Blue Jays: The Rule 5 Draft and 5 Possible Targets

Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays left some prominent prospects available for the Rule 5 Draft, but they can also target others

Before acquiring Jesse Chavez from the Oakland A’s in return for Liam Hendriks, the Blue Jays protected a couple of relievers, Brady Dragmire and Blake McFarland. It’s expected that they may be able to support the 2016 Blue Jays Bullpen, an obvious area of need management will want to address before the season starts. With all these transactions in mind, we head towards the Rule 5 Draft.

Before you discount the Rule 5 draft, remember that R.A. Dickey was acquired by the Mariners using it, Joakim Soria was acquired  by the Royals, and Delino DeShields Jr was the star of last year’s draft. Now that we have your attention, let’s see what this year’s crop is made of.

Ex-Blue Jays Prospects

There’s a good number of ex-Jays prospects available in this draft, including a few who were just traded in 2015 during the Jays numerous deals.

They include (Jays transaction in brackets):

1. Alberto Tirado, 20 years old, HiA, Phillies (Ben Revere deal)
2. Myles Jaye, 23 years old, AA, RHP, White Sox (Jason Frasor deal)
3. Dawel Lugo, 20 years old, HiA, SS, Diamondbacks (Cliff Pennington deal)
4. Wuilmer Becerra, 21 years old, LoA, Mets (R.A. Dickey deal)
5. Balbino Fuenmayor, 25 years old, AAA, Royals (released)

The interesting thing here is that if the Jays claim Tirado from the Phillies, it essentially makes their acquisition of Ben Revere a heads up deal – Revere for prospect Jimmy Cordero (23 yrs old in HiA). That’s a pretty nice deal if you ask me. And if they decide on Dawel Lugo, they essentially got Cliff Pennington’s services for only the cost of his salary while they had him as a Jays player. With the familiarity of the players being what it is, you could foresee a reunion being possible.

The problem with that thought is that they are both lower down in the minors, so providing them with a 40-man roster spot can be hard to do. Particularly if you’re trying to fill up on MLB ready talent, which may be a possibility in this Rule 5 draft class. The two on the list above that could interest the Jays are Jaye (26 GS, 3.29 ERA, 1.233 Whip) and Fuenmayor (.358/.384/.591). If I were to bet on them acquiring one of their old prospects, Myles Jaye would be my pick.

There are three Jays prospects currently on MLB.com’s Top 30 Jays Prospects list that are exposed in the Rule 5 draft. They are OF Dwight Smith Jr, 1B Matt Dean, and 3B Andy Burns. The fact that all three are position players is no mistake as the Jays decided to protect 2 relief pitchers (listed above) instead, prioritizing sorely needed depth in the bullpen.

With this in mind, here are 5 possible targets. These names were obtained using MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo written list of players who were in the Top 100 overall or Top 30 of each organization and were left available in the draft. First up, one of several talented pieces made available by the Houston Astros impressive young depth…

Next: First up, pitching depth in the form of a changeup artist...

Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Devenski, 25 years old, AA, RHP, Astros

The best quote I could find about Chris Devenski came from Devenski himself:

“No days off,” he said. “I’ve always had a good work ethic. I’ve always been able to take pride in that. But I’m at a point where I can always take it to another level.”

The quote came from after he threw a rain-shortened no-hitter and continued to work after his start was shortened. At the time, he was heading into the All-Star break with a 7-1 record and 1.23 ERA. The wheels came off a bit after that point, but he still managed an impressive season overall. On his stuff, he had this to add:

“I continue to throw [the changeup] every day and work on it. My curveball is getting there. My fastball command is getting there,” he said. “So, continue to work on that and continue to work harder every day.”

Compiling all of the thoughts and reports I’ve read about Devenski I could point to his persistence as a major reason for his success. Regardless of the hiccups he’s faced along the way, he’s overcome them by being persistent and putting the work in to make the right changes. He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to depend on his talent to get him ahead.

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There’s a lot to be said for someone who recognizes that you need to put the work in to get the results you’re looking for. So many times, the player has the talent but isn’t willing to put in the work needed to bring it to the surface.

The reason he gets beat up by some scouting reports is that his changeup is really his only plus pitch. Sounds like a Marco Estrada kind of guy when you read through it all, as his fastball is on the fringes and doesn’t get past 93 MPH. But he throws is accurately and can also throw a curve for strikes, so as long as he keeps hitters off balance, he should find success.

