A complete SF Giants guide to the 2022 Rule 5 Draft
The Rule 5 Draft allows teams to poach certain minor leaguers from opposing organizations each year. The caveat is that the player they select must remain on the MLB roster for the entirety of the following season. If they are ever optioned or designated for assignment, they must be offered back to their original team. With the draft scheduled for later this Wednesday afternoon (2:00 PM Pacific), here's a complete guide to players the SF Giants should target and are at risk of losing.
Potential SF Giants targets in the Rule 5 Draft
We each chose five favorites from the available prospects. Players with a * next to their name are one of Marc's favorites. Players with their names underlined are one of Wrenzie's favorites.
Mets prospect Jake Mangum slides into home plate during his college career. (2019)
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Mangum, OF
One of the best defensive outfielders in the minors, Mangum could be a Gold Glover one day. But can he hit enough? He hit .306/.363/.441 last season between Double-A and Triple-A, but lacks any power projection and has never walked at an above-average rate. The Giants don't tend to bet on batting average, but Mangum might be the safest bet of any hitter available to be able to contribute next season simply because of his glove.
Cam Devanney, SS/3B
An excellent defender on the left side of the infield, Devanney could potentially platoon with Brandon Crawford at shortstop. A 15th-round pick in 2019, Devanney hit .264/.342/.492 with 23 homers between Double-A and Triple-A (mostly Double-A) last season. Granted, if the Giants are going to sign one of the top free-agent shortstops Devanney probably wouldn't have a place with Thairo Estrada still on the roster.
Malcolm Nunez, 3B
Nuñez is an excellent pure hitter, but is limited defensively at third base. Still, he will not turn 22 until next March and hit .262/.367/.466 last season between Double-A and Triple-A.
Ryan Noda, 1B*
The 15th-round selection in the 2017 draft might not be a high-contact guy but he is an impressive offensive prospect. Sure, his 88.8 MPH average exit velocity at Triple-A last season would have only ranked in the 47th percentile in MLB last season, but his 105.8 90th percentile velocity and hard-hit rate of 44.8% are impressive as well as his walk rate which never dipped below 15% in a full season. He's also a solid defender at first base and even stole a career-high 20 bases to boot. The Giants have LaMonte Wade to cover first base right now, but Noda hit 25 homers with a .259/.396/.474 triple-slash in his first experience at Triple-A last season. He seems like an intriguing bat to add to the Giants first-base mix.
Kameron Misner, OF*
Misner was heavily tied to the Giants before they selected Hunter Bishop with the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Misner fell to the Marlins, who nabbed him at 35 and he has since been traded to the Rays. He's been solid but unexceptional as a pro and was left unprotected by Tampa Bay, who is betting that his high strikeout rates (30.4% in 2022) will lead him to go unselected. However, Misner is an excellent athlete capable of handling all three outfield positions who walks at an elite rate (16.9% in 2022) with power potential. The Giants will probably see too much redundancy between Misner and Mike Yastrzemski to make this pick, but they could bet on Misner's upside.
Blake Sabol, C/OF*
Catcher seems like an obvious area to target in the Rule 5 Draft with Joey Bart's inconsistency last season and Austin Wynns having far from solidified himself as an above-average backup. Sabol is a left-handed hitter who hit .284/.363/.497 between Double-A and Triple-A, with even better numbers at the highest level of the minors. He also has consistently walked at above-average rates while maintaining excellent contact rates. Sabol is a recent conversion to catching and is lacking defensively behind the plate, but he's a natural outfielder, which makes him playable in left field. If he's available for the Giants, Sabol could be an interesting selection to challenge the staff's catching coaches to get him up to speed by Opening Day.
Pedro Pages, C
Catchers with great defensive profile do make it to the big leagues even with a light stick and Pages fits that mold to a tee. His 30.3% strikeout rate in 2022 is concerning as well as his .693 OPS, but he has shown off some excellent exit velocities. Defensively, he had a 99.4% fielding percentage and a 30.4% caught-stealing rate between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He displays strong fundamentals and is a good game-caller. If the Giants want a strong defensive catcher, Pages could be the pick.
