Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Potential Rule 5 Draft Casualities

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 09: A Pittsburgh Pirates hat, glove and bat sit in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on August 9, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Pitcher Omar Cruz

The Pirates elected to not select Omar Cruz’s contract. He was one of the five players the Pirates received back in the Joe Musgrove trade. Before heading over to the Pirates, Cruz had put up some pretty strong numbers with the San Diego Padres. This past season, he continued to show some talent.

Cruz pitched 99.1 innings with the organization’s High-A and Double-A affiliates. All told, he had a solid 3.44 ERA, and 1.23 WHIP. Cruz had only allowed home runs at a .91-per-9 rate, while also having an 8.6% walk rate, as well as a 23.4% strikeout rate. While none of those peripherals are going to stand out, they’re all solid, to say the least.

Cruz isn’t a hard-throwing pitcher. He’s a guy who’s going to rely on command to get outs. His four-seamer only comes in around 90-93 MPH, though he does have a very good feel for it, making it average. He also has an average changeup. His breaking pitch is a high-spin curveball, which MLB Pipeline considered above average. Overall, he has plus command, which should help some of the shortcomings that come with low velocity.

I wouldn’t be too worried about Cruz getting picked. Sure pitchers are usually taken in the Rule 5 draft, but most of the time, they’re hard-throwing ones with lots of raw potential. That’s not to say that Cruz has no potential, but your typical Rule 5 pick is a guy who’s tossing 96-97+ MPH with a wipeout breaking ball. Teams are going to take the chance on a flamethrower over a soft tosser any day.

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