Now, on most MLB teams Devenski would have been a guaranteed protect guy. After all, he’s still listed as the 18th best Astros prospect on MLB.com, in what may be one of the 5 strongest systems in baseball. In fact, if you bring him to Toronto, I’d dare to say he could be in our top 10.

We’ll finish off Devenski’s look with the “Getting to know” Chris Devenski video (awkward reporter, but some great info)

Next: A lefty with heat? Raw arm talent to dream on...

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Onelki Garcia, 26 years old, AA, LHP, White Sox

Garcia is listed as the 22nd best CHW prospect on MLB.com and is noted as being a RP, lacking the depth of pitch repertoire to become a SP. He’s an interesting addition for a few reasons. First, he’s a LHP that throws hard (95 MPH heater) and can strike out hitters with the best of them. Second, he’s seasoned through AAA and can be expected to be ready for MLB at some point in 2016, or 2017 at the most.

His repertoire includes the heater, and two curve balls that he apparently throws in the low 80s and high 70s respectively. The word is that he can locate the latter, but that the former can be harder for him to locate effectively.

The problem with Garcia is the lack of control, as shown by his high walk rates from 2013 onwards. However, I’d like to believe that a change of scenery, a different voice, and some instruction can rectify some of that in order to make him more effective. There’s no denying that the talent is there and that he could become a force to be reckoned with in the pen if he puts it all together.

If the Jays can take Garcia on and give him a long look through the spring, they could provide competition for Aaron Loup while hoping to strike it rich with his high-ceiling arm talent.

Next: A strikeout machine searching for some control of his own...

Jun 20, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A view of a Minnesota Twins hat and glove in the dug out during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Jones, 24 years old, AA, RHP, Twins

Any time your fastball is rated as 75 on the scouting 20-80 scale, you’ve got something to work with. Rated as the 23rd best Twins prospect by MLB.com, Jones has a great arm and tremendous fastball that moves despite being reported to reach the upper 90s. That makes it very hard to square up and explains the low hit rate. Unfortunately, it also explains the high walk rate, as he has a very hard time knowing where it’s going to end up.

The biggest issue I see with him is whether a team like the Jays can see him developing the secondary pitching he needs to make that fastball more effective.

An encouraging sign from Jones is that over his last 10 games in AA, he managed to tone down the walks (7) while continuing to pile on the strike outs (24) in 15.2 innings of work and limiting hits (11). That allowed him to maintain a 2.87 ERA over that span.

Another thing I like is that he’s closer tested, having saved 33 games in the minors in 41 save opportunities. That doesn’t mean I see him closing for the Jays in 2016 by any means, but it does indicate that he can handle pressure-packed situations, something he’d be exposed to if he does make it to The Show in 2016.

Here’s a short video of Jones pitching:

Next: Why not add more competition to the number 5 job?

Ivan Pineyro, 23 years old, AAA, RHP, Marlins

Ranked 24th on the Marlins Top 30 list by MLB.com, he’s my personal favourite on this list. Of all the pitchers on this list, he has the most control and his potential to provide some quality starts is very enticing. He’s not going to come out looking like a potential #2 or #3 starter, but he’s got the makings of a workhorse that can provide you with starting pitching depth.

Acquired by the Marlins in the Dan Haren deal, he – just like Chris Devenski – relies on his changeup to be effective. Because his changeup is effective against both LHB and RHB, he’s able to maintain a similar line against hitters on both sides of the plate. Most importantly of all, Pineyro is a pitcher that works low in the zone and gets a ton of ground balls as a result. That always helps out when pitching in Rogers Centre and allows a strong defensive group behind him to go to work.

And finally, over his last 5 starts of the season in AAA, Pineyro allowed more than 1 ER only once (2) and managed 6 or more innings 4 times. He totalled a 5BB/22K ratio and only allowed 1 HR. In short, he proved over that span that he very well may be ready to pitch in MLB very early on in 2016.

Here’s a short video that shows him striking out Peter O’Brien and shows off his speed changing abilities:

I’d love to see Ivan Pineyro become a Blue Jays pitcher through this Rule 5 draft. And now, to our fifth possible addition.

Next: A physical gem with tantalizing potential from Houston...