Orioles select Andrew Politi in Rule 5 Draft

The culmination of the winter meetings is always the Rule 5 Draft. For those of you who may not know, this draft is a time where every organization gets the opportunity to take a player from another organization who wasn’t protected by that team. A player gets protected by getting added to their respective organization’s 40 man roster.

Only some minor league players are eligible for consideration to be taken in the Rule 5 draft, and it’s based off how many professional seasons you have to date. The deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft was on November 15. If a team selects a player in the major league phase, that player must be kept on the active roster all season or be offered back to the team that the player was selected from.

Previous picks by the Baltimore Orioles that have gone on to find success with the club include Anthony Santander in 2016 and Tyler Wells in 2020. This year, the O’s selected right handed relief pitcher Andrew Politi from the Boston Red Sox. Let’s learn about Politi and what he might bring to the table for the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles select RP Andrew Politi in 2022 Rule 5 Draft

Andrew Politi was chosen by the Red Sox in the 15th round of the 2018 draft out of Seton Hall. He has spent four seasons in the organization (no 2020 season) and by far experienced the most success in 2022, starting the year at Double A Portland before a promotion to Triple A Worcester.

Across both levels, Politi combined to record a 2.34 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, striking out 83 hitters while issuing 22 walks. He picked up eight saves as well, ending the year with 69 1/3 innings pitched in two starts and 48 relief appearances. Baseball America ranked Politi 30th in the Boston system last year.

Baseball America had the following to say about Politi in their latest Rule 5 Draft preview:

“All of Politi’s pitches play as average but he’s seen success in the upper minors over the last two seasons, proving he can miss bats, throw consistent strikes and generate ground balls. Politi made 38 appearances for Triple-A Worcester in 2022, compiling a 4-0 record with four saves, a 2.41 ERA, a 28.3% strikeout rate and a .191 opponent batting average. Politi looks ready for a major league role in some capacity in 2023, it’s just a matter of a team feeling he has enough upside to carry him for the entire season.”

Clearly, Baltimore Orioles EVP/GM Mike Elias and company feel like there’s enough upside on Politi to give him a shot at the major league level following a pretty solid 2022 season. He’ll probably start with sheltered innings, likely as a mop up reliever, as most Rule 5 picks usually do start with sheltered time, and perhaps he can grow his role by the end of the season if Brandon Hyde likes what he sees.