Rule 5 and Minor-League Free Agents
By Jason Wojciechowski on October 31, 2014 at 6:04 PM
Speaking of minor-league free agents and such, it's probably worthwhile to take a run through who the A's could lose this December in the Rule 5 draft. My understanding of the rules comes almost entirely from The Cub Reporter, so if I get anything wrong, blame that guy, not me.1
Briefest summary: players who were 18 or younger on June 5th of the year they sign can be taken in the Rule 5 draft in the fifth such draft that occurs after their signing (and in every subsequent Rule 5 draft); players who were 19 or older on that date can be taken in the fourth Rule 5 draft.
College draftees and older high school picks, then, are those who were taken in the June 2011 draft or earlier. Younger high school picks and most international signings are those picked/signed in June 2010 or earlier.
| Name | Age (2015) | Position | Level | Signed/drafted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Shipman | 23 | LF | High-A | third round 2010 | no pop, great on-base, not the type to get Rule 5'd |
| Alex Nolasco | 24 | RP | Arizona | 2008? 2009? | only 13 2/3 innings this year |
| Andres Avila | 25 | RP | High-A | April 2010 | strikeouts took a leap in 36 Stockton innings |
| Andrew Werner | 28 | P | Double-A | 2010? 2011? | signed out of indy leagues by Padres |
| Anthony Aliotti | 27 | 1B | Triple-A | 15th round 2009 | first basemen can't slug .354 in the PCL |
| B.A. Vollmuth | 25 | 1B/3B | Low-A | third round 2011 | that didn't work |
| Beau Taylor | 25 | C | Double-A | fifth round 2011 | hasn't solved Double-A |
| Blake Forsythe | 25 | C | Double-A | third round 2010 (Mets) | can probably catch in Double-A as long as he wants |
| Blake Hassebrock | 25 | RP | Double-A | eighth round 2010 | 15.6 H/9! |
| Bobby Crocker | 25 | OF | High-A | fourth round 2011 | not OPSing 800 in the Cal League isn't great |
| Carlos Navas | 22 | SP | Arizona | 2008? 2009? | maybe short-season next year? |
| Chad Oberacker | 26 | OF | Double-A | 25th round 2011 | two cracks at Double-A, hasn't done anything with the bat in either of them |
| Chih Fang Pan | 24 | 2B | Low-A | April 2010 | missed all of 2013; hasn't hit |
| Chris Jensen | 24 | SP | Double-A | sixth round 2011 (Rockies) | probably not good enough to be snatched up; probably good enough to stick around for a while |
| Chris Lamb | 25 | SP | High-A | 11th round 2011 | really solid year, if old and relatively low level; might need to protect him |
| Colin Walsh | 25 | 2B | Triple-A | 13th round 2010 (Cardinals) | had a good year in 2012 |
| Conner Crumbliss | 28 | 2B/OF | Double-A | 28th round 2009 | big OBP guy has seen it slip as he's advanced |
| Cristhian Perez | 23 | SP | Short-season | July 2008 | missed bats at an almost unbelievably low rate the last two years in Vermont |
| Dayton Alexander | 24 | OF | Short-season | sixth round 2011 | Hawaiian |
| Deck McGuire | 26 | SP | Triple-A | first round 2010 | former prospect |
| Drew Granier | 26 | SP | Double-A | 32nd round 2011 | still chugging along, still walking everyone |
| Dusty Coleman | 28 | SS | Double-A | 28th round 2008 | could be a free agent; didn't play in 2010 |
| Dusty Robinson | 25 | RF | High-A | 10th round 2011 | played half this year in indy ball before returning |
| Gabriel Santana | 22 | SS | Short-season | August 2008 | hasn't hit |
| Jake Goebbert | 27 | LF | Triple-A | 13th round 2009 (Padres) | debuted in 2014 but didn't hit in stint with Padres |
| Jeff Urlaub | 28 | RP | Double-A | 30th round 2010 | 1.57 ERA looks BABIPy |
