Today is the Rule 5 draft. Courtesy of the inimitable Arizona Phil, here’s the list of Rule 5 eligible players.
A few of these players are in danger of being selected.
Gioskar Amaya: 2B/C prospect who has fallen on lean times. I like Amaya, but he might be too far to be stashed for a whole year. I’d say it’s a longshot he’s taken.
John Andreoli: As good a chance as any Cub to be a 25th man. I think his poor 2014 (with injuries) probably keeps him in the organization.
Jeffrey Baez: The other J. Baez has steadily improved his stock, but is too far away to be a factor in the draft unless a team sees something they really like.
Pin-Chieh Chen: Same as Andreoli, though his power is so anemic it seems impossible to envision any team thinking he has a major-league future.
Marco Hernandez: Nifty glove SS prospect, but he’s probably too far down the minors to stick. Perhaps a team with no bench could keep him as a UTIL for a year, but I’d be surprised.
Dillon Maples: A former well regarded prospect, Maples has battle injuries and high walks. Still, it’s not inconceivable that a team could Lendy Castillo him, and you could certainly stash him on the DL for a good, long time. I don’t think it’s likely that Maples is taken, but it’s not an impossibility.
Andrew McKirahan: He’s a generic lefty reliever, but those guys are always more valuable than you think.
Ivan Pineyro: This is the most likely pick. I’d be surprised if Pineyro was not drafted today.
Tony Zych: Zych used to be a real bullpen prospect, and some team might find some room in the front of their bullpen for him.
All told, I don’t think the Cubs will take anyone in the draft, and I think they’ll certainly lose Pineyro and there’s maybe a 50% chance they lose another person.