Opportunity is knocking for these Rule 5 Draft picks

PHOENIX -- Rule 5 Draft picks run the gamut from sleepers to stalled prospects. They can play any position. They land with clubs spanning the spectrum from rebuilders to contenders.

But they share one thing in common: opportunity.

• A history of the Rule 5 Draft

Take Brewers 2024 Rule 5 Draft pick Connor Thomas. A left-hander who spent parts of the past four seasons at Triple-A with the Cardinals and was coming off a career year in which he posted a 2.89 ERA in 90 1/3 innings, Thomas had a hunch he was a candidate to be picked. And because a Cards teammate, righty reliever Ryan Fernandez, had successfully navigated the process the year before, Thomas knew the general rules: A player selected in December’s Rule 5 Draft must stick in the Major Leagues with his new club for the entirety of the following season, or be waived and offered back.

Only a few make it. When they do, you might have the next Roberto Clemente, Josh Hamilton or Johan Santana.

“There’s hundreds of dudes who are eligible for it, and there’s [almost] always less than 15 picks,” said Thomas, who is bidding to make the Brewers’ roster as a multi-inning reliever. “So going into it, we were super nervous. We had no idea. You don’t get a phone call the day before saying, ‘We’re going to take you.’ No, you learn as it’s happening.

“That’s when I found out. It was kind of out of left field when the Brewers came up. For my wife and I, it was a flurry of emotions, because we had no idea. … I felt like I may get taken, and sure enough, we watched it happen.”

• Every pick of 2024's Rule 5 Draft

Technically, Thomas had about five seconds’ advance notice because the MLB Network television feed was on a slight delay. Thomas got a text from his agent that said, “Hey, Milwaukee took you.”

Then he watched the pick live. After stalling at Triple-A for the past four seasons, Thomas and baseball’s other Rule 5 Draft picks who are still in the running find themselves on the cusp of the big leagues with two weeks to go before Opening Day.

“It was a cool day,” Thomas said.

– Adam McCalvy

Instant prominence

One way to announce your presence with authority as a pitcher trying to make a big league roster is to work through the power-packed Dodgers lineup. Or better yet, cruise through the power-packed Dodgers lineup.

That’s exactly what Shane Smith did for his new club this past Saturday during Cactus League action. The No. 1 pick in the Rule 5 Draft from the Brewers to the White Sox, Smith struck out Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith in the first inning, then got Ohtani again in the third to complete three scoreless frames with five strikeouts. After a rough first inning during his first spring outing on Feb. 24 against the Rangers, the White Sox No. 26 prospect has not allowed a run in five innings in March, with eight strikeouts against no walks.

“Consistency is everything,” Smith told reporters after his outing against the Dodgers. “The more good days you stack, the better.”

“Really impressed,” said White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz. “He had to go through the gauntlet, and he handled it well. His first outing, you saw a little bit of adrenaline, things were going, couldn't slow it down. And then the very next inning in the first outing, he did well. Then, boom, he had the Dodgers. Nothing sped up on him, threw his pitches, attacked guys, didn't back down -- which [are] really good signs to see.”

Smith, 24, has flirted with 100 mph and shown a big league repertoire as he pushes for a spot not only on the White Sox staff but possibly at the back end of their rotation.

– Scott Merkin

Reunited in Rays camp

Nate Lavender was at home continuing his rehab work from an internal brace procedure that had ended his season early. Mike Vasil was at a baseball facility in the Atlanta area following along on his phone.

The two longtime teammates were both keeping an eye on the Rule 5 Draft, knowing they had been left unprotected by the Mets. Lavender wasn’t expecting anything. Then the Rays selected him eighth.

Vasil went in thinking there was a chance, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. Then the Phillies picked him and subsequently traded him to the Rays. Vasil texted his friend that Philadelphia had effectively made the pick for Tampa Bay.

“That whole hour, if you were following, was kind of crazy,” Vasil said. “But once it did happen, I was obviously through the roof, super excited.”

“I was like, ‘No way, dude. No way,’” Lavender said afterward. “It’s surreal.”

