10 Players Available In The Rule 5 Draft To Keep An Eye On

Sterling Sharp, SP

Sharp is a particularly intriguing option in the Rule 5 Draft. For one, he is a highly ranked prospect compared to the other options. Fangraphs ranks him as the Nationals’ 14th best prospect, MLB Pipeline ranks him 13th. He is seen as having two above-average pitches, his sinker that has led to elite ground ball rates and his changeup. He also has a decent slider to pair with them. He is also seen as somebody who repeats his delivery and release point well. Overall, Sharp may not be more than a back-of-the-rotation arm, but he can definitely be a starter.

On the flip side, Sharp is not far away from MLB-ready at all. While he has yet to throw a pitch in AAA (which is particularly concerning now that AAA uses the MLB ball and some pitchers respond worse to it), he just about dominated AA in his time there. While injuries cut down his time in 2019, in 2 seasons Sharp pitched 21 games and over 100 innings in AA. In 2019, Sharp had a 3.99 ERA, 14.5% K-BB%, and a 2.84 xFIP. His ground ball rate was over 60% once again. In the AFL this fall, Sharp threw in 6 games and had an ERA of 1.50.

While you may think that he should have to prove himself in AAA before you can be confident in him as a starter, he seems developed enough that he could make it work in the Majors as a reliever right now as well, especially with two above-average pitches and a slider that is still developing. Sharp seems like he will be one of the most coveted pitchers in this year’s Rule 5 Draft.

Braden Webb, RP

Webb is the 2nd Brewers’ pitcher listed here, but he is a bit different from Brown. Webb, as the starter that he currently is, is too far away from the MLB to be taken at all. In 5 AA starts in 2019 (he also spent some time in AA in 2018, but was later sent down) Webb did not do well. While he was successful in A+, in AA, Webb averaged under 3 innings per game pitched and had a 9.00 ERA and 6.42 xFIP. 

But what if he were moved to the bullpen? Many think he will end up there anyway due to overall control problems, an odd delivery, and an inconsistent third pitch. As of now, Webb has a mid-90s fastball with life according to MLB Pipeline, and moving to the bullpen could allow him to put on more effort with each pitch and move up a tick in velocity. His best pitch, a curve, has a ton of movement and a big difference in velocity with his fastball. He can pick up a ton of whiffs with those top two pitches and continue to develop his changeup. 

It would be a risky move to take a pitcher with little experience, move him to a different role, and make him stay in the majors for the entirety of 2020. There’s a high likelihood that Webb being selected would result in him being returned shortly after. However, the potential for Webb to find a role in the back-end of a bullpen could make the risk worth it.

Eli White, 2B

You may have already heard of Eli White as the prospect sent to the Rangers in the Jurickson Profar trade. White falls under the category of Rule 5 possible draft picks that are not as highly touted as prospects but are ready for the Majors. White is ranked as the 30th best Rangers prospect by both Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline. Both agree that White has solid contact skills and speed, but a lack of impact power will push him to a utility role long-term. 

White seems as if he can fill in that role from Opening Day 2020 already. In 116 AAA games in 2019, White did not dominate, posting a just-okay 84 wRC+, with a K% nearly 20% higher than his BB%, an average amount of power. While he did not do great in 2019, he did not do bad enough to say for sure that he needs more time in the minors. His bat control, feel to hit, and speed makes him a decent enough offensive player for somebody with above-average defensive skills and experience at 2B, SS, 3B, and CF. White can likely play well enough in a bench role in 2020 to stay with an MLB team throughout the entire season, so I would expect him to be selected.