and limiting batters to a .230 average. In his third go-round with High A Tampa (Florida State) in ’16, he was 0-1 with a 3.86 in 12 games before his release, then posted a 2-0 record and 3.24 ERA at Class A Hagerstown (South Atlantic) after inking with the Nats. Between those two stops, he had a 3.50 ERA in 36 outings.
19. Dodgers
Edward Paredes, LHP, Tigers
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/180 B/T: L/L Age: 30y, 2m
Player Stats
Paredes, now 30 years old, could be a sleeper here. Originally signed by Seattle back in May 2005 out of the Dominican Republic, he’s combined for a non-eye-popping 4.50 career ERA in eight seasons of affiliated baseball (with the Mariners, Indians and Angels) but there’s more here than pops the eye. Paredes was able to continue his career by pitching for the independent York Revolution in the Atlantic League in 2013, 2014 and 2015, combining to go 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA and striking out 152 batters in 141 innings in that span, allowing 118 hits and walking 56. He signed with the Angels after that and had by far his best pro season in 2016, going 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA in 46 games at Double-A Arkansas (Texas League), striking out 53 batters in 43 2/3 innings, walking 21 and allowing just 25 hits for a .167 average against. That season came after a winter ball campaign in Escogido of the Dominican Winter League where he posted an 0.57 ERA in 23 games.
20. Red Sox
Harrison Cooney, RHP, Angels
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/175 B/T: R/R Age: 24y, 8m
Player Stats
A sixth-round pick in 2013 by the Angels out of Florida Gulf Coast University, Cooney has gone 11-26 with a 4.84 ERA over four pro seasons, striking out 215 and walking 126 in 301 innings while allowing 315 hits. After going 1-16 with a 6.61 ERA between High-A Inland Empire (California League) and Double-A Arkansas (Texas League) in 2015, he spent most of 2016 on the DL.
21. Rangers
Matthew Smoral, LHP, Blue Jays
Ht/Wt: 6’8″/220 B/T: L/L Age: 22y, 8m
Player Stats
Smoral was a supplemental first-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2012 (50th overall) out of high school in Solon, Ohio, getting a $2 million signing bonus to lure him away from college, but injuries have slowed his expected ascent to the point that he has yet to play more than three innings above Short-season ball. Overall, he has combined in four pro seasons (he made his debut in 2013 in the Gulf Coast League) for a 5.91 ERA in 106 2/3 innings and has thrown just 27 innings over the last two seasons. The injuries have been varied, including a frightening episode when he was hit in the head by a come-back shot in 2015.
22. Cubs
Kevin Cornelius, INF, Yankees
Ht/Wt: 6’1″/180 B/T: R/R Age: 24y, 3m
Player Stats
A 31st-round pick by the Yankees in 2013 out of Grayson County College (Texas), Cornelius has combined to hit .296 over four pro seasons, batting .299 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs and 14 doubles in 56 games between Rookie-level Pulaski (Appalachian League) and High-A Tampa (Florida State League) last season. He has seen time at all four infield positions over the course of his pro career.
Round 2
23. Rays
Jairo Munoz, RHP, Phillies
Ht/Wt: 6’5″/175 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 3m
Player Stats
If you’ve been scanning over this package and have been maybe looking for a few “deep minor league sleepers” that you can really root for this coming season, look no further. We’ve got your man right here. Originally signed by the Kansas City Royals out of the Dominican Republic in March 2011, the right-hander has combined for a 9-3 record over six pro seasons, posting a 3.26 ERA in 62 games and striking out 98 in 107 2/3 innings, walking 39 and limiting opposing hitters to a .242 BAA. He was released by the Royals after four summers of Short-season ball before inking with the Phillies prior to 2015 and after going 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in 24 games at four levels in 2015, limiting batters to a .198 BAA. He missed all but nine innings of 2016 due to an elbow injury which, though first feared to require Tommy John surgery, turned out to be a strain. But his story is so much more than that, so here we’re sharing a few great articles that have run online from the great folks who cover the Phillies. Definitely do yourself a favor, sit back, and read … First, this three-part series that ran at Philly.com (the link is to Part 1 but it should connect you to Parts 2 and 3). Then, read THIS link with the follow-up on his 2016 campaign thanks to writer Mike Sielsk. So, can we agree that we ALL know who we are rooting for this season?
