Each team’s most recent Rule 5 keeper

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is now in the books, and there’s no doubt the 18 players taken in the Major League phase on Thursday, not to mention the 14 teams acquiring players, hope they stick in the big leagues for all of 2021 and beyond.

History tells us that’s unlikely to happen. While a solid percentage of Rule 5 picks get at least some big league time the season following their selection, it’s not so easy to stick around for an entire year. Below is the last Rule 5 selection (or player traded for immediately following the Rule 5 Draft) for each team to stick with that team all year. This was no small task, as we had to go digging far into the past to find a player who fit the bill for some teams.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Elvis Luciano, RHP (2018)
Luciano was just 18 years old and yet to pitch above Rookie ball when the Blue Jays plucked him from Kansas City’s system in 2018. He was deployed selectively out of Toronto’s bullpen, often working multiple innings, and posted a 5.35 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 24 walks in 33 2/3 innings (25 appearances) before a right elbow sprain prematurely ended his season in mid-June.

Orioles: Richie Martin, SS (2018)
The A’s initially took Martin in the first round (No. 20 overall) of the 2015 Draft out of the University of Florida, and he was coming off of a .300/.368/.439 (with 25 steals) showing in Double-A in 2018 when the O’s made him the No. 1 pick of that December’s Rule 5. He saw a lot of time in Baltimore’s infield in 2019, starting 89 games at shortstop and appearing in 120 games total, with only a -1.3 WAR to show for it. A fractured wrist forced him to miss the shortened 2020 season.

Rays: Kevin Gadea, RHP (2016)
Signed out of Nicaragua by Seattle late in 2012, Gadea spent four years in the Mariners’ system before joining the Rays in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. He spent the entire season on Tampa Bay’s active roster — thanks largely to a right elbow injury that landed him on the 60-day injured list — but was outrighted by the club after the ’17 season.

Red Sox: Jonathan Arauz, INF (2019)
Arauz signed with the Phillies for the largest bonus ($600,000) received by a Panamanian in the 2014 international class, went to the Astros as part of the Ken Giles/Vince Velasquez deal a year later and joined the Red Sox at the 2019 Winter Meetings. He stuck with Boston throughout last season as a utility infielder, batting .250/.325/.319 in 80 plate appearances as a 21-year-old.

Yankees: Billy Parker, INF/OF (1973)
The Yankees rarely make a selection in the big league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, which is why it’s been 47 years since they took a player whom they held onto — and Parker spent three years in their system without playing in New York. The last Negro Leaguer to play in the Majors, he was the first parks and recreation director in Surprise, Ariz., where the field the Rangers and Royals make their Spring Training home is named after him.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Hector Ambriz, RHP (2009)
Ambriz recorded a 5.59 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the Indians in 2010, but he was shut down in September with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He never pitched for Cleveland again, worked parts of three big league seasons with the Astros and Padres and has bounced around the Mexican League in recent years.

Royals: Brad Keller, RHP; Burch Smith, RHP (2017)
One of the best Rule 5 success stories in recent memory, Keller has been an 8.3-WAR player for the Royals in the three seasons since the club acquired him from the Reds — after Cincinnati had selected him from Arizona’s system with the No. 5 pick in ’17. The right-hander was excellent in 2020, posting a 2.47 ERA in nine starts to bring his career ERA to 3.50 through 360 1/3 frames. Smith, whom the Royals acquired from the Mets with the No. 6 pick, stuck on Kansas City’s active roster as well, though he was released after the season.

Tigers: Rony Garcia, RHP (2019)
Selected from the Yankees’ system with the No. 1 pick in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, Garcia opened the 2020 season in Detroit’s rotation but quickly was transitioned into more of a long-relief role after experiencing some early struggles. While the overall results weren’t particularly great (8.14 ERA in 21 IP), the 22-year-old righty stuck with the Tigers for the entire season and made three straight hitless appearances to close out his campaign.

Twins: J.R. Graham, RHP (2014)
Graham began his pro career as a fourth-round pick of the Braves out of Santa Clara University in 2011 and had just started a move to the bullpen in 2014 when the Twins selected him. He appeared in 39 games for Minnesota in 2015, finishing with a 4.95 ERA. After dealing with arm issues, he was designated for assignment in May 2016, then sent to the Yankees, where he appeared in 23 Minor League games, his last appearances as a pro.

