Dodgers prospects who become rule five eligible this offseason

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 25: DJ Peters #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats against the Chicago Cubs during the MLB spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 25, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Dodgers face a roster crunch every winter when their prospects become eligible for the rule five draft. This winter will be no different.

Every offseason, the Dodgers forty man roster becomes a crunch as talented prospects become eligible for the rule five draft. This winter will be no different as the Dodgers will see some notable players become rule five eligible. For those who may be wondering how a player becomes eligible for the rule five draft, here is a breakdown from MLB.com:

Players who signed with their current club at age 18 or younger and have played professionally for at least five years are eligible to be selected, as are those who signed at 19 or older and have at least four years of professional experience.

Some notable players who have been selected in the rule five draft are Johan Santana, Shane Victorino, Dan Uggla, Joakim Soria, and Roberto Clemente. While loaded teams like the Dodgers usually avoid participating in the rule five draft, it is an opportunity for rebuilding teams to pluck talent from contenders who cannot protect all of their players from the draft.

Here is a breakdown of the Dodgers’ prospects who are rule five eligible this winter and will need to be added to LA’s forty man roster or risk being plucked from the organization.

GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 22: DJ Peters #89 of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses during MLB Photo Day at Camelback Ranch- Glendale on February 22, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

DJ Peters OF

DJ Peters introduced himself to the baseball world when he mashed multiple home runs off of Madison Bumgarner when MadBum was working his way back from his notorious dirt bike incident. Peters is the Dodgers’ 12th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He split his 2019 season between Tulsa and Oklahoma City while combining to hit 23 home runs.

Errol Robinson SS

Robinson was once ranked in the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects but has fallen off since. He is a glove-first shortstop who split his 2019 season between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He struggled with the bat at the AAA level but had better results in AA posting a .310/.390/.400 slash line with the Drillers.

Mitchell White SP

White has seen his stock fall in recent seasons due to injuries and poor performance that has resulted from those injuries. He is still ranked as the Dodgers’ 9th best prospect which is a testament to his ability. Mitch dominated at the AA level holding batters to a .165 average in seven starts but struggled mightily in AAA, pitching to an ERA of 6.50.

Zach McKinstry 2B

McKinstry is also outside of LA’s top 30 prospects but he had a very strong season. In 95 games with the Drillers, he posted a solid .279/.352/.455 slash line. Then he moved up to OKC and looked like the second coming of Gavin Lux in 26 games as he mashed seven home runs with a slugging percentage of .753.

SURPRISE, AZ – NOVEMBER 03: AFL West All-Star, Jordan Sheffield #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Arizona Fall League All Star Game at Surprise Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Jordan Sheffield RP

Sheffield is the Dodgers’ 26th ranked prospect according to MLB pipeline and might be their best relief prospect in the minor leagues. After limiting the Cal League to a .109 average, Sheffield moved up to AA Tulsa and held the opposition to a .193 average against. He converted 13 of his 16 save opportunities between both stops.

Cody Thomas OF

Thomas is another prospect outside of LA’s top 30 but he has intriguing power potential since his 2018 season at Rancho Cucamonga where he slugged 19 homers with a .497 slugging percentage. This year, Thomas was with Tulsa the entire season and slugged 23 home runs although he hit just .236.

Carlos Rincon OF

Rincon also finds himself out of the top thirty prospects in the Dodgers’ organization and is another all or nothing type hitter. He slugged 16 homers between Rancho Cucamonga and Tulsa this season after crossing the 20 home run plateau in the previous two seasons.

Parker Curry SP

Curry was an undrafted free agent out of Samford for the Dodgers in 2016. He appeared in 24 games for the Drillers this season including 13 starts and posted an ERA of 3.67. He throws in the low 90’s and projects to be a middle reliever.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – AUGUST 18: A general view of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes during a minor league game at Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter on August 8, 1994 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. (Photo by J.D. Cuban/Getty Images) /

Starling Heredia OF

Heredia was an international free agent signing in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic. Starling was once ranked inside the top 30 prospects for LA but his star has worn off a bit in recent seasons. He spent his entire season at Rancho Cucamonga in 2019 and hit just .204 with ten home runs in 101 games. He is another all or nothing type batter that projects as a power bat off the bench.

Brayan Morales OF

Morales was a 15th round draft pick in the 2016 draft out of Hillsborough Community College. He is a speedy centerfielder who played his entire 2019 season with the Quakes and hit just .228. He did steal 35 bases in 48 attempts for Rancho Cucamonga. In 2018, Morales stole 46 bases for the Great Lakes Loons.

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Leonel Valera SS

Valera was an international signing out of Venezuela in July of 2015. He is a tall shortstop at 6’1 so a move to the hot corner could be in his future. He will turn 21 next season and spent his 2019 season with the Great Lakes Loons. He slugged just five home runs in 449 at-bats and has average range at shortstop which makes him a candidate for a position switch.

Jesus Vargas SP

Vargas is another international free agent signing out of Venezuela. He was signed in 2014 and last pitched in 2018 with the Great Lakes Loons, Arizona League Dodgers, and the Ogden Raptors. He pitched to an ERA of 3.99 across all three stops and made 10 of his 13 appearances as a starter. I was unable to find what happened to Vargas in 2019 as there is no injury listing anywhere and he was re-assigned to the Loons back in April.

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As the rule five edges closer we will break down which current Dodgers on the forty man roster could be designated for assignment to make room for one of these prospects. Until then there could be plenty of roster moves to open up additional roster spots.

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The Dodgers face a roster crunch every winter when their prospects become eligible for the rule five draft. This winter will be no different.

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