As most of you know by now, I am not a big fan of the Rule 5 Draft. It just might be the single most irrelevant event in all of sports and yes, I am aware that Johan Santana was once a Rule 5 Draftee. Over the years, the Giants have been reasonably active in the Rule 5 Draft. I can't recall one draftee who ever made a significant impact on the organization. With that out of the way, let's go ahead and take a look at the players who won't likely make an impact this year. The Giants selected Dedniel Nunez RHP from the Mets in the major league phase and made 3 selections in the minor league phase. On the other side of the coin, they lost just one player, Jalen Miller, in the minor league phase. Miller's path to the major leagues stalled out long ago so his exit from the organization should have close to zero impact. Here is the breakdown for the Giants acquisitions:
Dedniel Nunez RHP. DOB: 6/5/1996. 6'2", 180 lbs.
2019(A/A+): 5-4, 4.39, 80.0 IP, 94 K, 23 BB. Nunez has been a SP in the minors with a 3-pitch mix of a low-mid 90's FB, slurvy curveball and a changeup. He reportedly had his FB up to 97 in fall instructional league prompting the Giants to think he could be a reliever at the MLB level now. As with all Rule 5 draftees in the major league phase, Nunez will have to stick on the active roster all season or be offered back to the Mets for $50 K.
Vince Fernandez OF. DOB: 7/25/1995. B-L, T-R. 6'3", 210 lbs.
2019(AA): .257/.346/.543, 15 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 10.6 BB%, 32.7 K%, 263 PA. I scouted Fernandez before the 2016 draft out of UC Riverside and liked his college numbers. He ended up going in round 10 to the Rockies. As you can see from his line, he is a 3-true outcomes guy who is the latest to have an outside shot at turning into the Giants version of Max Muncy. He does not have a great fielding reputation but will have an easier path to the majors if the NL permanently adopts the DH which may not happen in 2021 but seems to be eventually inevitable. Minor league phase Rule 5 Draftees can be placed anywhere without being offered back, but Fernandez will likely start out in AAA.
Ronnie Williams RHP. DOB: 1/6/1996. 6'0", 1709 lbs.
2019(A+): 3-2, 3.70, 24.1 IP, 8.14 K/9, 2.96 BB/9, 1 Save. 2019(AA): 2-3, 4.24, 34.0 IP, 9.53 K/9, 5.56 BB/9, 1 Save.
Last scouting report I could find was in Fangraphs from 2017. FB 88-93, potential plus changeup, average curveball. Probably an organizational arm.
Mitchell Tolman 2B. DOB: 6/8/1994. B-L, T-R. 5'10", 195 lbs.
2019(AA): .254/.340/.344, 18 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 10 SB, 10.2 BB%, 21.7 K%, 461 PA. 2019(AAA): .273/.368/.576, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 13.2 BB%, 18/4 K%, 38 PA.
Probably an organizational player but intriguing plate discipline, a little speed and a smidgen of AAA experience. Can the Giants development gurus unlock some power?
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There was a fairly dramatic announcement of a reshuffling of the lower minor leagues. The Giants retain their affiliation(I think they actually own the team) with the San Jose Giants, but the Cal League is downgraded to low A. The Northwest League gets a big upgrade from Short Season A to A+ with the Giants affiliate moving from Salem-Keizer to Eugene. The Eugene Emeralds have historic ties to the Giants and have state of the art facilities funded by Nike.
As far as I can tell from an mlb.com list, the only Rule 5 player who ever actually stuck with the Giants was Max Venable. That was in 1978, forty-two years ago.
ReplyDeleteEugenio Velez was a minor league rule 5 player
ReplyDeleteI am sad to the SK Volcanoes go. They have been a loyal affiliate of the Giants since 1997 (I believe). We drove down from the Seattle area to SK a few times and always had a great time at the games. My kids helped the mascot sing "take me out the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch, one caught a foul ball, and we all had fun. They did minor league baseball the right way. Unfortunately, the stadium was old and right next I5. The attendance was dwindling. Eugene has a nice new stadium. I am glad that the PNW league is surviving. I can drive up to Everett to see them take on Eugene next year.
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