The Rule 5 draft is always a big topic for Pittsburgh Pirates fans. Ever since the team lost five players in the first six picks of the 2003 draft, fans have focused on who the Pirates need to protect. The 2011 draft will be the first draft where college players taken in the 2008 draft will be eligible. The Pirates’ approach over the last few years, with their focus on the 2008 draft, and the trades they have made, has created what many have referred to as a roster crunch.
I talked earlier in the season about keeping the roster crunch in perspective. The Pirates aren’t exactly at risk of losing anyone important. Guys like Starling Marte, Justin Wilson, and Rudy Owens will be protected with ease. It’s the guys on the bottom half of the list that raise questions. Guys like Brett Lorin, who posted a 2.84 ERA in high-A this year, might not be candidates to be protected. That’s not horrible. We saw that last year with Nathan Adcock, who was selected by the Kansas City Royals, and stuck on their team all year. The loss of Adcock isn’t a major loss, as he posted a 4.55 ERA in 57.1 innings this year, with a 35:25 K/BB ratio. At best he’s a number five starter, and it’s more likely that he’s a bullpen arm.
Those are the types of guys that are going to be at risk for selection in the 2011 draft, at least out of the Pirates’ system. Some might get selected, such as Adcock last year, and some might get passed over, such as Eric Fryer and Jared Hughes, who are each on the 40-man roster and have each played in Pittsburgh this year.
The following is the complete list of Pittsburgh Pirates players who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The first group of players are first time eligible for the Rule 5 draft in 2011.
Tim Alderson
Calvin Anderson
Fraylin Campos
Michael Colla
Tyler Cox
Emmanuel De Leon
Jeremy Farrell
Zachary Foster
Matt Hague
Andrew Lambo
Quincy Latimore
Brian Leach
Brett Lorin
Starling Marte
Jordy Mercer
Diego Moreno
Rogelio Noris
Rudy Owens
Aaron Pribanic
Jhonatan Ramos
David Rubinstein
Hunter Strickland
Cole White
Justin Wilson
The following players have previously been eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and are eligible again this year. Players in bold are eligible for minor league free agency. If the Pirates re-sign those players, the players will still be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, unless they are signed to a major league deal.
Jose Ascanio
Eric Avila
Brian Bocock
Jesus Brito
Dusty Brown
Brad Chalk
Anthony Claggett
Jeff Clement
Michael Crotta
Michael Dubee
Miles Durham
Nelson Figueroa
Brian Friday
Sean Gallagher
Aaron Heilman
Steven Jackson
Noah Krol
Mike Loree
Jairo Marquez
Andy Marte
Matt McSwain
Miguel Mendez
Dan Meyer
Eliecer Navarro
Anthony Norman
Garrett Olson
Greg Picart
Josh Rodriguez
Yunesky Sanchez
Travis Scott
Brett Sinkbeil
Justin Thomas
Wyatt Toregas
Andy Vasquez
Donnie Veal
Kris Watts
Duke Welker
Corey Wimberly
Tyler Yates
The only significant guys from the second list are Duke Welker and Michael Crotta, although the Pirates have a lot of bullpen depth, and neither guy would be missed that much. Welker’s control was better this year, but he wasn’t throwing in the upper 90s when I saw him at the end of the year, unlike last year. He also didn’t really look like a guy who screamed “future closer”. Crotta has a good sinker ball, but the Pirates have a ton of pitchers like him, and a few of those pitchers are first time eligible this year.
Out of the guys who are eligible, the following are the guys who stand out:
Must Protect – Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Rudy Owens, Justin Wilson
Marte is an obvious choice. There might be some debate on the next three. Mercer led the organization in home runs, and he did it from the shortstop position. Shortstop prospects are rare, and shortstop prospects with power aren’t the type of guys you leave unprotected. Owens had a down year this past year, but you can’t ignore what he did the previous two seasons. Wilson was hitting 99 MPH out of the bullpen in the final months of the season. That’s extremely rare for a left hander.
Good Candidates – Matt Hague, Andrew Lambo, Aaron Pribanic
Hague did well hitting in AAA this year, although he wasn’t exactly in the plans for the 2011 season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Pirates left him unprotected. Lambo has a lot of talent, and is still young, but struggled in his jump to AAA this year, and didn’t rebound in Altoona until the final month of the season. Pribanic had a strong season out of the Altoona rotation, and is almost this year’s version of Michael Crotta – a sinker ball pitcher who profiles as a middle reliever.
On the Fence – Michael Colla, Quincy Latimore, Brett Lorin, Diego Moreno, Tim Alderson, Duke Welker
Colla and Lorin both had good numbers in the AA and high-A rotations, respectively. However, they both profile more as relievers. Latimore probably has the best power in the organization, or at the least, in the upper levels, but doesn’t hit for average and has poor plate patience. Moreno can throw in the upper 90s, but has struggled to make the jump past high-A the last two years. As mentioned earlier, Welker improved his control, but doesn’t stand out as a slam dunk choice. Alderson isn’t really a risk to be claimed after throwing in the mid-80s at the end of the 2011 season. In all of these cases, I wouldn’t be surprised by any decision, whether that was the Pirates protecting some of these players, or exposing them to the Rule 5 draft. If the Pirates have someone selected, this is probably where they will come from.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
A big key in protecting a guy or not is how likely is he to be able to be kept on a 25 man roster and be of at least some use. Pitchers are easier to protect than hitters. Lattimore I would say will not be protected as he would get abused in the majors at this point of his career. That goes few a few other hitters also. As I type this I am thinking of what a worthless piece of garbage Ross Ohlendorf is right now.
Ha! Ross heard me and hits an opposite field HR like he is Albert Pujols. Let’s see if he can m,ake it through the 5th and get a win.
thanks for the writeup, Tim!
once upon a time, I had hoped Donnie Veal might contribute to the Pirates, but given his recent injury history and age that seems unlikely. do you think the Pirates will try to re-sign him (or should they)?
start drawing more walks, start hitting for more power, or improve his defense.
This is my problem, the Pirates have a bunch of players on the MLB roster that have to accomplish the same goals but can’t hit 300 in the process. No guarantee that Hague would hit 300, but no guarantees that he won’t get more walks, play better “D” or hit for more power in the majors either.
pirates may be doing something at 1B next season. maybe they go after someone via trade. maybe they keep Lee. either way, theres a very very good chance that Hague is still with the pirates organization after the rule5
Still can’t figure out why the no love for Hague in this organization, would be shocked if he is left off the 40 man, but then again the Pirates are in the shock business.
It is too bad they can’t make some trades with some of these guys to at least get something for them.
Tim, how many guys from the list do you think the Pirates will lose?
heres the problem making some trades with “these guys”: the other team would have to put them on their 40man roster too. as well as Hague has played over his career, and hes improved nicely, most organizations already have better prospects at 1B that they have to protect.
Hague doesn’t get much love because he’s 26, he’s limited to 1B, and even his better-than-usual 2011 only translates to a .700-ish OPS in the majors.
To carve out a substantial ML role, he needs to start drawing more walks, start hitting for more power, or improve his defense to the point that he’s a plausible option at 3B or in an OF corner.
I thought I seen you write earlier that Ramon Cabrera was eligible. Is he an oversight here or did you find out something that makes him ineligible this season?
Had his birthday wrong in my spreadsheet.
Good to hear. I was worried about the Pirates possibly losing him.
I suspect we’ll have tough Rule 5 decisions every year for the foreseeable future. The organization is deep but much of that depth originates in the middling prospects who might amount to something valuable but probably won’t.