24. Diamondbacks
Grant Sides, RHP, Indians
Ht/Wt: 6’4″/215 B/T: R/R Age: 27y, 5m
Player Stats
Originally a 12th-round pick in 2011 by the Indians out of Samford University, Sides has combined for a 14-11 record and 3.28 ERA in 216 games, all relief, over six pro seasons, striking out 333 in 310 innings and allowing just 237 hits, holding hitters to a .213 average. He’s collected 30 saves in that time but has never been a team’s closer. He was a mid-season Eastern League All-Star at Double-A Akron (Eastern League) this past summer, going 2-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 42 games for the RubberDucks and holding batters to a .190 BAA.
25. Brewers
Matt Ramsey, RHP, Marlins
Ht/Wt: 5’11″/205 B/T: R/R Age: 27y, 2m
Player Stats
A 19th-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2011 draft out of the University of Tennessee, Ramsey’s numbers have been consistently impressive when he’s been healthy – 7-6 with a 2.06 ERA in 103 games over five pro seasons, striking out 176 while walking 66 in 148 1/3 innings and limiting hitters to a .212 BAA – but sadly that has been way too infrequent. An outfielder/catcher/closer for the Vols in college, he underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted and did not make his pro debut until 2012, when he went 2-1 with a 1.98 in 13 innings in the Rookie Gulf Coast League. Traded cross-state to the Marlins in July 2014 for three international bonus slots, he suffered back trouble in 2015. In 2016, he pitched in just 16 games at three levels, combining for a 1.99 ERA in 22 2/3 innings, walking nine and fanning 29 to limit hitters to a .192 BAA.
26. Angels
Adrian Almeida, LHP, Mets
Ht/Wt: 6’0/160 B/T: L/L Age: 21y, 9m
Player Stats
The southpaw signed with the Mets out of Venezuela in January of 2012 and combined for an 8-13 record and 3.65 ERA in 64 games over five pro seasons, never rising above short-season play. Overall he struck out 167 batters in 160 1/3 innings, allowing just 129 hits for a .226 average against while walking 108, but in 2016 he combined between Short-season Brooklyn (New York-Penn League) and rookie-level Kingsport (Appalachian League) for an 0-4 record and 5.92 ERA in just 23 1/3 innings.
27. Marlins
Nick Maronde, LHP, Indians
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/210 B/T: S/R Age: 27y, 3m
Player Stats
A third-round pick in 2011 by the Angels out of Florida, Maronde is one of the few players from this phase to bring some major league experience to the package. He was called up by the Angels a year after being drafted and saw time up in 2012, 2013 and 2014, combining for a 7.13 ERA in 33 games during that span. In his six seasons in the minors, he combined to go 13-20 with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 384 batters in 383 1/3 innings while walking just 156. Traded to the Indians for a player to be named later in July of 2014, after being designated for assignment by the Angels, he comes off of a 2016 campaign where he combined for a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings between Double-A Akron (Eastern League) and Triple-A Columbus (International). Maybe, though, the most interesting entry in Maronde’s resume is that he played for New Zealand (where he lived for a long time growing up) in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers for both the 2013 and 2017 games.
28. Astros
Jared Mortensen, Rays
Ht/Wt: 5’11″/205 B/T: L/R Age: 28y, 6m
Player Stats
The Canadian-born Mortensen got his affiliated feet wet when he signed as a minor league free agent with the Rays in August 2013, after having done his college pitching at Louisiana State University at Shreveport and then pitching for independent Grand Prairie in the American Association. In those four seasons, he combined to go 25-14 with a 4.19 ERA in 83 games, striking out 284 in 302 2/3 innings and walking 140 while allowing 262 hits for a .234 BAA. But those numbers also include a full season, 2016, as a knuckleballer (he committed to it full-on in ’16). That summer he went 7-7 with a 5.23 ERA at Double-A Montgomery (Southern League) where he fanned 86 but, not surprisingly, also walked 56 in 72 1/3 innings. Like Maronde, the player selected before him on Thursday, he’s also gotten a taste of international competition as a member of Team Canada.
