Rule V Draft Winners & Losers
May 16, 2021 12:12:36 GMT -5
Commissioner Erick, sfdave, and 1 more like this
Post by stlgm on May 16, 2021 12:12:36 GMT -5
The Rule V draft has come and gone in PBA. The draft was more eventful than most expected with 51 players switching team. The most active teams in drafting were St. Louis(10 players draft), Texas(10), Chicago [Cubs](7), Toronto(5), and Seattle(4); while the teams most raided were San Francisco(11 players drafted), Oakland(9), and Miami(5). As with any draft, it's not as much about the quantity as it is quality, which is why Baseball News Network is here to breakdown the winners and losers of Tuesday's draft.
Winner - St. Louis Cardinals
After an offseason where the Cardinals have done nothing but send away big league talent and acquire minor league talent, they finally plugged some holes on their big league roster. The prize selection was BNN's #10 overall prospect, SP Sergio Ochoa. Ochoa inexplicably spent 2025 in A-ball after dominating Double A and holding his own in Triple A in 2024. Ochoa looks to be a future ace in the league. In addition, St. Louis added two young bullpen arms(Jarrod Rodgers & Juan Coronado), and an array of players that will compete for starting positions at 1B, 3B, & CF. While the Cardinals will still struggle to play .500 baseball in 2026, the draft should have a positive impact on the team's future and make them a feisty loser this season.
Loser - Miami Marlins
Miami ownership inexplicably planned a three week team building getaway to Madagascar over the holidays, and forgot to update their 40 man roster before disconnecting from the rest of the world. As a result, the team lost five prospects in the first round of the Rule V drive, including the first three picks which all happen to rank in BNN's top 100 prospects list(2B Luis Castillo - #18, SP Jim Anderson - #70, SP Ochoa - #10). It's a draft that likely sets back Miami's rebuild yet again, and has their remaining fanbase calling for management's jobs.
Winner - Toronto Blue Jays
Oakland surprised some by not protecting IF Joe Taylor, and the Blue Jays took advantage. Combined with their fifth round pick of Yeyson Yrizarri(say that ten times fast), they may have found a platoon to replace Kole Enright at 3B if they decide to go that round. They selected Juan Moreno in the third round with potentially a similar thought in mind, as he could potentially platoon with Yusniel Diaz in LF. In additional, they added a strong fourth OF in T.J. McDonald and a backup IF in Morgan McCullough.
Loser - San Francisco Giants
This loser selection is more of a compliment to the Giants organization than a critique on their roster management. The Giants boast one of PBA's strongest and deepest farm systems, making them a target when a 40 man roster just isn't enough to protect all of the talent. One GM allegedly had 14 players from the Giants' farm system on their Rule V big board. As a result, San Francisco lost a league-high 11 players in the draft on Tuesday. The Giants lost some organizational depth in this draft, but no one likely feels bad for them.
Winner - Pittsburgh Pirates
Show of hands here, how many of you arm-chair GMs would have traded away LF Chad Kersey for 2B Luis Castillo? Yes, it's a no-brainer, and exactly what the Pirates did on Tuesday. There will be questions around how well Castillo develops at the big league level after struggling in Double A last year, but it's worth the risk. The only real criticism of the Pirates in the draft was their reluctance to do anything after the first round.
Loser - Minnesota Twins
Losing SP Jake Shirey is not a good look for the Twins franchise. Shirey was one of the pieces acquired in the Wessel Ruschen blockbuster last summer, and after a solid season in AA, looked to still be on pace for a big league call up in 2027 and a future as a mid-rotation starter. The team also lost SP Alfredo Medina in the second round, who could be argued as a better prospect than Shirey. While neither are likely future Cy Young candidates, both were on the path of becoming cogs in the rotation in Minnesota. Losing both in the Rule V is unacceptable.
Winner - St. Louis Cardinals
After an offseason where the Cardinals have done nothing but send away big league talent and acquire minor league talent, they finally plugged some holes on their big league roster. The prize selection was BNN's #10 overall prospect, SP Sergio Ochoa. Ochoa inexplicably spent 2025 in A-ball after dominating Double A and holding his own in Triple A in 2024. Ochoa looks to be a future ace in the league. In addition, St. Louis added two young bullpen arms(Jarrod Rodgers & Juan Coronado), and an array of players that will compete for starting positions at 1B, 3B, & CF. While the Cardinals will still struggle to play .500 baseball in 2026, the draft should have a positive impact on the team's future and make them a feisty loser this season.
Loser - Miami Marlins
Miami ownership inexplicably planned a three week team building getaway to Madagascar over the holidays, and forgot to update their 40 man roster before disconnecting from the rest of the world. As a result, the team lost five prospects in the first round of the Rule V drive, including the first three picks which all happen to rank in BNN's top 100 prospects list(2B Luis Castillo - #18, SP Jim Anderson - #70, SP Ochoa - #10). It's a draft that likely sets back Miami's rebuild yet again, and has their remaining fanbase calling for management's jobs.
Winner - Toronto Blue Jays
Oakland surprised some by not protecting IF Joe Taylor, and the Blue Jays took advantage. Combined with their fifth round pick of Yeyson Yrizarri(say that ten times fast), they may have found a platoon to replace Kole Enright at 3B if they decide to go that round. They selected Juan Moreno in the third round with potentially a similar thought in mind, as he could potentially platoon with Yusniel Diaz in LF. In additional, they added a strong fourth OF in T.J. McDonald and a backup IF in Morgan McCullough.
Loser - San Francisco Giants
This loser selection is more of a compliment to the Giants organization than a critique on their roster management. The Giants boast one of PBA's strongest and deepest farm systems, making them a target when a 40 man roster just isn't enough to protect all of the talent. One GM allegedly had 14 players from the Giants' farm system on their Rule V big board. As a result, San Francisco lost a league-high 11 players in the draft on Tuesday. The Giants lost some organizational depth in this draft, but no one likely feels bad for them.
Winner - Pittsburgh Pirates
Show of hands here, how many of you arm-chair GMs would have traded away LF Chad Kersey for 2B Luis Castillo? Yes, it's a no-brainer, and exactly what the Pirates did on Tuesday. There will be questions around how well Castillo develops at the big league level after struggling in Double A last year, but it's worth the risk. The only real criticism of the Pirates in the draft was their reluctance to do anything after the first round.
Loser - Minnesota Twins
Losing SP Jake Shirey is not a good look for the Twins franchise. Shirey was one of the pieces acquired in the Wessel Ruschen blockbuster last summer, and after a solid season in AA, looked to still be on pace for a big league call up in 2027 and a future as a mid-rotation starter. The team also lost SP Alfredo Medina in the second round, who could be argued as a better prospect than Shirey. While neither are likely future Cy Young candidates, both were on the path of becoming cogs in the rotation in Minnesota. Losing both in the Rule V is unacceptable.