Teams around the league recently had to make Rule 5 Draft-related 40-man roster decisions. Now that has happened and we know who is available to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. As a bad team, the Nats will likely pick a player because they can afford to select that player for a full season and need talent.
As always, there are interesting names available. Usually teams take pitchers because they are easier to hide on a roster, but I found three arms and two bats that excite me. If you want to check out all the high-profile names available, MLB Pipeline is a great resource for that.
There are a lot of intriguing names and we’ll get some honorable mentions at the end. However, there are five names I want to talk about today. All of these guys are older prospects, most of whom have spent a lot of time in AAA. That means they are ready to go and relatively big league ready.
The first name we’ll talk about is the player I’ve heard the most about from Nationals fans. That player is Daniel Susac of the A’s. It makes sense why Nats fans are intrigued by him. Susac is a former first-round pick and is a catcher. He also has a .280 career average and .785 OPS in the minors, so it’s not like the performance is bad either.
On paper, Susanc is a great fit. He posted an .832 OPS in AAA and is known as a solid defender. His arm is absolutely elite and he is great at controlling the running game. Susac publishes top-level pop songs.
However, the devil is in the details. Don’t get me wrong, he would be a good selection, but there are reasons why he was left unprotected. There are some serious holes in his offensive game. Even though the numbers look good, he’s chasing more than 35% of time against AAA pitching. As we’ve seen with guys like Brady House, swinging guys can become visible in the MLB.
That .832 OPS is also misleading. The Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly and an .832 OPS is about average for that league. With mediocre exit speeds and pursuit issues, the attack will be a struggle at first. His framing and blocking are also behind his defensive throwing. While Susac would be a solid pick, it would be a risk for the Nats, who need stability behind the plate.
The next two players I’m going to discuss fall into the same category, so I’ll talk about them together. Both Harrison Cohen and Zach McCambley are older, MLB-ready bullpen arms. If the Nats want a turnkey contributor, these are the names Paul Toboni will look at.
Starting with Cohen, the 26-year-old Yankees relief prospect is all about deception. None of his pitches stand out when you look at equipment models, but he is difficult for hitters to pick up. He has a funky leg kick that throws off the batter’s timing. You can see that with the very low average exit speed at 84.4 MPH.
Cohen also has one deep mix. He throws a cutter, a changeup, a 4-seam and a slider. Every now and then he also mixes in a sinker. The heat is only around 93, but his stuff played in AAA. He posted a 1.57 ERA in 29 AAA outings last year. With that funky pitch, walks were a problem for Cohen, but he was so unhittable that it didn’t matter. The icing on the cake is that Cohen went to school and played at George Washington University.
Zach McCambley has many similarities with Cohen. He is an older candidate and will turn 27 in May. He has big league stuff, though. McCambley has the elite touch of turning the ball. His cutter, slider and curveball all score very well. The cutter and slider are actually his two most used pitches.
McCambley put up monstrous strikeout numbers in AAA, with a K rate more than 30%. While he doesn’t generate soft contact at Cohen’s level, he does have better control. McCamley walked less than 8% of hitters in AAA. The high strikeout and low walk rates are very good indicators of success.
One drawback for McCambley besides his age is his fastball quality. Its heater is only 94 MPH and not in great shape. He doesn’t throw it much, but relies on his broken stuff. That lack of plus heat caps his ceiling, but he’s a safe bet to be a quality relief arm the Nats need.
Back to the offensive side of the ball, TJ Rumfield is a name to watch if the Nats look to select a bat. The Yankees prospect looks like a prototypical slugger at 6’5, 225 pounds. However, his contact skills and sense of striking stand out more than his brute strength.
The exit velocity data is actually Rumfield’s biggest mistake. However, if he can somehow find more juice, he could be a legitimate starting first baseman. Rumfield is a master at it pull the ball in the air so he can tap into the power he has. That’s a big reason why he’s hit at least 15 home runs in each of the last three Minor League seasons, despite mediocre EV numbers.
Rumfield strikes out less than 20% of the time and runs almost 12% of his ABs. That gives him a high floor as a big league player. He’s already 25 years old, so I’m not sure how much of an impact it will have. Would it be worth carrying Rumfield for a full season when all the first basemen are in free agency? It would be interesting to see how much playing time he would get if he was taken. Would he be a bench bat or would he start more regularly? Rumfield has real talent, but there are also plenty of question marks.
The last guy I want to talk about comes from the Red Sox system, Paul Toboni’s old stomping ground. That would be left-handed pitcher Hayden Mullins. Despite being 25 years old, Mullins hasn’t pitched above AA. However, he was dominant last season and has exciting things going for him. He even struck out Giancarlo Stanton while the big slugger was on rehab assignment.
There’s a lot to like about this player. Although he doesn’t have top speed, Mullins’ fastball plays for its explosive life and guile. He also has two above average breaking balls with a slider and a cutter. Mullins just split High-A and Double-A, post an ERA of 2.21 with 123 strikeouts in 101.2 innings. Walks have been an issue, with Mullins issuing 51 last season. However, batters hit just .177 against him.
Mullins is currently a starter, but he would likely work as a multi-inning reliever in the major leagues, at least to start. He’s a riskier bet than the two relief arms, but he has a chance to be a quality starter in the future. Paul Toboni also knows a lot about this player, having played a huge role in drafting and developing him. He would know if Mullins is worth a try.
These are the five players I watch most, but there are others to consider. Another Red Sox prospect to keep an eye on is Yordanny Monegro. He will miss the entire season next season due to Tommy John Surgery, but he is only 23. If he misses the entire season, the Nats would only have to use Monergro for 90 days in 2027. It’s a very interesting upside bet because Monegro was dominant before he got hurt.
The Nats will most likely take someone in the Rule 5 Draft. In recent years, the Nats have had mixed results. Nasim Nunez looks like a good pickup, but Thad Ward and Evan Reifert haven’t panned out. Hopefully Paul Toboni can find us a hidden gem on December 10th.
#names #Washington #Nationals #Rule #Draft