29. Yankees
Colten Brewer, RHP, Pirates
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/225 B/T: R/R Age: 24y, 1m
Player Stats
Brewer was originally drafted in the fourth round of 2011 by the Pirates out of high school in Canton, Texas. Brewer’s fastball is clocked in the middle 90s but an array of back and leg injuries coupled with other issues have kept him off the mound as often as on it. He did not pitch at all in 2014 and missed time in 2016 as he landed on the “temporarily inactive” list due to some off-field issues as well. Overall, in the five combined seasons where he did pitch, he went 11-19 with a 4.38 ERA, striking out 189 batters while walking just 78 in 228 1/3 innings. In 2016, he was 3-7 with a 4.09 ERA for High A Bradenton (Florida StateLeague).
30. Mariners
Chuck Taylor, OF, Diamondbacks
Ht/Wt: 5’9″/190 B/T: S/L Age: 23y, 2m
Player Stats
Let’s get this pun out of the way first: If, conversely, Taylor makes it to the big leagues, he’s a shoo-in for an athletic footwear endorsement deal! All righty, then. The fourth-rounder from 2012 out of high school in Texas has the tools to actually do it, too. A switch-hitter, he has combined to hit .268 in 425 games over five pro seasons, and combined between High A Visalia (California League) and Double-A Mobile (Southern League) to hit .261 in 2016 with 11 doubles, four homers and 30 RBIs and a .354 OBA. Just 5-foot-9, Taylor is known for his excellent plate discipline, and he can play some defense.
31. Tigers
Elvis Rubio, OF, Brewers
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/215 B/T: R/R Age: 22y, 5m
Player Stats
The Dominican-born Rubio signed with the Brewers back in February of 2011 and has played all six of his pro seasons with Milwaukee until now, combining to hit .237. In 2016, he hit .223 between Class A Wisconsin (Midwest League) and High A Brevard County (Florida State League) with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 125 games.
32. Orioles
Brian Moran, LHP, Braves
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/210 B/T: L/L Age: 28y, 2m
Player Stats
This is not Moran’s first time at the Rule 5 rodeo. Far from it. The nephew of former Oriole B.J. Surhoff and originally a seventh-round pick out of North Carolina in 2009 by the Mariners, was taken in the major league phase of the 2013 Rule 5 Draft by Toronto and immediately swapped in a pre-arranged deal to the Angels, but he eventually returned to Seattle in the fall of 2014 after missing the entire season following Tommy John surgery. He put up good numbers that summer, posting a 3.24 ERA in 27 games between High-A Bakersfield (California League) and Double-A Jackson (Texas League) but was taken by Cleveland in the minor league phase of the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. The Indians released Moran at the end of 2016 spring training and he kept sharp playing with the independent Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League (not far from his home in Rye, New York) before signing a free agent contract with Atlanta in August, with whom he appeared in six games at Triple-A Gwinnett (International League). So, between all those moves, Moran has combined over seven pro seasons (not counting 2014) to go 20-18 with a 3.11 ERA, striking out 369 in 326 2/3 innings and walking just 96 while allowing 298 hits for a .245 BAA. And yes, there will be a test on this.
33. Dodgers
Kyle Grana, RHP, Cardinals
Ht/Wt: 6’4″/245 B/T: R/R Age: 25y, 7m
Player Stats
By most reports (what you can find, at least, which isn’t a lot), Grana is apparently considered one step short of qualifying for Social Security at the ripe old age of 25. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Bellarmine University in June 2013, in the four seasons since then, has basically done nothing but get people out: 12-5 with a 1.66 ERA in 146 games with 42 saves in 48 opportunities, striking out 227 and walking just 81 in 178 2/3 innings, scattering 121 hits and limiting opposing batters to a .192 BAA. A Midwest League All-Star in 2015 when he posted an 0.78 ERA with 24 saves in 54 games at Class A Peoria, he “struggled” (for him) at High A Palm Beach in 2016 with a stratospheric 3.12 ERA, fanning 63 in 53 2/3 innings. In four minor league seasons, armed with a fastball that has been clocked in the mid-to-upper 90s, Grana has given up two home runs. Count ‘em. Two. So, in a nutshell, if he can overcome the stigma of his age and draft status and continue to do what he has been doing with his new club, we are NOT writing this grandpa off just yet.
