Braves: Additions & losses from the Minor League Rule 5 Draft

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With the lockout, MLB can’t do the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. They can, however, complete the Minor League portion. The Braves added and lost some players this year:

As you can see, the Braves made four selections before bowing out of the draft. Here’s a quick rundown of the one player lost and four players added:

Gabriel Rodriguez is leaving the Braves, and this is what Baseball America had to say about him:

Gabriel Rodriguez, LHP, Braves

The ability to throw strikes has escaped Rodriguez up to this point, but his loud two-pitch mix may compel an organization that believes it can hone his poor command. A 31st-round pick of the Braves in 2018, Rodriguez sits 95 mph and touches as high as 99 mph with his four-seam fastball. The pitch features elite vertical movement (over 19 inches of induced vertical break) and misses bats at an elite rate (38.7% whiff), but it was hit fairly hard leading to below-average results overall. While his fastball accounts for nearly 75% of his usage, he does have a strong secondary in his tight, mid-80s slider. A gyro-style slider thrown with above-average velocity, the pitch misses bats at an absurd rate, generating whiffs on more than 60% of swings. His walk rate was outrageous (12.9 BB/9 in 2021), but he’s just 22 years of age and has closer-level stuff. Well, except for the 20 control and command.

If you remember correctly, John Nogowski gave the Braves a hard time during the 2021 season. Over three games when he was with the Pirates, Nogowski slashed an absurd .583/.643/.583/1.226 with seven hits in twelve at bats against Atlanta. He is a logical choice. The Braves have no depth behind Freddie Freeman (who is, as of now, unsigned). He will likely start in Gwinnett, which should be perfectly fine.

Luis De Avila is a Royals farmhand, and at 20 years old, he’s still a bit of a project. There isn’t much available on De Avila, but he must have some projectability the Braves find attractive. The lefty has a career 5.16 ERA in Low-A.

As mentioned by Cooper, Baseball America did a preview for Allan Winans.

Allan Winans, RHP, Mets

A 17th-round senior sign in 2018 out of Campbell, Winans was 2-3, 1.72 with a .145 average against and a 0.81 WHIP between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. He uses a slider-heavy four-pitch mix. His fastballs (four-seam and two-seam) have below-average velocity (88-92 mph). He avoids barrels more than he misses bats.

Looks like a really solid pickup; the low velocity worries me, but he seems to have decent makeup.

This is what Marlin Maniac had to say about the final pick for the Braves of the draft, RHP Tanner Andrews:

Selected with the 297th pick off the board, the Marlins signed him for $10,000, well below his slot value of $140,000. He made his professional debut with the GCL Marlins on June 26th, allowing two hits in an inning of work, picking up a save. His next appearance would be for the short-season low-A Batavia Muckdogs.

Andrews has come out of the bullpen 11 times for the Muckdogs since joining the team, and struck out 23 in 26 innings. He’s held his WHIP down to 1.15, and has a 2-0 record with a 3.81 ERA. A .310 BABIP and 3.45 FIP suggests that maybe he’s a little better than his “regular” statistics would suggest. Balls batted into the field of play are nearly evenly divided, with 30 groundballs and 34 flies, with seven liners. Of his 345 pitches through his professional career, he has put 237 in the strike zone, that’s 68.7 percent. Not too shabby. In yesterday’s 4-2 Batavia win over the Williamsport Crosscutters, Andrews struck out four in three innings of work, allowing a run on two hits and zero walks.

Andrews’ floor is probably double-A bullpen, with a ceiling of MLB setup man. With normal progression through the Miami Marlins system, he should get a look at the parent club Spring Training in 2021, with a chance to break camp with the big boys in 2022.

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