Dodgers Prospects All Over the Rule 5 Draft Watch List
MLB’s Rule 5 draft is set to take place this Thursday afternoon. This year, it’s tough to gauge which teams will be willing to take on minor league talent given the fact that there wasn’t a minor league season. But in a typical year, a Rule 5 draft allows teams to take certain non-40-man roster players from other teams. The Dodgers are once again in a spot where they could lose some young talent.
Players that were signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to a team’s 40-man roster within five seasons to avoid the draft. Players signed age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons in order to stay out of the draft. This year, the Dodgers have 3 guys on the “10 names to watch” list released by MLB.
Omar Estevez, 2B/SS
Estevez is currently the Dodgers number 21 prospect overall. They paid $6 million extra just to sign him in 2015 for exceeding their international bonus pool. While he profiles long-term at second base due to fringy defense, his bat is really what drew the organization to him in the first place. At 22-years-old, there is a lot of good potential for Estevez playing at the right position.
Marshall Kasowski, RHP
Kasowski has missed a ton of bats pitching at the professional, striking out 14.8 batters per 9 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he’s also walked 5.5 per 9 as he continues to figure out his control. Quickly approaching 26-yers-old, Kasowski is running out of time to get things figured out. Of the 3 guys on the lists, Marshall seems to be the biggest risk while also potentially being the biggest payoff for a team rolling the dice on him.
Jordan Sheffield, RHP
Sheffield is one of those Vanderbilt arms that the Dodgers hoped would work out. Sheffield moved to the bullpen in 2018 and his strikeout rate shot up to 12.1 per 9. Much like Kasowski, Sheffield has struggled big time with his command at the professional level, walking 7 per 9 during the 2019 season.
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