Here are the players the Dodgers lost in the Rule 5 Draft
![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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fdodgersway-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1058207496-850x560-f3ddfc453a1ddbda7739eb1d7f8b639f.jpg)
The Dodgers lost eight players in the Rule 5 Draft and selected two.
The Los Angeles Dodgers protected four players from the Rule 5 Draft a couple of weeks ago when they moved pitchers Gerardo Carrillo, Andre Jackson and Edwin Uceta as well as outfielder Zach Reks to the 40-man roster. But they couldn’t keep everyone safe.
LA lost eight players in total, two of which went during the major league phase of the draft and the other six going in the minor league phase. But those two losses in the first round were fairly significant. In fact, leading up to the Rule 5 Draft, Baseball America ranked the two pitchers as the top talent available.
Right-handers Brett de Geus and Jordan Sheffield have new homes (for the time being). The Rangers selected de Geus and the division-rival Rockies took Sheffield.
It was a busy Rule 5 Draft for the Dodgers, who lost 8 players (2 in the major league phase), and selected two players during the minor league portion https://t.co/8cAk9nSaIl
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) December 10, 2020
de Geus kicked off his professional career as a starter in 2018, but the Dodgers transitioned him to a reliever in 2019 and he was lights out. After a 7.26 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) in the rookie league in ’18, he logged a 1.75 ERA in 39 relief outings across Single-A and High-A in ’19. He was looking to be a promising reliever, but the lost 2020 season threw everything for a loop. The former 33rd round selection in the 2017 draft will continue his journey with a rebuilding Rangers organization.
As for Sheffield, he’s been more of a project, coming out of Vanderbilt back in 2016 when he was a first-round selection. But after being unable to find his footing as a starter for nearly three years, the Dodgers transitioned him to a reliever and he was much better. He throws triple digits but has some control issues. He shined in a relief role in the Arizona Fall League in 2018 and followed that up with a strong showing in High-A and Double-A in 2019.
https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1336118551862779904?s=20
As for the minor league portion of the draft, here are the six players the Dodgers lost:
- pitcher Shea Spitzbarth (Pirates)
- pitcher Tyler Gilbert (Diamondbacks)
- shortstop Errol Robinson (Reds)
- outfielder Chris Roller (Indians)
- infielder Drew Jackson (Mets)
- infielder Marcus Chiu (Marlins)
The Dodgers selected two players in catcher Ryan January (from the Diamondbacks) and outfielder Roimer Bolivar (from the Tampa Bay Rays). Hopefully we get a minor-league season in 2020 so we can track the progress of all of these guys.
As for the players who were lost, there’s still a chance the Dodgers get them back if they don’t remain on the active roster (or the injured list) for the entire 2021 season.