Every Rule 5 Draft pick in D-backs history

The Rule 5 Draft has not particularly been a pipeline of talent for the D-backs over the years, as they’ve selected 13 players and had just one make a significant contribution.

Here’s a look at how the D-backs have fared in the Rule 5 Draft in franchise history:

2020: Orioles RHP Zach Pop
Traded immediately to the Marlins for a player to be named later.

2018: Yankees RHP Nick Green
Green was part of the Yankees' return from the Rangers in the Carlos Beltrán deal in 2016. Green was impressive early in camp in '19, then faltered, and the D-backs returned him to New York, where he compiled a 6.67 ERA for them between Double-A and Class A.

2017: Giants RHP Albert Suárez
Suárez did not make the D-backs' roster out of Spring Training, cleared waivers and was offered back to the Giants. After the Giants declined to take him back, he accepted an assignment to Triple-A Reno, where he had a 5.54 ERA over 31 games (four starts). The following year he left to pitch in Japan.

2016: Yankees RHP Tyler Jones
The D-backs liked Jones’ power arm and brought him into the organization to compete for a spot in their bullpen. Jones was returned to the Yankees towards the end of Spring Training.

2014: Rays C Oscar Hernández
The D-backs thought they had a hidden gem in Hernández, who was 20 when they selected him from the Rays. An injury limited Hernández in 2015, and he made a brief appearance in the Majors in '16 as well. While he was advanced defensively, his offense could have used more work in the Minors. He eventually made it back to the big leagues in 2020 with the Royals.

2013: Cubs RHP Marcos Mateo
Mateo missed all of 2012 and part of '13 after having Tommy John surgery. He did not make the D-backs' Opening Day roster and was returned to the Cubs.

2012: Cubs RHP Starling Peralta
The D-backs were tempted by Peralta’s power stuff, but also knew he was going to need to learn how to harness it, as he had walked 42 in 99 1/3 innings the year before in Class A. He did not make the team and was returned to the Cubs.

2011: Pirates RHP Brett Lorin
Lorin failed to make the D-backs' roster out of Spring Training, but he made enough of an impression that the team traded Minor League righty Robby Rowland to the Pirates in order to keep Lorin in the organization. He reached as high as Triple-A in 2013, his final year with the D-backs.

? History of the Rule 5 Draft

2010: Giants LHP Joe Paterson
Paterson is the best Rule 5 pick the D-backs have had thus far. The submarining lefty specialist played a big role for the D-backs in 2011, as they won the NL West. Paterson appeared in 62 games that year and had a 2.91 ERA with an ERA+ of 137. However, he could not replicate that success in the years that followed and he appeared in just 11 more big league games.

2009: Yankees LHP Zach Kroenke
The only player the D-backs had on their list heading into the Rule 5 Draft this year was Kroenke, and they were surprised he was still around when they picked sixth. He appeared in three games for the D-backs in 2010 and four in '11.

2008: Tigers C James Skelton
An undersized catcher, the D-backs liked Skelton’s ability to get on base, and he nearly made the Opening Day roster. Instead, Arizona traded right-handed pitcher Brooks Brown to the Pirates in order to keep him in their system. He lasted two years in the D-backs' organization.

2004: Twins RHP Angel Garcia
By virtue of having the worst record in baseball in 2004, the D-backs had the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft and used it to select Garcia, whom they sold to the Rays.

1997: Marlins RHP Martin Sanchez and Mets RHP Ynocencio De La Cruz
As an expansion team entering their first year of play, the D-backs were not required to keep their Rule 5 picks in the Majors all season. With that in mind, they drafted a pair of young right-handers. Sanchez was assigned to Class A and pitched three seasons in the organization reaching as high as Double-A El Paso, while De La Cruz pitched just one season with Class A South Bend before being released.