Devin Mann, INF
Another Dodgers prospect, Mann was a fifth-round pick in 2019 who has plenty of defensive versatility alongside a penchant for walks, contact, and some surprising power. He played every defensive position except pitcher, catcher, and center field in 2022, although he is far better defensively in the outfield than infield. He hit 264/.380/.464 with 16 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He also walked at an elite 14.2% clip while striking out just 86 times in 451 plate appearances. That tends to be the type of hitter the Giants like.
Corey Julks, OF
Julks can't play center field, but has experience at third and second base. He has plus power potential and blasted 31 homers at the Pacific Coast League last season. Maybe the Giants bet on his pop translating to Oracle Park.
Adolfo Ramirez, RHP
Ramirez did three things on the mound this year that correlates to success: a high strikeout rate (33%), a low walk rate (8.7%), and a strong groundball rate (53%). He is a reliever long-term but pitch data nerds love him due to his extreme drop and drive motion and a low 3/4 release point giving his low-to-mid 90s fastball a flat plane above the zone while also mixing in a mid-80s slider with late movement. He might not be fully ready for a big-league role after barely reaching Double-A in 2022, but any team in need of a reliever should consider him, Giants included.
Kyle Brnovich, LHP*
Coming off UCL surgery, Brnovich could start the season on the injured list and then spend 30 days in the minors on a rehab stint. A left-handed starter throughout his pro career, Brnovich racked up 123 strikeouts in 95 innings pitched with just 23 walks in 2021 between High-A and Double-A. He started 2022 at Triple-A and might be a back-end starter down the line. For a team picking him in the Rule 5 Draft, he could be a long reliever at some point in August before competing for a spot in the rotation in 2023.
Antoine Kelly, LHP
Kelly's 15% walk rate will surely scare off plenty of teams, but he has a heckuva arsenal. Kelly has a release point just below five feet, giving his mid-90s sinker a unique look for hitters a la top Giants prospect Kyle Harrison, and he pairs it with a mid-80s slider that has late bite. Perhaps a tweak in his delivery can help his control enough for him to make the jump.
Dbacks prospect Dominic Canzone blows a bubble. (2022)
Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Dominic Canzone, OF
Canzone isn't the defender Mangum is, but is also a left-handed hitter capable of playing all three outfield positions, and has a bit more pop to show for it. He hit .300/.367/.541 with 22 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last season in very hitter-friendly leagues.
Ethan Hankins, RHP
The chances of any team, let alone the Giants, snagging Hankins via the Rule 5 is slim to none, but his ceiling might be the highest in this class. He missed almost three full years of in-game action due to the pandemic and undergoing Tommy John surgery. When he last threw though, he was considered a top 10 prospect in the Guardians farm system with a mid-90s fastball that induces whiffs at the top of the zone and a solid array of secondary offerings.
Noah Song, RHP*
Song was considered one of the best college pitchers in the 2019 MLB Draft, but fell to the fourth round because of concerns about his time owed to the Navy. Three years later, Song has barely pitched and is a Naval officer with little chance of pursuing his pro career immediately. However, this means the Giants could place him on the restricted list and free up a 40-man roster spot as soon as the season starts. Will anyone be willing to burn a 40-man roster spot in the offseason to do this? Probably not. But Song was a legitimate first-round prospect in 2019 and was expected to move quickly. The idea that he could be a viable big-league bullpen arm with even more upside upon his return is not out of the question.
SF Giants prospects at risk of being picked
The Giants protected several prospects who were most at risk of being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but they did not protect everyone. Here's a rundown of some players who another team could take a shot at (ordered by the likelihood they will be picked).
