After completing the first batch of cuts last month to get the roster down to 40 players, the Pirates have until Friday to add any minor-league players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
Unlike years past, the Pirates do not have any top prospects that need protected. It’s not like last year where they had to add Ke’Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz, or next year when Liover Peguero, Cody Bolton, Tahnaj Thomas and Travis Swaggerty become Rule 5 eligible.
Going by Baseball America’s top prospect list, the Pirates do not have any Rule 5 eligible players ranked higher than 20th in their farm system. Outfielder Jared Oliva seemed to be the best player who needed protected this year, and the Pirates took care of that in September when he got a cup of coffee in the majors.
It’s also worth considering that this Rule 5 draft is shaping up to be pretty uneventful. With the exception of some of the players in satellite camps or those who played in the instructional league, all the video, data and scouting reports available are now a year old. That should result in fewer picks in the major-league section.
This year's Rule 5 draft is happening Dec. 10.
With that said, there are still several players worth serious consideration for a roster spot. I’ve omitted two players who could theoretically be taken in the draft: utilityman Kevin Kramer and outfielder Lolo Sanchez. Kramer was just outrighted off the roster, so it makes little sense to add him back so quickly. As for Sanchez, he was rule 5 eligible last year but the Pirates didn’t protect him. No team selected him either. Hard to see a different outcome this year after no games were played.
Here are six players who could possibly be added, plus where they rank on Baseball America’s top 30 prospect list:
INF Rodolfo Castro (BA: N/A)
The Pirates certainly took a good, long look at Castro this year, inviting him to the satellite camp in Altoona, Pa. during the regular season and the development camp in Bradenton, Fla. in October. They also put him on the taxi squad for the final series of the season, letting the major-league coaches get to see him in person for a weekend.
A 21-year-old utility infielder, Castro has some pop, clubbing 19 home runs between Greensboro and Bradenton in 2019. He probably won’t ever have a good on-base percentage, but his defensive versatility and extra-base power make him an intriguing option. Think of like a Sean Rodriguez or Josh Harrison comp.
Castro is the only position player on this list, and his spot could be determined on whether or not the Pirates tender a contract to Erik Gonzalez or how aggressively they try to trade Adam Frazier.
RHP Santiago Florez (BA: 25)
The Pirates have used Florez as a starter thus far, but he is becoming Rule 5 eligible at just 20 year olds, so it may be the time to push him on the reliever path just to speed up his development. He certainly has the repertoire for it, featuring a mid-90s fastball and a curveball that gets the second most spin of any Pirate prospect (2,800 RPM, behind Steven Jennings’ and his 3,000 RPM curve).
Florez has control issues, walking almost as many hitters (61) as he has struck out in games (65), but hitters have had a very hard time squaring him up. He’s raw, but the talent is there. If the Pirates add him to the roster, they’ll have to speed up his ascent through the majors so they do not waste his option years. The odds of him being selected in the Rule 5 draft this year seem low though since he has not pitched above rookie ball yet.
RHP Max Kranick (BA: 26)
With the exception of Bolton and Cody Ponce, the Pirates do not have much major-league starting pitcher depth in the minors. That could open up a spot for Kranick, who currently is on that line of a back end of the rotation starter or bullpen arm.
Kranick spent his season in the Altoona camp, so the new management team got a good look at him this year. His fastball sits comfortably in the low- to -mid-90s with an above average slider, though he doesn’t have a reliable third offering yet. Being able to throw that changeup, even just to lefties, could be the difference between him starting and relieving.
During the season, the Pirates opted into a league-wide program that shared video and data of players at satellite camps with other teams. With that information out there, it would make sense for a team to feel more confident taking someone like Kranick in the draft over a player who was away for all of 2020.
RHP Travis MacGregor (BA: 20)
The highest-rated prospect on this list, per Baseball America, MacGregor is also the furthest removed from pitching in a game, missing all of 2019 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Before the surgery, his fastball topped out in the upper-90s, but sat in the lower-half of the 90s, with a low-spin breaking ball and plus changeup. MacGregor certainly has the tools to be a potential starter, hence why the Pirates selected him in the second round in the 2016 draft. But after two years of being limited to sim games and bullpens, it’s hard to tell exactly where he is in his development.
MacGregor has not pitched above Class A, so if a team does grab him, they would almost certainly have to stash him in the bullpen.
LHP Braeden Ogle (BA: N/A)
Drafted in the fourth round in 2016, Ogle seemed to lose his prospect status after transitioning to the bullpen in 2019. Despite that, he was invited to the Altoona satellite camp, so management is at least intrigued by him. His fastball can touch the mid-90s, which pairs well with an above average breaking ball. He does have the makings of a decent left-handed reliever, but has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career.
The Pirates already lost one left-handed reliever this offseason when the Twins claimed Brandon Waddell off waivers. In the majors, their only lefty bullpen options are Sam Howard, Austin Davis and Nik Turley. A healthy Ogle could challenge Davis or Turley for a roster spot at some point in 2021.
LHP Blake Weiman (BA: N/A)
Weiman wasn’t a part of the Altoona or Bradenton camp, which doesn’t exactly bode well for his chances of being added to the roster right now. But he was invited to major-league spring training the last two years, and that counts for something.
He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, but makes up for it with a plus slider and good control. There may be room for that fastball to go from 90-92 mph to around 93-94 with some cleaner lower-half mechanics, and frankly, those couple of ticks may be the difference between him being a fringe guy or a major-league reliever.
Weiman is in the same spot as Ogle. The Pirates do not have much left-handed relief, perhaps clearing a spot for him.
