Toronto Blue Jays 2018 Rule 5 Draft Eligible Players
The Blue Jays recently opened up 4 spots on their 40 man roster by releasing a bunch of pitchers. With the rule 5 draft coming up in December, they will have to make a decision with some of their minor league talent and add them to the 40 man roster or risk losing them in the draft. For those unfamiliar with the rule 5 draft, it's a way to stop teams from hoarding minor league talent who may be good enough to play in the majors. Any player who has 4 years of minor league experience and was signed at 19 years or older, or has 5 years if they were signed at age 18 becomes eligible for the rule 5 draft if they are not currently on a team's 40 man roster. If a player is drafted they must remain on that team's 25 man roster for the entire season or be offered back to their original team.
Here's some of Toronto's rule 5 eligible players...
Jordan Romano pitched most of 2018 at AA and made 1 start at AAA. He has performed well during his minor league career with a 3.31 ERA across 4 years. He had a 4.11 ERA in 2018 split between two levels. His solid results and proximity to the majors could mean he's vulnerable to being drafted. He will likely be one of the players who receives a lot of consideration for one of the open 40 man spots in order to protect him from being drafted.
Harold Ramirez was previously on the 40 man roster, but was removed shortly after the 2017 season due to a disappointing year. He re-gained his prospect status with a big 2018 at New Hampshire where he led the Eastern League with a .320 AVG. The Blue Jays have a bit of a log jam of outfielders on their 40 man roster already, but if Ramirez isn't added there's a decent chance he will be claimed. Ramirez is eligible for minor league free agency so the Jays will need to work out a deal with him or he could walk.
Hector Perez has put up strong numbers throughout his minor league career and reached AA. His powerful fastball/slider combo is the type of skill that a lot of teams target in the rule 5 draft. He struggles with command, but to a rebuilding team that wants a lot of upside they will be willing deal with some growing pains. Since Perez would be highly likely to be drafted if exposed, I think there's a good chance he gets one of the open roster spots since the Jays are a rebuilding team that would likely pick a guy like Perez themselves.
Jon Harris is a tough call. He has struggled the past 2 seasons, but as a former 1st round pick and as a guy who had a brief cameo in AAA this year there may be a team willing to take a chance on him regaining his past potential in 2019. For me, he's a coin flip as to whether he is worth protecting. I would probably lean towards leaving him off the 40 man roster and taking my chances that he wouldn't get claimed. This is something where the Blue Jays obviously have more information than I do so they can make a better decision regarding him than I ever could.
Patrick Murphy had a very strong 2018, but spent most of it at High-A which may make teams hesitant to drafting him and having to put him on their Major League roster. I think he has definite big league potential, but 2019 is probably too early for him and I think if he were left off the Jays 40 man roster he would likely go unclaimed.
Yennsy Diaz is a favorite prospect of mine. I included him in an under-the-radar prospects article I wrote before the season and he didn't disappoint with a 3.05 ERA between A and High-A. Roster Resource lists him as rule 5 eligible, but I'm not so sure that he actually is. I included him here just in case. He throws hard and has upside being only 21 years old, but with only half a season at high-A he would probably be a long shot to be picked. There may be a team willing to bet on his potential, however.
Max Pentecost was drafted with high expectations as the 11th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. Injuries have limited him to just 1112 minor league plate appearances since that time and 2018 was the first year he was able to see regular playing time at his natural catcher position. In his limited playing time he has shown flashes of the potential the Jays saw in him when they drafted him, but he struggled at AA in 2018. Still, catchers with hitting potential that Pentecost has shown are a rare breed and a team may be willing to keep him on their major league roster in a back-up capacity in order to gain control of a catcher who could become a starter one day. His struggles in 2018 will probably prevent that from happening though. The Blue Jays already have 4 catchers on their 40 man roster and it's unlikely they will be adding a 5th.
Travis Bergen finally managed to stay healthy enough to throw more than 20 innings for the first time since becoming a pro in 2015. The results were phenomenal and he produced a 0.95 ERA between High-A and AA. He produces big strikeout numbers while limiting walks and home runs. He's more of a deception pitcher than a pure stuff pitcher so he may fail to maintain the stellar results when facing tougher competition and once high level competition becomes more familiar with him. He probably won't hold too much appeal to teams considering drafting him due to his lack of experience.
Angel Perdomo was old for High-A at 24 years old, but he's a lefty who can reach mid 90s with his fastball. He is eligible for minor league free agency so Toronto may lose him anyway if he decides to try his luck with another organization. He put up big strikeout numbers in 2018 and made strides with his control. Lefties who bring as much heat as Perdomo are hard to come by so he may appeal to a team in need of a southpaw who is willing to take a chance on a raw arm.
Forrest Wall had a good start to 2018 in High-A, but struggled once being promoted to AA. After the tradeto Toronto his numbers improved, but it was largely due to an unsustainable .410 BABIP. His 31.3% strikeout rate with New Hampshire will likely scare teams away from laying a claim on him in the draft. He doesn't have the loud tools that teams normally are willing to take chances on in the rule 5 draft and his AA performance shows there is still plenty of refinement needed before he is MLB-ready.
Other players who are rule 5 eligible but will probably have limited appeal include Connor Fisk, Corey Copping, Jackson Mclelland, Shawn Morimando, and Jacob Waguespack
