Baltimore Orioles Rule 5 Draft: The Locks, Those On The Bubble, And More

The Baltimore Orioles have a number of players who are Rule 5 draft-eligible. Who will they protect? Who will they leave vulnerable? Who may other teams covet, if left unavailable?

Growing up just minutes away from Harbor Park, home of the Baltimore Orioles Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides, I’ve always been fascinated with minor league baseball. One of my favorite baseball memories is having my dad explain how the minor league system works and trying to explain to me why it was great that Jorge Toca was my favorite player to watch when went to Tides games (they were a New York Mets affiliate until I left town for college), but I shouldn’t have any hopes of him one day playing in the major leagues.

As I got older, it was fun to go into games blind, watch different players closely, and try to determine for myself whether or not a particular player could have a future in the big leagues or not. Recently, more and more baseball fans have become die-hard fans of minor league ball and the amount of information about prospects is at an all-time high. It’s been really fun to watch the love for prospects, and minor league ball in general, grow.

With this rise comes a bigger interest in the Rule 5 draft, an event I had no idea existed a decade ago. While players selected in this draft rarely pan out, there have been plenty of success stories and it gives fans something fun to debate about during the month of December. For fans of the Baltimore Orioles, the Rule 5 draft is a bit of a bigger event, thanks to a plethora of selections over the years.

Most of these selections never amounted to anything, but guys like Ryan Flaherty and Joey Rickard found roles as utility players/depth options, Anthony Santander seems to be finding his major league footing now and could be on the 2020 Opening Day roster due to his talent, not due to a lack of players to choose from, and 2018 selection Richie Martin has promise, with a little more seasoning down in the minor leagues next season.

So, which players in the Baltimore Orioles organization are Rule 5 eligible this season and who gets protected?

The Baltimore Orioles have a lot of decisions to make in the coming weeks concerning Rule 5 draft-eligible players.

Finding room on the 40-man roster to protect Rule 5 eligible players won’t be a difficult task for Mike Elias and his team. When an organization struggles to win 50 games in a season, the lack of talent is clear.

Mark Trumbo will come off the roster and become a free agent at the end of the season, but we can fill his spot with pitcher Alex Cobb. Players on the injured list must come off and be placed back on the 40-man by the end of the season. LHP Josh Rogers is also on the 60-day IL, but after having Tommy John revision surgery, aka a second TJ surgery, the Orioles may elect to move on from the former Louisville Cardinal.

With Cedric Mullins finishing the year hot and Austin Hays making fans wish the 2019 season would continue a bit longer, Mason Williams may be an option to return to the organization as a depth piece but can be taken off the 40-man for now. Pitchers such as Chandler Shepherd (removed from the 40-man roster on Monday), Tayler Scott, Ryan Eades, and Evan Phillips are also easy choices, just to name a few.

How many spots on the 40-man will Mike Elias need? We have broken up this group of Rule 5 guys into three groups. First, those who will certainly be protected, followed by those on the bubble, and then those who won’t be protected but are at risk of being selected by another team, or at least have shown something during their careers.