White Sox: Dylan Covey, RHP (2016)
A first-round pick out of high school in 2010 by the Brewers, Covey declined to sign after a post-Draft physical revealed he had diabetes, eventually turning pro as a fourth-rounder with the Athletics in 2013. He spent three seasons shuffling in and out of the White Sox rotation with little success. Including a cameo with the Red Sox in 2020, he has gone 6-29 with a 6.57 ERA in 264 1/3 innings. Both his ERA and winning percentage (.171) rank as the sixth worst in baseball history and worst since World War II for pitchers with at least as many innings or decisions.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Deolis Guerra, RHP (2015)
Guerra was a bit of a Rule 5 oddity, having pitched in the big leagues prior to getting taken by the Angels. He had made his big league debut with the Pirates in 2015, was outrighted and then signed a Minor League free agent deal with the Pirates in early December. Just three days later, the Angels took him in the Rule 5 and he pitched well in 2016, finishing with a positive WAR (0.4) and a 3.21 ERA in 44 games. He appeared in 19 more in 2017, pitched with the Rangers organization in 2018 and touched the big leagues with the Brewers in 2019 and Phillies this past season.

Astros: Josh Fields, RHP (2012)
A Mariners first-round pick in 2008, Fields compiled a 4.27 ERA as a reliever in three seasons with the rebuilding Astros before slumping to a 6.89 mark in his fourth. Houston shipped him to the Dodgers in a deadline deal for Yordan Alvarez, who had yet to make his pro debut and blossomed into the 2019 American League Rookie of the Year. As a cherry on top, the Astros also roughed up Fields for two home runs in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, helping turn the Fall Classic in their favor.

A’s: Vimael Machín, INF (2019)
A shortstop initially drafted by the Cubs out of Virginia Commonwealth, Machín had reached Triple-A as a utility type, which is exactly why the A’s got him from the Phillies in a Rule 5 Draft day trade. He saw some time at all four infield positions in Oakland in 2020 and even landed on the Wild Card roster in the postseason, though he didn’t appear in a game. He collected 63 at-bats and finished with a .534 OPS.

Mariners: Yohan Ramirez, RHP (2019)
Ramirez was the only player taken in the Major League phase of the 2019 Draft to amass a positive WAR (0.5) with the team that selected him. Taken No. 5 overall, the right-hander had made it up to Double-A as an Astros hybrid starter/reliever. Working only out of the ‘pen for Seattle, he finished with a 2.61 ERA and 26 K’s in 20 2/3 IP, albeit with 20 walks.

Rangers: Carlos Tocci, OF (2017)
One of the top international prospects in the 2011 international class, Tocci signed with the Phillies for $759,000 out of Venezuela but struggled to add strength as a pro. He hit .225/.271/.283 in 120 at-bats with the Rangers in 2018 and spent the next season in Triple-A, where he batted .244/.313/.308 before getting released in August. He signed with the Nationals last January.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Dan Winkler, RHP (2014)
The Braves took Winkler in 2014 even though he had Tommy John surgery in June of that year. That enabled the Braves to keep him on the injured list while he rehabbed in 2015, eventually making his big league debut in September of that season. He missed nearly all of 2016 after he fractured his elbow. He finally started making a big league contribution in 2017 (2.51 ERA, 11.3 K/9 in 16 games) and was an effective reliever for all of 2018 (3.43 ERA, 10.3 K/9), though struggles down the stretch kept him off the postseason roster and continued in an up-and-down 2019 season. He was traded to the Giants that July in the Mark Melancon deal and landed with the Cubs in 2020, pitching well in Chicago and making his playoff debut.

Marlins: Elieser Hernandez, RHP & Brett Graves, RHP (2017)
The Marlins actually found two keepers in the same Rule 5 Draft three years ago, and Hernandez is one of the more useful players on this list. He logged a 3.16 ERA with a 34/5 K/BB ratio in six starts and 25 2/3 innings this summer before getting sidelined by a strained lat. Graves made 21 relief appearances with a 5.40 ERA in 2018 but hasn’t pitched in the Majors since and went back to the Athletics, his original organization, in the Minor League phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.

Mets: Sean Gilmartin, LHP (2014)
Originally taken by Atlanta with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Gilmartin produced mixed results as a starter in the upper Minors before assuming a full-time bullpen role in ‘15, after the Mets had selected him in the previous year’s Rule 5 Draft. Though he excelled in his first season as a reliever, pitching to a 2.67 ERA across 50 appearances, Gilmartin struggled to build upon that success in each of the next two years and was designated for assignment by the Mets in June ’17.

Nationals: Elvin Ramirez, RHP (2010)
An international free agent who signed with the Mets in 2004, Ramirez joined the Nationals in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft and remained with the club for all of ‘11, albeit without seeing any action. He was returned to New York after the season and made his big league debut the following year, appearing in 20 games out of the Mets’ bullpen.

