Blue Jays: Top 10 Rule 5 Selections in Team History

A couple of solid pitchers added to the stables

#6. Jim Acker – 1982

During the 1982 Rule 5 Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays were able to acquire Jim Acker from the Atlanta Braves who had drafted him three years prior in the first round.  There is a tale of two Ackers with the Blue Jays as he was traded away, but brought back later in his career.  For the sake of this list, I will be referring to his first stint in Toronto.

In his first term with the Blue Jays he was used primarily out of the bullpen from 1983 until the middle of 1986 when he was traded away.  Acker would pitch in 154 games, with 141 of them coming out of the bullpen.  In 1985, which was the Blue Jays first playoff appearance, Acker was part of a three-man closer role.  He, Bill Caudill and Tom Henke would share the duties and they combined for 37 saves.  Acker finished his first round in Toronto with a 17-14 record with a 4.04 ERA and 10 saves.  He was traded in the middle of 1986 back to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Johnson.  Three years later, the Braves would trade him back to Toronto for their second playoff run.

#5. Joe Biagini – 2015

Coming off the 2015 season the Blue Jays made their first playoff appearance in 22 years and filled the bullpen up with veteran arms.  However with so many veteran relievers they had retirements and others leaving in free agency, so they had holes to fill.  When it was time for the Rule 5 draft they selected 25-year old Joe Biagini who was coming off a very impressive season in AA that saw him pitch over 130 innings with a 2.42 ERA.

To start the season, Biagini was originally used in games that they were losing. After his first 12 appearances, he had allowed just one earned run and had a 0.54 ERA, so manager John Gibbons started using him in tighter games. The charismatic Biagini would become an integral part of the bullpen that got back to the post-season.  He ended up pitching in 60 games during that season and finished with a 3.06 ERA, also appearing in six post-season games that year where he allowed only four base runners and no runs.

Over the next few seasons Biagini saw some ups and downs as management seemed keen on putting him into the starting rotation, but it looked like putting a square peg in a round hole.  Biagini would pitch in another 157 games over the next 2 ½ years before being packaged with Aaron Sanchez and Cal Stevenson to the Houston Astros last season for Derek Fisher.