Phillies Select Matt Seelinger in MiLB Rule 5 Draft

With all of Major League Baseball on a transaction freeze, baseball fans are desperate for any moves from their favorite team. Well, you're in luck.

The minor league Rule 5 draft took place on Dec. 8, with the Philadelphia Phillies selecting Matt Seelinger from the San Francisco Giants in the first round. He was the Phillies' only selection in the draft.

Well, 4th time changing the bio. Excited to be part of the @Phillies organization! pic.twitter.com/96ej6RLSFN
— Matt Seelinger (@Matt_Seelinger) December 9, 2021

Seelinger is a 6'3" right-handed reliever who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 28th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He was then traded from the Pirates to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria in 2018. In 2019, Tampa Bay traded him to the Giants as a player to be named later in a deal for Erik Kratz.

The 26-year-old has a 3.62 ERA in 122 appearances across A and AA over four seasons. He's pitched 166.2 innings, posted a 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and picked up 16 saves.

Adding any and all pitching depth has seemed to be a priority for Philadelphia so far this offseason, so the organization choosing to select a reliever comes as no surprise.

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