Minor League Rule 5 Draft Day Post

 OK, baseball fans.   Today's the big day>  It's...drum roll please...the Minor League Rule 5 Draft (crowd goes wild).  The first draft for the Cleveland Guardians!!!

UPDATE: 2021 RULE 5 MINOR LEAGUE DRAFT RESULTS AND ANALYSIS:

Total players selected: 50 (most in at least the last 10 years)

Guardians players lost: RHP Dakody Clemmer, AA Reliever (Nationals)

Guardians players gained:  Erik Sabrowski, LHP (taken from Padres); Brett Daniels, RHP (Astros)

Instant Analysis:  The Indians lost an intriguing RHP in Dakody Clemmer who was developing slowly into a ML relief prospect.   They got back 2 pitchers.  Erk Sabrowski and Brett Daniels.   Clemmer was drafted in 2016 and so this was his 3rd Rule 5 draft and after 2022, will be able to be a 6-year free agent.  Sabrowski and Daniels, on the other hand, were both drafted in 2018, meaning this was their first Rule 5 draft and won't be eligible for minor league free agency until after the 2024 season.  While I love Clemmer we have a lot of minor league relievers like him.   Looking back over the years I would rate Clemmer as one of the best players we have lost in the minor league Rule 5 in the last 10 years.

Both Sabrowski and Daniels strike out more than a batter an inning and each have, in their own way, some upside which can more adequately be developed if they stay in the organization through their entire first 6+ years.  

The drafting of 50 players in this draft is not surprising to me as, just like in the ML Rule 5 draft, there was a surplus of prospects whose advancement was hindered by no 2020 season.   I am not exactly sure how the reduction in teams in the minors this year impacted this draft but my kneejerk feeling is that it had no impact as teams only would have cut players who would not have been drafted in this draft.  One way the reduction in teams may have helped there be more players drafted this year is that the reduction in teams forced organizations (including the Indians) to push their prospects up to higher levels which may have given other organizations a better idea of how players projected.

The good news for the Indians is that guys like Marcos Gonzalez who might have been on the bubble for making the Columbus protected list, must have been protected.  The Indians had a lot of exposure here with the backup of prospects in their system so I think it is a really good thing they only lost one player, especially since they left two spots open on their Columbus reserve list instead of protecting 2 more prospects.  The fact that the draft went to the 5th round also could have resulted in more Indians prospects being rafted but that didn't happen.  

BACKGROUND

As the draft gets started lets look at some stats.  In the last 10 minor league Rule 5 draft we have:

2020 - 43 players drafted  = Indians lost 0, Indians picked up 1

2019 - 42 players selected - Indians lost 3, Indians picked up 2 

2018 - 42 players selected - Indians lost 3, Indians picked up 2

2017 - 43 players selected - Indians lost 2, Indians picked up 1

2016 - 39 players selected - Indians lost 3, Indians picked up 0

2015 - 49 players selected (AAA & AA phases) - Indians lost 2 - Indians picked up 1

2014 - 30 players selected (AAA&AA phases) - Indians lost 0, Indians picked up 1

2013 - 36 players selected (AAA&AA phases) - Indians lost 0, Indians picked up 0

2012 - 27 players selected (AAA&AA phases) - Indians lost 0, Indians picked up 0

2011 - 25 players selected (AAA&AA phases) - Intins lost 2, Indians picked up 0

Over the 10 years here are the players gained and lost by the Indians:

GAINED:  Chris Roller, Daniel Young, Jhon Peluffo, Wilson Garcia, Yapson Gomez, Robert Orlan, Rian Moran, Delvy Francisco

LOST: Wilbis Santiago, Jose Colina, Christopher Cespedes, Matt Esparza, Hector Figueroa, Anthony Miller, Junior Soto, Ivan Castillo, Josh Fitzgerald, Trevor Frank, Grant Sides, Nick Maronde, Marty Popham, Donnie Webb

As you can see, the guys we picked had essentially no impact on our ML team and the guys we lost, many of who are stll n the majors, have had minor impacts, at best, in the majors so far.  

Yet, in summary, it looks like we gave up more than we got back which is, frankly, a sign of minor league depth more than "missing" on some guy who went on to be a star.

OK,  will update this post at completion of the draft.