Breakdown: Rule 5 recap, who was added and who was lost?

A closer look at the players the Pirates added in the Rule 5, and that they lost.

Photo Credit: WTM

The Rule 5 draft was completed on Wednesday, and despite having an open roster spot, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided not to take anyone, nor did they lose a player during the major league portion.

However, the Pirates added four to the organization during the minor league portion, which canceled the four they lost.

Here’s a closer look at the players they drafted on Wednesday.

Fineas Del Bonta-Smith, RHP Colorado Rockies

He’ll be 27 by the time Opening Day 2024 comes around and has spent the last two years in Double-A, where he’s pitched 71 games, posted a 7-3 record, and has 110 strikeouts to 33 walks in 95 innings pitched. Bonta-Smith has a 4.64 ERA in that span.

He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2022; the video above is from that.

Seth Beer, 1B/OF Arizona Diamondbacks

A former standout at Clemson, Beer was a first-round pick’ first-round pick back in 2018. He hit 56 home runs in college, including 18 as a freshman. He would later hit 16 home runs in 63 games with Houston’s Double-A team before getting traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He hit a walk-off on Opening Day, which was also ‘National Beer Day.’ Beer couldn’t do much beyond that and has batted .208/.294/.292 with two home runs in 43 major league games (136 plate appearances).

There’s power in the bat, just doesn’t make enough contact.

Marcos Cabrera, 3B New York Yankees

Cabrera is a third baseman who played in High-A last year at 21, recently having a birthday after the season. He didn’t hit much, with a .212 average, but he hit six home runs in 65 games, and FanGraphs gives him an above-average (55) future value grade when it comes to his power.

PJ Hilson, OF San Francisco Giants

Hilson was a sixth-round pick in 2018 by the San Francisco Giants. He played in the rookie/complex league for four years before finally breaking into full-season ball full-time in 2023.

FanGraphs gives him double-plus speed (70), and he hit 10 home runs while stealing 12 bases in just 80 games in Single-A. Of course, the caveat with those numbers was that he was 22 years old playing in Single-A.

Still, there is some intrigue there. It’s just an example of a player who hasn’t put it all together, this is what FanGraphs wrote about him last year;

“Hilson is an athletic center fielder who certainly looks the part, but he’s been at the complex level for four years, and there are no signs that his bat is ready for full-season ball.”

Players lost to another organization

Dariel Lopez, 3B San Francisco Giants

This is the most notable name, as he was ranked the 14th best prospect in the Pirates system on MLB Pipeline. He’s flashed some nice power in the lower levels but missed the 2023 season after dislocating his knee during an off-season workout.

The fact that Lopez hit 18 home runs in High-A at 20 years old made some wonder why they wouldn’t protect him from the minor league phase of the Rule 5, but a report came out that the “surgery was more complicated than originally expected, and concern about his ability to recover from the injury likely led the Pirates to risk losing him.”

I was high on Lopez, mainly from the power - especially to the opposite field - that he showed in Bradenton. There were questions about his defensive home, but the power was legit.

At this point, just seeing him on the field again would be nice, regardless of the team it is for.

Omar Cruz, LHP San Diego Padres

Acquired in the Joe Musgrove trade, Cruz had one of the best change-ups in the entire system and threw a big looping curveball with it. He had some success in Greensboro and a bit in Altoona but was relegated to depth this past year, bouncing on and off the Development List.

He posted a 3.94 ERA in 48 innings during the 2023 season, his third in Double-A.

Side note: I was at this game, and he was absolutely dominant after piggybacking off Mike Burrows, who also pitched well that night.

Rafael Escalante, Catcher Minnesota Twins

Originally signed as a shortstop, Escalante moved to catcher, played well there defensively, and showed a strong approach at the plate. He has more walks than strikeouts in his career and put up a 116 wRC+.

He hit two home runs, scored 22 runs, and drove in 16 across 34 games in the Florida Complex League, but was also 22 years old.

Roelmy Garcia, RHP Tampa Bay Rays

Garcia got a $350,000 bonus when he signed with the Pirates and is still 20. Control is his biggest issue, as he’s walked more than a batter per inning in his career but has also struck out 26.4% of the hitters he’s faced.

He was hitting the upper 90s with his fastball in 2022, but according to WTM’s player page, he wasn’t throwing as hard this past season - perhaps to try and limit the walks.