A's 40-Man Candidates Ahead of Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft is a quirky part of the baseball calendar, typically held on the final day of the Winter Meetings. In the Draft, teams can select minor leaguers from other clubs. Every now and again one of those picks turns into a Mark Canha, or Vimael Machín. Not every pick works out, however, and not every player is eligible.

So first, a quick rundown from MLB's definition: "Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons." If a team makes a selection, then they must also pay the team they are selecting from $100,000 as well.

So essentially, players that were 19 or older when they signed in 2019 or earlier will be eligible, as well as players signed in 2018 that were 18 or younger.

To be eligible after meeting that criteria (or perhaps before), a player must not be on their team's current 40-man roster. So that is why you see a lot of roster movement around this time of year. It's because front offices are clearing space to put some of the prospects they'd like to keep around on the 40-man to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

If the A's make a selection in the Major League portion of the Draft (and I would expect them to given that they're looking for the next core group of guys), then that player would need to stay on the A's 26-man roster all season long in order to stay with the organization. If they select a player and they want to remove him from their 26-man roster, then they would have to outright the player from their roster. If the player clears waivers without being claimed, he then has to be offered back to his original team in exchange for $50,000.

The general idea here is that teams can't just hoard prospects forever.

There is also a Minor League portion of the Draft, but the rules are somewhat fuzzy there. So not all of the Rule 5 eligible players will make it to the A's 40-man roster ahead of the November 15 deadline, but that doesn't mean they're getting drafted either.

After the flurry of moves the A's made, outrighting Nate Mondou, Sam Selman, Austin Pruitt, Norge Ruiz, and Colin Wiles to Vegas, they will have two roster spots open once Stephen Vogt (retiring) and Chad Pinder (free agent) are removed from the roster.

So with all of that out of the way, which A's prospects are Rule 5 eligible? I'll be focusing on the upper level guys for this exercise since we're talking about 40-man roster implications.

Kyle McCann, Catcher, 24 years old

McCann slashed .238/.342/.449 in his second go-around in Double-A Midland, a vast improvement over his 2021 line. He got a quick look at Triple-A Vegas to end the season and should begin 2023 there, which will likely keep him from being selected in December. He's probably not getting protected, but he could end up serving as a backup catcher in Oakland late in the season if his development continues.

JJ Schwarz, Catcher, 26 years old

Same as McCann--started in Midland, had a good season, then moved up to Triple-A for 12 games. He slashed .304/.393/.470 in Midland.

Logan Davidson, SS, 3B, 24 years old

He repeated Double-A in 2022 and slashed .252/.337/.406. He didn't get a call up to Triple-A late in the season, but that's his likely destination for 2023. With that being the case, it's hard to see a big league team taking a chance on Davidson making the jump from Double-A. to the big leagues.

Jeremy Eierman, SS, 2B, 3B, 26 years old

Eierman also repeated Double-A in 2022, but his numbers actually trended in the wrong direction. His walk rate fell to just 5.8%, and his strikeout rate fell, but still sat at 33.3%. FanGraphs has him with a 60 in raw power on the 20-80 scouting scale, but a .250 OBP in his second season in Midland likely isn't going to entice other teams.

Euribiel Angeles, SS, 2B, 20 years old

Angeles was acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Sean Manaea trade, and he had a good season in Lansing, batting .278/.316/.353 while striking out just 14.9% of the time while being two years younger than the average player in the league. I don't know that he'll make the 40-man roster, but he'll be protected from the minor league portion. The A's don't want to lose him.

Here come the outfielders!

Chase Calabuig, OF, 26 years old

Calabuig has spent the last three minor league seasons in Double-A, initially having success there in 2019, then the 2020 season was cancelled, and 2021 turned out to be a rough return to the diamond. He rebounded nicely in 2022, hitting .313/.394/.437 while walking 10.8% of the time and striking out just 12.9%.

Max Schuemann, 2B, CF, 25 years old

Schuemann became a more patient hitter in his second trip to Midland. He hit .290, which was 30 points less than in 2021, but his on-base percentage was still 20 points higher than it was a year ago. The main reason for this is that his walk rate went from 9.2% to 13.6%. He struck out a little more, but he also swatted a few more home runs and stole more bases. His patient approach and ability to swipe bags could intrigue other teams to utilize him in a bench role, so Schuemann has a chance to be added to the 40-man, depending on how many spots are open.

Lawrence Butler, RF, CF, 1B, 22 years old

Butler has power and speed, hitting 11 home runs and swiping 13 bags in 81 games with Lansing. He walked 12% of the time, and he also hit .270/.357/.468. He's currently in the Arizona Fall League getting some extra work in and has been a highlight reel on a seemingly daily basis. In 14 games, he has a .912 OPS against some solid competition. The A's don't want him going anywhere.

Austin Beck, Lazaro Armenteros

Neither guy is getting added to the 40-man, but they're noteworthy names for A's fans.

Colin Peluse, SP, 24 years old

Peluse is currently in the Arizona Fall League as well, holding a 2.25 ERA through 12 innings. He spent the season in Double-A and tallied a 5.38 ERA in 118 2/3 innings. His K/9 was just below seven per nine, but his strikeout rate was a solid 2.12. Sometimes teams send guys to the Fall League as a showcase ahead of the Rule 5 Draft to try and entice a team to trade for their guy. Peluse could be in that camp.

Hogan Harris, SP, 25 years old

Harris totaled 73 2/3 innings this season split between Lansing, Midland, and Las Vegas, finishing with a 3.79 ERA between the three levels. He dominated in 32 1/3 innings in Double-A, posting a 1.67 ERA, while striking out 13.36 per nine. Both his walk rate (5.3) and his strikeout rate (12.8) stayed pretty consistent at each of the three stops. He still needs some time in the minors, but he could be worthy of a 40-man spot.

The rest of the Rule 5 eligible pitchers in the upper minors include Jack Cushing, Parker Dunshee, Ty Damron, David Leal, Brady Feigl, and relievers Brian Howard, Bryce Conley, and Chase Cohen.

Which guys are you adding to the A's 40-man roster? Let us know @InsideTheAs on Twitter!