34. Red Sox
Josh Smith, LHP, Pirates
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/200 B/T: L/L Age: 27y, 2m
Player Stats
Not to be confused with any of the other pitchers named Josh Smith (not the one with the Reds this season, and not the one in the Arizona system), this southpaw was originally drafted in the 25th round of 2012 by the Pirates out of Wichita State. Over five pro seasons he’s combined to go 11-12 with a 4.73 ERA in 153 games, striking out 191 in 222 2/3 innings and walking 115 while giving up 216 hits for a .257 BAA. In 2016, he split the season between Double-A Altoona (Eastern League) and Triple-A Indianapolis (International League), going 2-4 with a 6.54 ERA in 49 games, striking out 68 in 64 2/3 innings.
35. Rangers
Zack Bird, RHP, Braves
Ht/Wt: 6’4:”/205 B/T: R/R Age: 22y, 4m
Player Stats
With the last pick in Round 2 of the minor =league phase, the Rangers scooped up Bird, originally a ninth-round pick in 2012 by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school in Jackson, Miss. Just 22, he’s posted a 20-39 record over five pro seasons with a 5.21 ERA, striking out 387 batters in 411 1/3 innings. He was part of an eight-player deal between the Dodgers and the Braves back on July 30, 2015, which brought him into the Atlanta system.
Round 3
36. Diamondbacks
Daniel Lockhart, 2B, Cubs
Ht/Wt: 5’11/175 B/T: L/R Age: 24y, 1m
Player Stats
A 10th round pick in 2011 by the Cubs out of Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia, he is the son of former MLB infielder Keith Lockhart. Lockhart has combined to hit .251 over six pro seasons, and split 2016 between High A Myrtle Beach (Carolina League) and Double-A Tennessee (Southern League) to bat .226 in 89 games.
37. Angels
Mario Sanjur, C, Tigers
Ht/Wt: 5’7’/174 B/T: R/R Age: 20y, 11m
Player Stats
Sanjur, from Chiriqui, Panama, originally signed with the Tigers in November 2012 and since then has hit a combined .215 in 152 games over four pro seasons, all at the short-season level (Venezuelan Summer League, Dominican Summer League, Gulf Coast League and, most recently, the New York-Penn League). The Angels like his defensive potential.
38. Marlins
Alex Yarbrough, 2B, Angels
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/200 B/T: S/R Age: 25y, 4m
Player Stats
A fourth-round pick in 2012 by the Angels out of the University of Mississippi where he was a College All-American, the switch-hitting infielder is known for his defense, but he’s also combined to hit .276 over five pro seasons and was invited to spring training by the Angels for all four subsequent seasons, so he’s gotten that little taste of big league life. In 2016, he combined between Double-A Arkansas (Texas League) and Triple-A Salt Lake City (Pacific Coast League) to hit .265 with four homers, 55 RBIs and 33 doubles along with 11 steals. A league All-Star in his respective circuits in 2013 (California League) and 2014 (Texas League), he enjoyed his best season in 2013 when he hit .313 with 11 homers, 80 RBIs, 32 doubles and 10 triples with High-A Inland Empire (California League). In 2014, he was Arkansas’ Player of the Year, hitting .285 with five homers and 77 RBIs.
39. Rangers
Fernando Miranda, RHP, Braves
Ht/Wt: 5’11″/180 B/T: R/R Age: 22y, 3m
Player Stats
Injuries have kept Miranda on the sidelines for much of his career and he rose above Class A Rome only when shifted to play for the Triple-A Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League (which, yes, is an official Triple-A league) last summer, where he was 7-7 with a 4.87 ERA. Overall, in four pro seasons, the 5-foot-11 180-pounder combined to go 14-11 with a 4.24 ERA, limiting hitters to a .235 average in 159 1/3 innings as he allowed 141 hits and walked 63 while fanning 154. He had spent virtually all of the 2015 season on the 60-day DL, appearing in just 10 games that summer.