| Jonesy Zarraga | 23 | LF | Arizona | August 2008 | second year in AZL; stats took a step back |
| Josh Bowman | 26 | SP | High-A | 10th round 2010 | stats indicate that he gets hit hard |
| Josh Whitaker | 26 | RF | Triple-A | 25th round 2010 | slugged in Double-A; interesting possibility |
| Kent Matthes | 28 | OF | Double-A | fourth round 2009 (Rockies) | had a bat once upon a time, but hasn't hit in years |
| Michael Soto | 23 | 1B | Low-A | March 2009 | slugger type |
| Miles Head | 24 | 1B/3B/DH | Double-A | 26th round 2009 (Red Sox) | former prospect hasn't hit in 2.5 go-rounds at Double-A |
| Murphy Smith | 27 | RP | Double-A | 13th round 2009 | third year at Midland, a bullpen move doesn't do much |
| Nate Long | 29 | SP | Double-A | 26th round 2009 | should reach the majors by 32 |
| Paul Smyth | 28 | RP | Triple-A | 35th round 2009 | could get grabbed as the last reliever in someone's bullpen; why not? |
| Rodolfo Penalo | 22 | CF | Arizona | 2010? | didn't come stateside until this year; on-base freak with speed |
| Ryan Lipkin | 27 | C | High-A | 24th round 2010 | see Ryan Ortiz |
| Ryan Ortiz | 27 | C | Triple-A | sixth round 2009 | see Blake Forsythe |
| Sam Roberts | 26 | 2B/RP | Low-A | 26th round 2011 | converted to pitching midyear; does this get the A's an extra year? |
| Sean Murphy | 26 | SP | Double-A | 33rd round 2010 | maybe Irish |
| Seth Frankoff | 26 | RP | Triple-A | 27th round 2010 | intriguing Double-A component stats; less so in the PCL |
| Tanner Peters | 24 | SP | Double-A | 16th round 2011 | hurt most of the year, pitched the last three weeks in AZL |
| Tyler Vail | 23 | RP | Low-A | fifth round 2010 | 1.3 K/BB in Low-A as a reliever |
| Vicmal de la Cruz | 21 | RF | Arizona | November 2010 | Three years in AZL |
| Wade Kirkland | 26 | 2B | High-A | 11th round 2010 | did get three games at Triple-A |
| Zach Neal | 26 | SP | Triple-A | 17th round 2010 | refuses to walk anyone |
| Zeke DeVoss | 24 | OF | High-A | third round 2011 (Cubs) | released by Chicago last year |
Meanwhile, here are the notable players who I believe are minor-league free agents:
| Player | Position | Level | Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alden Carrithers | UT | Triple-A | has a hyphenated middle name |
| Daric Barton | 1B | Triple-A | finally off the 40-man and free to roam. I think |
| Deryk Hooker | RP | Double-A | former Cardinal; future Pirate (I have no idea) |
| Dusty Brown | C | Triple-A | 46 major-league PAs total; drafted in 2000 |
| Jake Elmore | IF | Triple-A | has appeared in the majors each of the last three years |
| Jefry Marte | 3B | Double-A | acquired in the Collin Cowgill trade |
| Jeremy Barfield | RF | Double-A | converted to pitcher, then converted back; 2008 draftee; good at Twitter |
| Kenny Wilson | OF | Double-A | claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in July 2014 |
| Marcus Walden | RP | Double-A | started 11 games in Sacramento, then demoted to Midland and the bullpen |
| Nick Buss | OF | Triple-A | apparently not a Lakers owner |
| Omar Duran | RP | Double-A | big strikeout numbers, walks getting more and more under control |
| Philip Humber | RP | Triple-A | would have put money on him making an appearance at some point for the A's in 2014 |
| Ryan Doolittle | RP | Double-A | missed all of 2009; might not be an FA because of it |
| Shawn Haviland | SP | Double-A | good ol' Ivy League to MLB; missed all of 2013 |
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That's stupid, don't blame him. I'm the one who got it wrong. Blame me. ↩