Rule 5 Draft: Will Dominic Canzone be Taken?
The Rule 5 Draft typically concludes the annual Winter Meetings. All 30 teams have the chance to select eligible players not protected on a 40-man roster after four years for a player signed at 18 and under or three years for a player signed at 19 and older. In order to select a player, a team must have an empty 40-man roster spot. A player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must remain on a team's active roster for the entire season, or be offered back to the original team after clearing waivers.
The Rule 5 Draft has a major league phase and a Triple-A phase. A similar process plays out in the Triple-A phase, where teams can select minor league players left off a Triple-A roster. Tyler Gilbert is the most notable example of a selection in that phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Gilbert was taken in 2021 and pitched well for Reno before earning a cup of coffee with the big league club at the end of the season.
Arizona has three prospects on our Top 30 list left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft: Outfielder Dominic Canzone, outfielder Wilderd Patino, and right-handed pitcher Conor Grammes.
Canzone is a left-handed hitting outfielder who has a bit of positional versatility, albeit at the two least difficult defensive positions and not much of a carrying tool other than raw power. After hitting .400 with six homers in 63 PA in Double-A, he was promoted to Triple-A Reno. There he hit .284/.349/.489, 107 wRC+. Canzone is thought be one of the more likely players to be selected in today's draft. He's only eligible to be taken in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft, as he'd revert to Reno's roster if unselected.
Grammes is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who hasn't found much success in pro ball. With the type of stuff he has, he may be one or two adjustments away from everything clicking and quickly rising up the system in time for the 2024 season.
Grammes and Patino could also be eligible for the Triple-A phase of the draft if either player is not on a 38-man reserve list for Reno, although given his struggles in High-A in 2022, it's possible teams stay away. However thinking he may be towards figuring out pitching, some team may be more intrigued with his upside and trying to unlock it.
With a full 40-man roster, Mike Hazen said he did not think the team would be participating in the Rule-5 Draft. It would require a trade to open up space on the roster which Hazen indicated isn't likely to happen before the start of the draft.
