Phillies Rule 5 Draft Possibilities

Sep 16, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The family of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Clemente (statue), the greatest Rule 5 Draft pick in baseball history, pose outside of PNC Park.

(Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

The Philadelphia Phillies have the first selection in the MLB Rule 5 Draft to be held on December 10th during baseball’s Winter Meetings.

The MLB offseason is now in full swing, but with the Phillies in a rebuilding mode, now is not the likely time for them to be involved in big-ticket free agent spending. Phils’ fans shouldn’t expect any edge-of-your-seat-type of excitement when it comes to the “Hot Stove.”

New general manager Matt Klentak made the team’s interest in free agency abundantly clear during his introductory press conference in October, as quoted by Philly.com’s Ryan Lawrence:

“I think as a rule of thumb the free-agent market is not the best place to invest your money . . . that’s the last place we should focus. But I do think there’s a lot of good players in free agency every single year. The different stages of development will dictate that you take a different route in free agency every single year. The route we take this offseason may differ from the one we take next offseason and the one after that.”

So the Phillies aren’t expected to make much noise in free agency, and talks on possibly moving closer Ken Giles are likely the only trade buzz they will generate. 

However, the club does control the first selection in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, which will take place during the 2015 Baseball Winter Meetings, to be held next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

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A quick primer for those less familiar with the Rule 5 Draft process. Any player who is not on an MLB club’s 40-man roster, and either signed when they were 18 years old and has played in pro ball for five years, or signed when they were 19 years old and has played for four years, is eligible to be selected.

This process was put into place to keep MLB teams from stashing young players indefinitely, never giving them a shot at the big leagues, or delaying such a chance to players who might otherwise be ready but may be blocked at the big league level. There are AAA and AA minor league Rule 5 Draft phases, but we’re sticking here with the Major League process.

If a team selects a player from another team during the Rule 5 Draft, the selecting team must pay the former club a $50,000 fee. The selecting team must then keep that player on their 25-man roster for the entirety of the following MLB season, with the player staying active without any DL stints for at least 90 days.

If the selecting team decides at any point that they no longer wish to keep the drafted player on their 25-man roster, they have a few options.

First, they can return the player to their former team in return for half of the original fee, or $25,000. If the original team no longer wants the player, he can simply be waived at that point.

The Phillies selected ‘The Flyin Hawaiian’ in the 2004 Rule 5 Draft from the LA Dodgers. (Photo credit: Joe Kaczmarek, AP)Second, they can work out compensation, such as a trade or purchase of the contract, and the selecting team would take ownership of the player fully. In that case, the player could then be sent to the minor leagues for further development.

In any case, if a player is taken in the Rule 5 Draft, that player is immediately added to the selecting team’s 40-man roster. Teams are eligible to select if they have openings on that 40-man roster, and do so in reverse order of the previous year’s final regular season standings.

Anyone that the Phillies might select with the top overall pick would go on to their 40-man roster immediately. The player would then go to spring training with the team.

If they make the club, and the Phils want to keep them, the player would have to be kept on the 25-man roster all of the 2016 season, or some deal with his old club worked out.

The most famous Rule 5 Draftee of all-time is Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, who was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954 from the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. Other recent vintage Rule 5 picks who went on to success include Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, and Dan Uggla.

Last season, the Rule 5 Draft rewarded the Phillies with a player who would become their starting center fielder in Odubel Herrera. 

Selected by the Phils after he was left unprotected by the Texas Rangers, Herrera enjoyed a breakout 2015 by leading all Phillies hitters in batting average (.297), On-Base Percentage (.344), and Doubles (30).

Rule 5 Picks, like most MLB draft picks, are far from a sure thing. But the Phillies previously found another outfield gem this way in Shane Victorino back in December of 2004. They also got a useful utility piece in Michael Martinez during the 2011 Rule 5 Draft. 

With Herrera’s success last season, the process again displayed its potential value, especially for a rebuilding team looking to add cheap, under-the-radar talent.

Here are three of the available options that the Phillies might be considering as the club management prepares for this year’s Rule 5 Draft.

Next: Phillies 2015 Rule 5 Draft Option #1

Blash has 109 homers in six seasons with Mariners org.

(Photo Credit: Richard Trask, Tacoma Rainiers for MiLB.com)

Jabari Blash, OF: This 26-year-old outfielder is a player that should raise some eyebrows in the Phillies organization purely from a numbers standpoint.

In 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A in the Seattle Mariners’ minor league organization in 2015, Blash posted a slash line of .271/.370/.576 to go along with 32 home runs and an OPS of 946.

The Mariners’ 8th round pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft has power from the right side of the plate. Before the arrival of Maikel Franco, only Darin Ruf was supplying that commodity to the Phillies, and then only with success against lefties. With his 6’5”, 225-pound build, Blash could potentially remedy the Phillies’ need for a legitimate power-hitting corner outfielder.

One negative is that the outfield is somewhat of a crowded position for the Phillies. Herrera,  Aaron Altherr, Cody Asche, near-ready prospect Roman Quinn, and potentially Jeff Francoeur all could be fighting for playing time. Aside from Herrera and possibly Altherr, none are clear-cut everyday starters.

Another negative is the 50-game suspension that he received in June of 2014 for a failed drug test, his second for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

At the very least, the Phillies could take a chance on Blash to see if he can have a breakout 2016 season on the level of Herrera’s in 2015.

Next: Phillies 2015 Rule 5 Draft Option #2

Cubs pitcher Black during the 2015 Arizona Fall League ‘Fall Stars’ game.

(Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Corey Black, P: This 24-year-old right hander from the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate struggled in the 2015 season, posting a 4.92 ERA to go along with a 1.407 WHIP. The Cubs’ 4th round pick in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft eventually transitioned to the bullpen, where he recorded a 7.09 ERA in 24 outings.

Black’s numbers admittedly aren’t impressive. However, he does have the ability to rack up strikeouts. This is demonstrated by his 101/86 strikeouts to innings-pitched ratio last season. Because of this ability to strikeout batters with a plus fastball and slider, he could serve a role in a big league bullpen.

The Phillies’ bullpen, like their outfield, is overflowing with 14 potential arms currently on the 40-man roster. A lot can change from now until spring training, but adding a bullpen arm is likely not a top priority for Klentak and the Phillies. Still, his stuff warrants consideration.

Next: Phillies 2015 Rule 5 Draft Option #3