Now, they’re sharing a Spring Training clubhouse at Charlotte Sports Park with very different opportunities ahead of them. Lavender will begin the season on the Rays’ 60-day injured list with an eye on a midseason return. Vasil feels like a long shot to crack Tampa Bay’s Opening Day roster, barring injuries, but he’s done his best to avoid looking at the big picture this spring.

“It's hard to not [view it as an audition]. Obviously, you're competing,” Vasil said earlier in camp. “But for me, my best mindset is, ‘If I'm pitching today, I'm pitching.’ It's not all these other things piled on top.”

– Adam Berry

On the move again

Toronto native Liam Hicks was training at a facility in early December when a former Rangers teammate began streaming the Rule 5 Draft on his phone. Much to Hicks’ surprise, his name was called by the Marlins.

While mentally preparing for his third organization since July -- the Rangers had traded him to the Tigers on July 28 -- Hicks received a text from catching coach Joe Singley to let him know he would arrive in January if he wanted to come in. Hicks had a place to stay in Port St. Lucie, Fla., about 35 miles from the Marlins’ Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex, so he began making the drive every day.

“I was like, ‘OK, it's a no-brainer,’” Hicks said. “I had been catching a good amount, just catching bullpens, but I really wanted to kind of get to know [Singley] and know what his philosophies were.”

The 25-year-old Hicks is trying not to put too much pressure on himself in his second big league camp, and his first in the Grapefruit League. He wants to make the most of the opportunities given to him, play with more authority and do more damage at the plate.

“The most exciting part is just the human that Liam is and what he brings to the field every day and him wanting to be down here and get work in,” said Marlins director of catching Maxx Garrett. “I think that is really exciting, just like the opportunity that's in front of him.”

– Christina De Nicola

‘Something I've dreamed about’

Roster building is so sophisticated these days that most teams report to Spring Training with only a tiny corner of the roster up for grabs. A Rule 5 Draft pick must show out in Grapefruit League or Cactus League games to claim one of those few spots.

That’s the aim for righty reliever Evan Reifert, who went from the Rays to the Nationals with the No. 5 pick and is bidding for a bullpen spot. After spending all of last season with Double-A Montgomery (2-0, 1.96 ERA, 41 1/3 innings), it’s a chance to skip past Triple-A Rochester and earn a place on Washington’s Opening Day roster.

“We saw him over the winter. We liked what stuff he presented,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said this week. “It's more what he can do. He's here to make the team, and that's what we're looking at. …

“We’re taking a really good look at him. We think his stuff can play up here. It’s all about him throwing strikes. His slider’s really, really good -- and we see that. We love his stuff, we love his makeup, but it’s about him being consistent on throwing strikes. Can’t come out of the bullpen and walk guys. You’ll put yourself in a bad situation.”

Reifert is hoping the Rule 5 Draft lands him in a good situation.

“It means a lot,” he said. “Obviously, this is something that I've dreamed about as a kid, and I've always known that I've wanted to be a professional baseball player. It’s huge getting this opportunity here now with the Nationals.”

– Jessica Camerato

‘Not a free ride'

The A’s have struck gold a few times in the Rule 5 Draft, including last year with Mitch Spence, who stuck with the club throughout the entire 2024 season and finished as a member of the starting rotation. Other A’s hits through the Rule 5 Draft in previous years include Ryan Noda ('22) and Vimael Machín ('19).

For Noah Murdock, his avenue to stick with the A’s comes in the bullpen, where there is at least one spot up for grabs this spring. There is no guarantee Murdock will be on the A’s come Opening Day, but after grinding through the Minors over his first five seasons as a professional, this is without question his best chance to achieve the big league dream.

It’s easy to see why the A’s were so intrigued by Murdock. A towering presence on the mound at 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds, Murdock recorded a 3.16 ERA in 46 relief appearances in 2024, with 72 strikeouts and 41 walks across 62 2/3 innings at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.

Based on that success, Murdock knew there was a chance his name would be called. The A’s took him at No. 4 overall.

“We had the MLB stream up, just kind of waiting to see what happened,” he said. “First, I hit the ground because I just couldn't believe it. It's not a free ride to the next level, but it's an opportunity. That's all I ever really wanted was that opportunity.”

– Martin Gallegos