The 2020 Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft took place on Thursday morning, and it seemingly centered around the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
The Dodgers lost two of their prospects in the Major League portion of the draft, with the Texas Rangers taking Brett de Geus and the Colorado Rockies selecting Jordan Sheffield.
Both are reliever prospects who have had success in the Minor Leagues after being drafted by the Dodgers. They must remain on the Rangers’ and Rockies’ active rosters, respectively, if healthy for the entire 2021 season, or they will be sent back to the Dodgers.
If de Geus or Sheffield are returned to the Dodgers, they would not be required to immediately add them to the 40-man roster.
During the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the Dodgers lost six prospects. Relief pitcher Shea Spitzbarth was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates, reliever Tyler Gilbert is headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks, shortstop Errol Robinson to the Cincinnati Reds, outfielder Chris Roller to the Cleveland Indians, shortstop Drew Jackson to the New York Mets and infielder Marcus Chiu to the Miami Marlins.
Considering how much success the Dodgers organization has had at drafting and developing their farm system in recent years, it comes as no surprise that a number of different organizations wanted to get their hands on L.A.’s prospects.
In what was a bit of a surprise, other Dodgers prospects who were eligible, such as Omar Estevez and Marshall Kasowski, were not selected and remain in L.A.’s farm system. The organization reportedly had been anticipating the loss of Estevez.
Dodgers take from Diamondbacks, Rays
While the Dodgers did not take anyone in the Major League portion, they were active on the Minor League side, adding Ryan January from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Roimer Bolivar from the Tampa Bay Rays.
January was an eighth-round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2016 out of San Jacinto College in Texas. He is mainly a catcher but also played some outfield in 2019, hitting .255/.386/.406 with three home runs and 21 RBI in 32 games across two lower Minor League levels.
Bolivar is a 21-year-old outfielder that originally signed with the Rays out of Venezuela. He has spent his first three seasons in the Dominican Summer League and in 2019, hit an impressive .323/.471/.432 with a home run, 24 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 47 games.
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