Phillies Select INF Vimael Machin, Lose None in Rule 5 Draft
By Matt Rappa
The Phillies have selected utility infielder Vimael Machin from the Cubs in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft; they lost no players in the Major League portion.
Each year on the last day of the Winter Meetings, Major League Baseball holds a Rule 5 Draft.
On Thursday, with the 15th pick, the Phillies selected utility infielder Vimael Machin from the Chicago Cubs; the 26-year-old, Humacao, Puerto Rico, native has been assigned to the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, the Phillies lost no players in the Major League phase of the draft, after protecting just RHP Mauricio Llovera, and southpaws Garrett Cleavinger, JoJo Romero, and Cristopher Sanchez. Slugging outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz had been among the prospects the Phillies feared they could lose.
UPDATE: Machin has since been dealt to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash considerations, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, who adds the Phillies “had a couple guys they liked and would have kept, but they were picked earlier.”
Machin has played in the Cubs system since 2015, after being drafted in the 10th round of the amateur draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA). Last season, between the Double- and Triple-A levels, he slashed .295/.390/.412 with 27 doubles, seven home runs, 65 RBI, 69 walks and just 62 strikeouts spanning 129 games and 529 plate appearances.
In the field, at Triple-A Iowa in particular, Machin played 27 innings at third base, 17 1/3 innings at second base, and 16 1/3 innings at first base. He committed two errors spanning 30 combined chances.
Teams that select a player must pay $50,000 to the team which he was selected; that player must remain on the team’s 26-man roster for the entirety of the upcoming season, and must remain active for a minimum of 90 days. Otherwise, the player is offered back to the team from which he was selected for $25,000; if they decline the offer, the receiving team may waive the player.
Phillies fans might recall 2008 World Series champion CF Shane Victorino, who joined the team in 2005 via the draft. Not all players work out, such as fellow outfielder Tyler Goeddel, for example, who joined the Phillies from the Rays in 2016 and slashed just .192/.258/.291 in 92 games.
Machin could come in handy for the Phillies if their utility player from last year, Scott Kingery, assumes regular playing time at one position. Right now, third base is looking as a possibility, with Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura slated to play either shortstop and second base, and Adam Haseley set to receive regular playing time in center field.
Machin also has experience playing all three outfield positions.
While the Phillies lost no players in the MLB portion of the draft, the Cubs lost two. In addition to Machin (Phillies), they lost RHP Michael Rucker to the Baltimore Orioles.