Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Former Cy Young Award Winner Johan Santana. Former MVP Josh Hamilton.
What do these and at least two dozen other current or former All-Star players have in common?
They were selected in MLB’s Rule 5 Draft held every December.
The Rule 5 Draft (Draft) has existed in its current incarnation since 1959. The objective of the draft is to prevent organizations from hording players in their minor league system. While player eligibility requirements for the Draft are more complex than the U.S. Tax Code, trust us that around five dozen Cubs’ farmhands are eligible to be selected in this year’s draft.
The only surefire way of protecting an otherwise eligible player from being selected in the Draft is to place him on the 40-man roster prior to the Draft. Any player selected in the Draft must remain on the drafting team’s 25-man roster (or on the disabled list with a legitimate injury) or be offered back to the team from whom he was drafted for a relatively minimal cost.
The conundrum for any organization, particularly one flush with gifted prospects like the Cubs, is deciding whom to protect. Unfortunately, several high-producing players will be left unprotected, which will leave the Cubs sweating out the draft hoping none of them gets plucked away.
An alternative option to using limited 40-man roster spots to protect players, or leaving players unprotected and hoping they do not get selected, is to trade the players during the season, or offseason before the Draft. Significantly, several of the Cubs’ Rule 5 eligible players might be attractive to rebuilding teams in trades that can yield veteran reinforcements for a Cubs’ playoff push.
Today is the first in a series featuring the best of the Cubs’ Rule 5 eligible farmhands.
1B Dan Vogelbach: Vogelbach, 22, is a man without a position in the Cubs’ organization, as he is blocked at the major league level by Anthony Rizzo.
However, there is speculation that the Designated Hitter rule could be coming to the National League for the 2017 season, and hitting is one skill at which the burly Vogelbach excels.
In 251 plate appearances for AA Tennessee this season, Vogelbach has batted .284 with five homers, 34 RBI an .842 OPS and a 145 WRC+ despite missing two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Vogelbach possesses one of the more disciplined hitting approaches in the Cubs’ system, as evidenced by his 17.9% walk rate.
Since joining the Cubs in the second round of the 2011 draft, he has produced a .285 batting average and .854 OPS.
RHP Corey Black: Sporting a high 90’s mph fastball and mid 80’s slider, Black was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Alfonso Soriano deal two summers ago. Black, 23, is in his second season pitching for Tennessee and has improved by just about every measurable since last year: 8.6 K/9 to 10.4; 5.1 BB/9 to 4.1; .9 HR/9 to .4 4.68 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) to 3.16; and 1.38 WHIP to 1.14.
Black’s current ERA of 3.52 is a tick higher than last year’s 3.47, and he has struggled some since being moved to the Smokies bullpen in early June. In general, Black must reduce his walks.
LHP Michael Heesch: An eight round selection in Cubs’ President Theo Epstein’s inaugural draft of 2012, Heesch made a successful conversion to the bullpen after a mediocre season as a starting pitcher in Low Class A in 2013. Repeating the same level last year, exclusively as a relief pitcher, Heesch, whose arsenal includes a low 90’s fastball, a changeup and a slider, produced an ERA of 2.18 in 45.1 innings in addition to 1.20 WHIP, 2.56 FIP, 31.4% strikeout rate and 11.7 K/9.
This season pitching in High A Myrtle Beach’s bullpen, Heesch, while not as dominant, has still been solid. In 34 innings, the big southpaw’s ERA is 1.85, WHIP 1.20, FIP 3.57 (the spike in FIP is almost entirely attributable to generating fewer strikeouts) and strikeout percentage of 16.7%. Last weekend, Heesch was promoted past AA to AAA Iowa, where he has yet to make an appearance this season.
RHP Pierce Johnson: In a system replete with dominant position players but arguably bereft of high quality, upper level starting pitching, Johnson is the exception. Johnson, 24, has spent the last two seasons pitching for AA Tennessee, with his matriculation through the system being slowed by injuries, thankfully none to his throwing arm.
Johnson’s arsenal of a mid 90’s fastball and plus cutter and curveball induces a lot of soft contact.
In 108.1 innings in 22 games (21 starts) at AA the last two seasons, Johnson has yielded only 75 hits and eight homers while striking out 103. The disparity between his ERA of 2.33 and FIP of almost 4.00 is the result of walking 5.1 batters per nine innings, a number Johnson must reduce if he is to realize the vast potential that made him a first round pick in the 2012 draft.
Check back soon as we continue to profile valuable Cubs’ farmhands who are Rule 5 eligible.