Marlins Active During Rule 5 Draft

The Miami Marlins front office has remained largely quiet so far this offseason, but that changed during Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft. The Marlins added five players to the organization but also saw a player plucked from their minor league system.

Miami has a long history of activity in the Rule 5 Draft, with some significant successes. Many of the players who’ve been drafted in this setup don’t make much of a difference. However, 33 All-Stars have been selected during this process over the years, as well as one Hall of Famer (Roberto Clemente).

Marlins Land Two Pitchers in Rule 5 Draft

The Marlins held the No. 13 overall selection in this year’s Rule 5 draft and chose right-handed pitcher Paul Campbell from the Tampa Bay Rays. Miami also added reliever Zach Pop in a draft-day trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Campbell comes to Miami with the potential to make an immediate impact as a long reliever and spot starter. Rated the Rays’ No. 24 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Campbell sports high spin rates on his fastball, curveball and slider. His fastball sits at 92-95 mph with cut action and he has good command.

For his career, Campbell registers a 3.12 ERA with 188 strikeouts, allowing opponents to hit just .231 against him.

The Marlins picked up Pop from Arizona in exchange for the infamous player-to-be-named-later. Pop actually comes from the Baltimore Orioles’ system, as the Diamondbacks selected him with the No. 6 pick in Thursday’s draft. Pop made his way to Baltimore as part of the Manny Machado trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few years ago.

Pop underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 but profiles as a potential closer. When healthy, his arsenal includes an upper-90s sinker and a plus slider. His fastball clocked at mid-to-upper 90s prior to his surgery.

In limited opportunities due to injury, Pop piled up 80 strikeouts over 80.1 IP. He’s registered eight saves in 11 opportunities and sports a 1.34 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP.

There’s high upside for both of these pitchers. If they can reach their potential, both will be significant upgrades for the Marlins bullpen. These additions complete Miami’s 40-man roster, but that will not prevent the team from being engaged in both the free agent and trade markets.

Minor League Additions (and Subtraction)

The Marlins remained active during the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft as well, which is set up in a similar way to the MLB phase. If a player is picked from Double-A, they move to Triple-A. Single-A players move to Double-A with their new club.

Miami selected three players during this phase. They nabbed LHP Jake Fishman from the Blue Jays, RHP Dylan Bice from the Rangers and INF Marcus Chiu from the Dodgers.

Fishman might be the best of the three picks. He’s a low-slot lefty reliever with some starting experience. At 6-foot-3, the 25-year-old’s awkward angle and horizontal movement of his fastball make him an interesting prospect. He figures to be a Triple-A reliever in 2021, but could see a promotion during the season.

Bice is a 23-year-old hard-throwing reliever who hasn’t pitched above Single-A. Chiu is a 23-year-old utility infielder with some power but who hit just .215 at High-A in 2019.

The Marlins lost right-handed reliever Brett Graves during the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Interestingly, Oakland picked Graves from the Marlins three years after Miami took him from the A’s in the 2017 Rule 5 draft.

Injury issues stalled Graves’ development with the Fish. He made 21 appearances for the Marlins in 2018. He registered 21 strikeouts over 33.1 innings pitched and notched one win, one loss and one save along the way. Graves spent 2019 between Double-A and Triple-A, and wasn’t part of Miami’s 60-man player pool in 2020.

Marlins Rule 5 History

The Marlins have had some success in the past during the Rule 5 draft. The team nabbed Dan Uggla from Arizona in 2005. Uggla put up some gaudy numbers for the Marlins over his five-year run with the Fish and remains Top-10 in 30 offensive statistical categories for the franchise. He’s No. 2 all-time in home runs (154) and strikeouts (760), and No. 6 in RBI (465).

In 2013, the Marlins selected Justin Bour from the Chicago Cubs during the minor league phase of the draft. Bour went on to parts of play five seasons with the Fish, hitting 83 homers, 63 doubles and driving in 272 runs. In 2017, the Marlins added Elieser Hernandez from the Astros and he pitched very well for the Fish in 2020.

Last year, the Marlins selected RHP Sterling Sharp from the Nationals, but ultimately returned the reliever to Washington after an unsuccessful stint.

Interestingly, the Marlins were also involved in the Rule 5 selection of two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. In 2000, the Astros left Santana off of their 40-man roster and the Marlins, who held the No. 2 pick that year, selected the future star.

The Marlins then flipped Santana to the Minnesota Twins in what was later deemed a prearranged draft-day deal. The Marlins received minor leaguer in Jared Camp, who the Twins had taken with the No. 1 pick in the Rule 5 draft that year, and $50,000. Camp didn’t make the Marlins Opening Day roster that year and was ultimately returned to the Cleveland Indians. Santana, meanwhile, went one to be a four-time All-Star and won the AL Cy Young in 2004 and 2006.