Twins Pass in MLB Rule 5 Draft, Add Four Players in Minor League Portion

The last time the Minnesota Twins made a Rule 5 pick was in 2017. That year, they drafted right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley. Kinley made the roster but was returned to the Marlins early in the season. 

That trend continued on Wednesday when the Twins passed on the opportunity to add players to their 40-man roster for $100,000. There had been some thought that the Twins might be looking at potential relief pitchers with their pick, but they ultimately opted not to. 

Fortunately for the team, they also didn't lose any players. Only 10 players were selected in the MLB phase. There were certainly concerns that the team could lose outfielder DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., infielder Anthony Prato, catcher and first baseman Chris Williams, or even right-hander Miguel Gonzalez. They had protected catcher Jair Camargo, infielder Yunior Severino, Utilityman Austin Martin, and outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez. 

In the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, however, the Twins were fairly busy. They added four players and lost none. The club selected left-handed pitcher Rafael Marcano from the Phillies. The 23-year-old pitched for High-A Jersey Shore in 2023. Twenty of his 23 appearances came as a starter. He went 5-6 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. In 93 1/3 innings, he had 97 strikeouts and 42 walks.

In the second round, the Twins selected catcher Rafael Escalante from the Pirates Complex League roster. Escalante is a 22-year-old who has also played first and third base in his career. In the FCL in 2023, he hit .256/.409/.367, with four doubles and two homers. He had 23 walks to go with 15 strikeouts.

Infielder Angel Del Rosario was their third-round pick in the minor-league portion. The 20-year-old played 57 games in Low A and eight games in High A in the Blue Jays organization. Combined, he hit .267/.342/.403, with nine doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He also had 25 stolen bases. In 236 plate appearances, he had 70 strikeouts and 19 walks. 

The Twins also selected right-handed pitcher Sheldon Reed from the Cubs organization. At High-A South Bend, he went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. In 53 1/3 innings over 40 relief appearances, he had 63 strikeouts and 26 walks. 

A year ago, the Twins drafted four players in the minor-league Rule 5 draft... Can you remember them? 

RHP Seth Nordlin and OF Armani Smith were released around midseason. Yohander Martinez missed some time with injury, but he's still in the organization. In the "pleasant surprise" department, Yoyner Fajardo played in 123 games and hit .305/.375/.446 (.820) with 23 doubles, eight triples, nine homers, and 50 stolen bases. 

Now that the Rule 5 draft is complete, we can expect to hear about a bunch of minor-league signings across all of baseball. Teams want to delay those signings so that they don't have to worry about losing those players in the Rule 5 draft.