Milwaukee Brewers 2020-2021 Complete Offseason Preview

Rule 5 Eligible Players

Mario Feliciano, Zack Brown, Trey Supak, Payton Henry, Alec Bettinger, Dylan File, Lucas Erceg

Of the Brewers current Top 30 prospects list, these are the prospects eligible for the Rule 5 Draft that could be at risk of being selected in the major league portion of the draft.

Given his rise up the rankings, solid offensive development, and role as the potential catcher of the future for the Brewers, Mario Feliciano should be a lock to be protected.

Zack Brown was left unprotected last year and wasn’t selected, despite his then-status as the Crew’s No. 3 prospect. After a year in which we saw very little of Brown, will they run that risk again or protect him this time?

Trey Supak was added last year to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, but was DFA’ed off the 40 man roster during the 2020 season. He was not claimed by anyone, but with another chance to grab him, will another team jump at the chance to select the big righty?

Payton Henry is another top catching prospect the Brewers have, and although he’s slightly behind Feliciano development-wise and lower in the prospect rankings, he may be someone to protect. Although he’s not ready for the big leagues yet and any selecting team would need to have him on the 26 man roster for the whole season.

Alec Bettinger and Dylan File are two pitching prospects who weren’t highly rated coming out of the draft but have performed well through the minor leagues. They might be worth protecting on the roster.

Lucas Erceg was an early selection in 2016, but he’s now 25 and his bat is gone. He started off strong in the lower levels of the minors but as he’s risen up the farm system, his offensive performance has gotten worse and worse. Since he hit Double-A and above, Erceg has struggled. He’s unlikely to get protected or selected.