Nick Avila, RHP
Arguably the most notable omission from the Giants 40-man roster Avila has a unique arsenal for a reliever, flashing several big-league pitches that he can locate alongside a mid-90s fastball. The results last year were immaculate, finishing with a 1.15 ERA between High-A and Double-A.
Joey Marciano, LHP
Quietly one of the most productive relievers in the Giants organization over the past two seasons, Marciano was excellent at Double-A in 2021 and good in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season. His walks were high, but he was also overused when the River Cats rotation was depleted. When well rested, his fastball reached the mid-90s and paired well with an above-average (possibly plus) breaking ball that he can throw for strikes. He's on the older side (turns 28 in January), but held lefties to a .223/.336/.277 triple-slash at Triple-A last season. If a team is looking for a LOOGY, Marciano makes a lot of sense.
SF Giants prospect Tyler Fitzgerald reaches for a tag. (2021)
Andy Nelson via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Tyler Fitzgerald, INF
One of the biggest second-half turnarounds of 2022, Fitzgerald ended up posting a 20-20 season even though his strikeout rate crept close to 50% in the first month of the season. A 32.9% strikeout rate is still not ideal as is his .229 batting average, but Fitzgerald showed that he is one of the most dynamic prospects in the organization with a solid power-speed combo while flashing potential to play shortstop and even leading some scouts to ponder if he could handle center field as well. Teams could reasonably try to bet on his athleticism.
Will Wilson, INF
Wilson is the far less athletic counterpart to Fitzgerald. He was a more productive hitter in 2022, reaching Triple-A, but probably can only play second and third base at a big-league quality.
Ryan Walker, RHP
The 27-year-old Walker has been a favorite of Giants prospects enthusiasts for years now, and it's easy to see why. He's very deceptive with an extreme crossfire motion, has good stuff, and he's performed ever since he got drafted in 2018. His delivery makes locating his pitches difficult, exemplified by a 4.6 walks per nine innings last season, but his arsenal is good enough to get him picked anyway.
Michael Stryffeler, RHP
Acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline, Stryffeller is a more extreme version of Walker. He walked 17 batters in 16 Triple-A innings with the Giants, but struck out 25. If someone thinks they can help him locate, he could be picked.
Ismael Munguia, OF
Munguia was set to be a minor-league free agent this offseason, but never hit the open market, suggesting the Giants re-signed him to a minor-league deal, and thus is at risk of being taken in the Rule 5 Draft. He missed all of 2022 after undergoing wrist surgery, which will likely keep other teams away. However, he can play all three outfield positions, hit .336/.366/.502 last year at High-A Eugene in his age-22 season and has some of the best contact skills in professional baseball (7.6% strikeout rate in 2021).
Kai-Wei Teng, RHP
Teng's numbers this year will make anyone scratch their heads while nodding in agreement at the same time. His 27.2% strikeout rate is still above-average but his walk rate has crept up to 13.7% which resulted in a putrid 1.52 WHIP and a 5.22 ERA. Still, his best form can rival most pitchers in the farm system with his slider grading out as a plus pitch with late, sweeping bite. With his mid-90s fastball lacking in shape and control, Teng could certainly benefit by throwing his slider almost exclusively upon a move to the pen.
Matt Frisbee, RHP
Frisbee has been a mediocre upper-minors starter but does have some quality breaking pitches and a fastball that would benefit from a move to the bullpen.
Jake Wong, RHP
A former third-round pick, Wong has lost a lot of development time to injuries and was middling at High-A this season. Still, he has a fastball that has reached the mid-90s and a slider that flashes plus. So you can't rule out a selection.
Jairo Pomares, OF
Pomares did not carry over the exceptional hitting prowess that he put on last season at San Jose to Eugene this year, but the power was still there as evidenced by his 105.7 MPH 90th percentile exit velocity which is third-best among all Giants prospects in 2022. The biggest issue with Pomares though is the high amount of chasing resulting in strikeouts and mediocre contact rates. The chances of any team picking up Pomares are low, but power is power and Pomares has it.
