2 potential targets for the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft

The Baltimore Orioles are in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder this offseason, preferably a Teoscar Hernandez or Tyler O’Neill signing if a reunion with Anthony Santander isn’t in the cards. They are also potentially looking at bringing in a reserve/platoon outfield option of the right-handed variety. 

Daz Cameron recently returned to the organization after the Orioles sent cash considerations to the Athletics. Cameron has a close connection with the Mike Elias regime back to their Houston days, he hit lefties very well in the majors with Oakland last season, and he provides solid defensive traits that could make him a valuable bench option. 

However, the Orioles could still look to upgrade this spot on the roster, or bring additional competition into spring training. Using the Rule 5 draft to acquire an additional right-handed hitting outfielder could be one path.

Going the Rule 5 route likely isn’t the direction the Orioles go, but let’s just assume they do. An Austin Slater veteran type will always be available, but what if the Orioles want to take a gamble on a bench bat with more potential upside? There are two very intriguing options who may be attractive to the Orioles available in this year’s Rule 5 draft.

The Orioles could take advantage of the Minnesota Twins roster crunch with this Rule 5 eligible prospect

The Minnesota Twins had a tough decision when it came to outfielder Kala’i Rosario. The 22-year-old, former 5th round pick of the Twins out of the Hawaiian high school ranks, was not added to Minnesota’s 40-man roster and will be available in the Rule 5 draft on December 11th.

Rosario had a fantastic season in High-A back in 2023, hitting 21 home runs (51 total extra-base hits) with an OPS of .831 and a 133 wRC+. He did strike out at a 29.6% clip, but softened that number a bit with a 14% walk rate and big time power numbers. 

Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just 67 games at the Double-A level in 2024. While battling through injuries, Rosario hit .235 with 8 home runs and a 105 wRC+.

He just wrapped up a stint in the Arizona Fall League to recoup some of the at-bats he missed during the regular season. Adding a few majestic home runs to his resume, Rosario hit .291 with a .383 on-base percentage and .813 OPS across 21 games. The AFL is a very hitter-friendly environment, but Rosario’s health was one of the more important takeaways of the fall season.

Currently the 19th-ranked prospect in the Twins system per MLB Pipeline, Rosario brings plus raw power and a plus outfield arm to the table. He’s still just 22 and was trending up with a big arrow before injuries limited him in 2024. While the swing and miss issue is a concern, Rosario’s role in Baltimore would in a bench/platoon role. While it was against Double-A pitching and not big leaguers, Rosario hit .276 with a .408 OBP and .908 OPS against lefties this season. Hitting primarily against lefties while he continues to develop under Orioles hitting coaches Cody Asche, Tommy Joseph, and Sherman Johnson, while also using his big time arm defensively, could lead to Rosario becoming the impact big league bat many scouting reports believe he can become. 

This Chicago Cubs outfielder could make sense for Baltimore in the Rule 5 draft

The other intriguing option is Chicago Cubs outfielder Christian Franklin. Franklin is a 25-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder who was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 draft out of Arkansas. He was teammates with current Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad while with the Razorbacks.

Franklin missed what was supposed to be his first full pro season in 2022 after tearing his patellar tendon in spring training, but he was able to quickly get back on a promising developmental path after working across four levels of the minors in 2023 and then playing in 98 games at the Double-A level in 2024. 

Across those 98 games, Franklin hit .268 with a .398 OBP, 5 home runs, and an impressive 135 wRC+. His 20% strikeout rate was nearly 5% lower than his High-A performance while his 16.6% walk rate was also a significant improvement. Stealing 34 bases was the icing on the cake.

Franklin doesn’t have the arm that Rosario does and he hasn’t shown the in-game power yet, but Franklin’s underlying data checks a lot of boxes, specifically boxes that the Orioles covet.

Per Baseball America, Franklin’s 90th percentile exit velocity was 104 mph and many teams grade his swing decisions as a plus-plus tool. As Orioles Direct of Player Development Anthony Villa has told me in the past, it’s a lot “easier” (nothing about it is really easy) to pull the power out of a hitter who already makes good contact with good swing decisions. With above-average exit velos and hard hit rates, combined with elite swing decisions, Franklin has real potential to turn his 60% groundball rate into some over the fence power.

Hernandez also provides above-average speed and can play center field, making him an even more intriguing prospect for a team like the Orioles to consider in the Rule 5 draft. Tabbed as a potential breakout Cubs prospect in 2024 by Lance Brozdowski of Marquee Sports Network, all the underlying data was there for Franklin. With a noted hitting development in place, the Orioles could be the right organization to turn that underlying data into in-game production at the next level.

Odds are the Orioles make it back-to-back years without making a selection in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft, but if they want to take a flyer with a bench/platoon outfield option with upside, Kala’i Rosario and Christian Franklin are two very intriguing options.