Phillies: Tyler Goeddel, OF (2015)
The Phillies nabbed Goeddel from the Rays in 2015, hoping to strike outfield gold again a year after taking Odubel Herrera. Goeddel stuck all year with the Phillies in 2016, appearing in 92 games, mostly in left field. But after hitting .192/.258/.291, he hasn’t made it back to the big leagues, logging Minor League time with the Reds (who picked him up off of waivers from the Phillies in April 2017), the Dodgers in 2018 and the Nationals in 2019.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Wei-Chung Wang, LHP (2013)
Signed by Pittsburgh out of Taiwan in 2011, Wang had accrued all of 74 1/3 Minor League frames — none above the Class A Advanced level — when the Brewers popped him in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft. He appeared in 14 games as a reliever and remained with the club for the entire ’14 season, thanks in part to a shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of the second half. Wang got back to the Majors with Milwaukee briefly in ’17, then logged 25 games (3.77 ERA) with the A’s and Pirates in ’19.

Cardinals: Matt Bowman, RHP (2015)
Though the Mets decided not to protect Bowman — their 13th-round pick in 2012 — after he had posted a 5.53 ERA across 26 Triple-A starts, the Cardinals felt that the right-hander possessed untapped potential as a reliever given his extreme ground-ball tendencies and strike-throwing ability. He proved a revelation in that role in ’16, posting a 3.46 ERA and 63.5 percent ground-ball rate in 59 appearances, and he ultimately compiled a 4.10 ERA for the Cardinals over 149 1/3 innings (2016-18).

Cubs: Trevor Megill, RHP (2019)
Megill hasn’t pitched in an official game since the Cubs drafted him last December, but they snuck him through waivers and then sent cash to the Padres this summer to permanently retain his rights. Chicago likes the angle his 6-foot-8 frame creates on his 92-96 mph fastball and views him as a potential middle reliever.

Pirates: Nick Burdi, RHP (2017)
The Pirates rolled the dice when they acquired Burdi, sending international bonus pool money to the Phillies to get him on the day of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, because he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery earlier that year at the time. He did make his big league debut in September 2018, got hurt again in 2019, then started showing what the fuss was all about for a brief turn as the Pirates’ closer early in 2020 before another arm injury led to a second TJ surgery in October.

Reds: Stuart Turner, C (2016)
The Twins had taken Turner out of Mississippi in the third round of the 2013 Draft, and he had spent the 2016 season in Double-A. The Reds took a shot at the catcher, a position not often taken in the Rule 5, and he appeared in 37 games with Cincinnati in 2017 while also spending a month on the injured list. He hasn’t been back to the big leagues since, spending 2018 and 2019 mostly with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville while battling injuries.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Oscar Hernandez, C (2014)
Defensively gifted catchers, regardless of experience, are always a hot commodity in the Rule 5 Draft, which is why Arizona jumped at the chance to get Hernandez from the Rays with the first pick in 2014. The then-21-year-old backstop appeared in parts of 18 games in his first big league campaign and remained on the D-backs’ 40-man roster until ’17.

Dodgers: Carlos Monasterios, RHP (2009)
Monasterios compiled a 4.38 ERA in 32 games as a swingman with the 2010 Dodgers, but he blew out his elbow early the next season while in Triple-A, had Tommy John surgery and never pitched in another game for the organization before his release in April 2012. He’s most famous for being part of the package the Yankees sent to the Phillies to acquire Bobby Abreu in 2006.

Giants: Jim McNamara, C (1992)
McNamara actually split 1992 between the big leagues and Triple-A for the Giants before signing a Minor League deal with the expansion Marlins as a free agent. San Francisco wanted him back and Rule 5ed him, then traded righty pitching prospect Jarod Juelsgaard to Florida to retain McNamara’s rights the following April. He played in just four more games for the Giants, going 1-for-7.

Padres: Miguel Diaz, RHP; Luis Torrens, C; Allen Cordoba, SS (2016)
Trades with the Twins and Reds netted San Diego the first two picks in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft, which they used on Diaz (from Brewers) and Torrens (Yankees) before grabbing Cordoba (Cardinals) at No. 3. None of them had played above the Class A level before that year, but all three prospects remained on San Diego’s roster for the entire 2017 season. Torrens saw time with the Padres in 2020 before they dealt him to Seattle in the Austin Nola Deadline deal.

Rockies: Tommy Kahnle RHP (2013)
Kahnle, taken by the Rockies from the Yankees, has parlayed his Rule 5 selection into a seven-year big league career. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie with the Rockies in 2014, then 36 more in 2015 before the Rockies traded him to the White Sox in November following that season. He pitched very well in Chicago for most of the next two seasons before getting traded again, this time back to the Yankees, at the 2017 Trade Deadline. He’d been with the Yankees since, appearing in the 2017 and 2019 postseason. He had Tommy John surgery in August of this year and is now a free agent after being outrighted by New York.