Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Potential Rule 5 Draft Selections

The Pittsburgh Pirates should keep an eye on these five Rule 5 eligible prospects as they could be avaiable when the Rule 5 draft rolls around.

The Rule 5 draft gives every team with an open roster spot a chance to find a diamond in the rough. Minor leaguers signed at 18 years old or younger with at least five years of experience and not part of a 40-man roster are eligible for selection. Players who signed at 19 or older with four years of playing time and are not part of a 40-man roster are also eligible for selection. If a player is selected, they must be part of the team’s 26-man roster for the entire season.

Last year, the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft was postponed because of the lockout. The Pittsburgh Pirates took a risk by leaving prospects such as Cal Mitchell and Tahnaj Thomas unprotected. It ended up working out in their favor because of the postponement, but they’ll be a little more cautious about who to protect this year.

But they’ll also have the chance to add a player to the active roster for almost no cost at all. It’s still relatively early, as 40-man rosters do not need to be finalized for more than another month, but let’s preview five players the Pirates should keep an eye on, as they could be available when the draft rolls around.

Ryan Noda

First basemen are rarely selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and only four have been chosen since the turn of the millennium (five if you want to count Justin Bour in the minor league phase in 2013). But LA Dodgers first base prospect Ryan Noda may be available. The Dodgers have Freddie Freeman locked down at first base, with Edwin Rios also on hand. Not to mention LA also has Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch, and Justin Yurchak as other first base capable options.

But Noda is still a prospect worth talking about. Last year, Noda batted .259/.395/.474 with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. Noda crushed 25 home runs in 574 plate appearances, posting an isolated slugging percentage of .216. Noda also walked a ton, drawing ball four in 16% of his plate appearances. Noda posted a strong .367 wOBA and 120 wRC+ during this past season.

Noda is also a surprisingly aggressive base runner. He swiped 20 bases last year in 24 attempts. He also stole 14 bases in both 2018 and 2019. Career-wise, he has an 80.6% success rate when he takes off for an extra base. Overall, he’s swiped 58 bases in 555 career games, which is very good for a first baseman.

But don’t get stolen bases confused with running ability. He’s a slightly below-average runner, with MLB Pipeline grading him out as a 45-grade runner (though that was when he was still part of the Toronto Blue Jays system). FanGraphs is even less bullish on Noda, grading him out with 30-grade speed. On top of so-so speed, Noda strikes out at a fair rate. His 28.2% K-rate was the second-highest single-season mark of his career.

But Noda grades out as an average defensive first baseman. He can play the outfield corners but lacks the range to do so regularly. The Pirates need some help at first base, and if Noda is available, it would be worth the risk. The Pirates aren’t going to find much better options on the free-agent market, and Noda does not have a clear path to playing time in LA.

Brendan White

The Detroit Tigers could see a handful of pitchers reach the Rule 5 Draft this off-season. They have multiple 25-year-old and younger arms that are part of their Triple-A team’s depth chart, some of which had quality seasons. There’s a possibility that the team leaves at least one of them unprotected, and that could be Brendan White.

White posted strong numbers for the Tiger Double-A affiliate. He also pitched a good amount of innings, racking up 67.1 frames. All told, the right-hander had a 2.67 ERA, 2.94 FIP, and 0.91 WHIP. White had a healthy 27.1% strikeout rate and allowed just three home runs all season. The pitching prospect had a 56% ground ball rate, which was the third-highest mark among the organization’s minor league pitchers with at least 30 innings under their belt. It also helps White posted a quality 6.3% walk rate.

White throws with some deception. His arm slot is about as low as you can get before getting into a side-arm motion. His big weapon is his wipeout breaker, which comes in with around 2900 RPM of spin. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging out in the low-90s, but he commands his stuff well. His 6.3% walk rate is in line with his career average of 6.4%.

This was the first year the Tigers put White in a relief-only role. Eventually, he became a high-leverage reliever, closing nine games and finishing 21. White is definitely a player that, if left unprotected and available when the Pittsburgh Pirates are on the clock, the team should highly consider, given the lack of bullpen depth.

Randy Vasquez

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten some decent players from the New York Yankees over the past decade. Of course, the big trades are those like A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Francisco Cervelli, and Jameson Taillon. But even smaller ones, like the trade that netted the Pirates Chris Stewart and Manny Banuelos, have worked out reasonably well for them.

People like to joke that the Pirates are the Yankees’ farm system, but I’m not going to complain about the last decade’s worth of Pirates-Yankees trades. Most have worked out in the Pirates’ favor, all things considered. The Bucs could take another player from the pinstripes if they leave pitching prospect Randy Vasquez unprotected.

Vasquez posted solid numbers for the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. Through 115.1 innings, the right-hander posted a 3.90 ERA, FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. Along the way, Vasquez struck out 24.2% of the batters he faced with a healthy 8.3% walk rate and 0.89 HR/9. On top of that, he had a 48.3% ground ball rate. His numbers might not stand out, but they’re pretty solid all-around numbers.

Vasquez isn’t a hard-throwing pitcher but typically works in the 90-95 MPH range, which is fast enough. But what he lacks in velocity, he makes up for in spin. His four-seamer averages out at 2500 RPM. His curveball has one of the highest spin rates in the minor leagues, coming in well over 3000 RPM. His change-up is still in development, but it could be a third offering he can use with confidence. Vasquez might see an uptick in velocity as a reliever, but he’s worth selecting based on his curveball alone. The high spin gives it some wicked movement:

But Vasquez is the highest-profile prospect we’ll discuss today. FanGraphs ranks him as the Yankee 18th best prospect, while MLB Pipeline lists him as the organization’s 14t best prospect. Vasquez is far from a guarantee to be part of the Rule 5 Draft, though I don’t think you can completely rule out the possibility. If Vasquez is available and still on the board when the Pirates are up, he needs to be a pitcher they heavily consider drafting.

Cam DeVanney

The Pittsburgh Pirates might find a Rule 5 prospect from one of their division rivals. That’s the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers may not have the best farm system in the sport, but they’ll definitely have some harder choices between who to protect and who to leave exposed in the draft. Infielder Cam DeVanney may be one of those prospects.

In 515 plate appearances, DeVanney batted .264/.342/.492. DeVanney hit for his fair share of power, cranking out 23 home runs, hustling out 32 doubles, and posting a .228 isolated slugging percentage. DeVanney wasn’t an all-or-nothing batter, either. The infielder had a solid 21.4% K-rate and walked at a healthy 9.3% rate. Overall, he had a .365 wOBA and 116 wRC+.

DeVanney, a 15th-round pick, has played all four infield positions. He has mostly played at shortstop but has ample time spent at second and third base. DeVanney has played first base the least, but he can play it. That makes him an attractive option for a team who wants to take a chance on a utility power hitter.

DeVanney is older, as 2023 will be his age-26 season. But given that DeVanney performed so well with the Brewers’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, he’d be an interesting player to watch in the Rule 5 draft. There is the chance that he is protected, but the Brewers do have more pressing needs. In the event DeVanney is left to run through the Rule 5 gauntlet, the Pittsburgh Pirates should consider snagging him.