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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three More Players to Consider in the Rule 5 Draft

By Kody Duncan

AMARILLO, TEXAS - JULY 31: Outfielder Dominic Canzone #14 of the Amarillo Sod Poodles hits a home run during the game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at HODGETOWN Stadium on July 31, 2022 in Amarillo, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
AMARILLO, TEXAS - JULY 31: Outfielder Dominic Canzone #14 of the Amarillo Sod Poodles hits a home run during the game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at HODGETOWN Stadium on July 31, 2022 in Amarillo, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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AMARILLO, TEXAS – JULY 31: Outfielder Dominic Canzone #14 of the Amarillo Sod Poodles warms up before the game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at HODGETOWN Stadium on July 31, 2022 in Amarillo, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
AMARILLO, TEXAS – JULY 31: Outfielder Dominic Canzone #14 of the Amarillo Sod Poodles warms up before the game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at HODGETOWN Stadium on July 31, 2022 in Amarillo, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have plenty of options to choose from in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. The draft will be on Dec. 7th during the winter meetings in San Diego, California. The Pirates will have the 3rd overall pick. Here are 3 players they should think about selecting with their first overall pick.

Dominic Canzone OF/1B – Arizona Diamondbacks

The first player that should be on the minds of the Pittsburgh Pirates front office during the Rule 5 Draft is Arizona Diamondbacks prospect, Dominic Canzone. He is currently the D-backs #19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He is 25 years old and is coming off another solid season in the minor leagues.

In 2022, Canzone played the majority of the time with the Diamondbacks’ AAA affiliate, Reno Aces. He played 88 games in AAA where is slashed .284/.349/.489 with 16 home runs. He had a 7.7% walk rate and only struck out 20.3% of the time. He played mostly first base, right field, and left field last season and I believe that is something that Pirates need on their 26-man roster for the 2023.

Canzone is a left handed batter, so with the addition to Ji-Man Choi, I could see him mainly playing in the outfield if selected by the Pirates. He finished the season with 22 home runs at all levels he played at. A corner outfield with power is what is missing in this lineup and he could fill some holes for this club.

Through his years in the minor leagues dating back to 2019, Canzone has always hit for average. With the shift now banned, a power hitting corner outfielder that also can contribute in other ways is a great option to have on your roster heading into the 2023 season.

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