Milwaukee Brewers: Prospects to Protect From the Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 draft is scheduled for the end of the Winter Meetings in December. Certain players left off the 40 man roster are eligible to go in the draft. Last year, the Milwaukee Brewers lost Miguel Diaz in the first pick of that draft.

Now that the GM Meetings are over, the next get together of baseball executives is at the Winter Meetings. Trades and free agent signings are sure to happen there, but teams need to set their 40-man rosters first. Players with five or six years of experience who haven’t moved to the 40-man are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.

Any player that a team selects in the Major League phase of the draft must remain on the 25-man roster for the duration of the 2018 season or go back to the original team. The last time the Brewers selected and kept a Rule 5 pick was Wei Chung Wang in 2014.

The Milwaukee Brewers roster currently stands at 35, leaving five potential spots for Minor League players plus any acquisitions the team could make in the off-season. The Brewers have four of their top 30 prospects that are eligible for the draft. They will need to use a roster spot or risk selection.

Players must be added to the 40-man roster by Monday November 20th at 8 P.M EST to be protected.

Mauricio Dubon

Mauricio Dubon is the Brewers ninth rated prospect and is a virtual lock to be added to the 40-man roster. The 23-year old middle infielder started 2017 at Double-A before a mid-season promotion to Colorado Springs. He posted a .274 average with 38 stolen bases and 29 doubles. He doesn’t hit for much power, but he possesses a great glove. Dubon could make an excellent double play partner with Orlando Arcia soon.

Dubon should be ready during the 2018 season and, if left unprotected, is likely the first overall pick. With the cloudy second base picture the Brewers currently have, Dubon looks like the prospect to clear it up once he arrives. He’ll be the first of the Brewers crop of second baseman to arrive and has the chance to cement himself as the long term answer at the position. Dubon is a lock to be protected.

Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta is another prospect that is a virtual lock to be added to the 40-man roster. As the 11th rated prospect in the Brewers system, Peralta pitched to a 2.63 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 120 innings across High-A and Double-A in 2017. His future in the big leagues is a middle of the rotation starter. He is close enough to the big leagues that he would go if unprotected.

With the starting rotation depth low at the big league level right now, it’s important to keep Peralta around. However, he may not be that far away. He’ll likely start 2018 at the Triple-A level and could step into this Brewers rotation very soon.

Marcos Diplan

Marcos Diplan is the Brewers 15th ranked prospect and is at risk of being left off the 40-man roster. He was at High-A Carolina all last year and posted a 5.23 ERA in 22 starts. Due to his performance and the fact that he’s so far away from the big leagues, he probably won’t go in the Rule 5 draft.

The Milwaukee Brewers felt the same way about Miguel Diaz last year who was left off the 40-man roster after a decent season at Low-A Wisconsin. He was selected first overall. There’s a chance that Diplan is selected if left off, but there’s no statistical reason to put him on the roster. He needs another year in Carolina after his performance and teams could be put off by his stats this year. It’s risky but Diplan is probably left off the 40-man.

Jacob Nottingham

This is a tough decision. Since coming over from Oakland in the Khris Davis trade, Nottingham’s bat has never really shown up. His big power is his calling card, but he only hit nine homers all season. His .209 average is also a bad sign. If he can’t hit Double-A pitching, how can he hit Major League pitching? This was his second year in Biloxi and his stats were even worse than his first year there.

Nottingham was up with Colorado Springs for the playoffs, but until he finds his bat, Nottingham has no future on this roster. The emergence of Manny Pina has lessened the need for a catching prospect, but depth at that position is still important. If the Brewers still believe in Nottingham they could elect to keep him. However they could run the risk of making him eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Next: What should the Brewers do with Corey Ray?

With the deadline set for Monday night, the Milwaukee Brewers also have other minor leaguers eligible for the draft, including catcher Tyler Heinemann, infielders Dustin DeMuth, Nate Orf, Javier Betancourt, Tucker Neuhaus, Angel Ortega, and Luis Aviles. Also outfielders Johnny Davis, Tyrone Taylor, Kyle Wren, and Clint Coulter, and pitchers Devin Williams, Daniel Missaki, Joaquin De La Cruz, Tristan Archer, Josh Uhen, and Tim Dillard.