Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Rule 5 Draft took place Wednesday at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. The Dodgers had a long list of prospects that were eligible to be taken this year, and they only protected one, choosing to give left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer a 40-man roster spot last month.
This left some high-profile and high-ceiling names available for other teams in the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers may have gotten lucky by only losing one player in the Major League phase: left-handed reliever Garrett McDaniels.
McDaniels had a breakout campaign this season, and it was aided by his switching to a relief role halfway through the year. He began 2024 in Single-A, starting in seven of his 11 appearances and pitching to a 3.80 ERA across 45 innings. His 22.3% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate each left something to be desired.
That changed when McDaniels was promoted to High-A in June and sent down to the bullpen. From that point on, he appeared in 21 games between his time in High-A and a quick Double-A stint, pitching to a 2.22 ERA, 33.9% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate. Batters hit just .193 against him and McDaniels did not allow a single home run after moving to relief.
A hammer breaking ball coming out of an awkward release is the best pitch for McDaniels, and it is a weapon against both righties and lefties:
The Angels selected #Dodgers LHP prospect Garrett McDaniels in the Rule 5 Draft
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) December 11, 2024
McDaniels, who is turning 25 this month, transitioned to a relief role midway through 2024. Through his final 21 games, McDaniels posted a 2.22 ERA, 1.57 FIP and 28.8 K-BB% pic.twitter.com/wICjpzZxXn
The former undrafted free agent out of University of Mount Olive turns 25 later this month and has a pretty good ceiling to dream upon for the Angels. That said, McDaniels has only pitched in two games at the Double-A level, leaving him with little experience in the upper levels. Since the Angels took him in the Major League phase of the draft, he will have to remain on their 26-man roster the entire 2025 season, or else be offered back to the Dodgers for $50,000.
Although losing McDaniels is certainly unfortunate for the Dodgers, they had a lot of talent that managed to make it through the draft for which they have to feel grateful. Ryan Ward is my biggest surprise to not be taken: Although he lacks defensive versatility, Ward led the Pacific Coast League in homers last year, and backed up his season with a dominant performance for Team U.S.A. in the Premier 12 international tournament. Ward is ready to hit in the Major Leagues, but doesn’t have a clear path there with the Dodgers.
Other notable names that were at risk include talented right-handers Carlos Duran, Jose Rodriguez and Jerming Rosario, as well as versatile utilityman Austin Gauthier. Power-hitting outfielder Damon Keith, contact-oriented infielder Yeiner Fernandez and bat-first corner infielder Andre Lipcius are some other players who were available but will remain with the Dodgers for now.
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Minor League Phase
In the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Dodgers lost four players while adding one. The minor league service time aspect of the eligibility rules are the same for this phase as the Major League section; however, for the minor league phase, players are protected by being on their organization’s Triple-A roster and don’t need to be on the 40-man roster.
Each player selected in the minor league phase costs $24,000, so the Dodgers only selected one player before skipping their remaining picks: Orioles outfield prospect John Rhodes. A third round pick back in 2021, Rhodes was seen as a potential average-or-better player in all five tools as he was drafted out of Kentucky. However, he has struggled to hit thus far in his professional career, batting just .225 through 324 games.
Rhodes’ first full Double-A season was the best stretch of his career so far. In the first three months of 2023, the Tennessee native slashed .266/.364/.447 with 23 extra-base-hits. Rhodes’ season flipped in July, as he batted just .191 with a .680 OPS through the rest of the season. His struggles carried into 2024, as he returned to Double-A but struggled to the tune of a .580 OPS in 104 games.
The Dodgers will look to tweak Rhodes’ swing and get him back on track offensively. He played a mix of corner outfield and first base this year for Bowie and is an outfielder by trade. A change of scenery could be just what the 24-year-old needs.
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As for who the Dodgers lost in the minor league phase, it began with right-hander Hyun-il Choi being nabbed by the Nationals. Choi signed with the Dodgers out of Korea back in 2018 and has worked his way up the ladder since. Although he did not debut in the Majors with the Dodgers, Choi served an important organizational role this season, bouncing between Double-A and Triple-A to fill innings as needed while the Dodgers frantically called players up to fill their own injury-caused needs.
Next, the Mets selected right-handed reliever Michael Hobbs. The 25-year-old pitched to a 2.97 ERA in Double-A last season. His strikeout rate was just 22%, but Hobbs has the stuff to progress as a reliever moving forward in the Mets organization.
The Marlins selected Orlando Ortiz-Mayr next. An undrafted free agent in 2021, Oritz-Mayr filled solid innings over his three seasons on the mound in the Dodgers system. Similarly to Choi, Ortiz-Mayr ate a lot of necessary innings this season, and he ended up leading the system with 135 2/3 total frames.
#Dodgers RHP prospect Orlando Ortiz-Mayr tonight for Tulsa:
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) July 6, 2024
7.0 IP
3 H
0 R
1 BB
7 K
83 P / 54 S
Heck of an outing for Ortiz-Mayr pic.twitter.com/eZP3pPTOeK
Lastly, the Twins selected Complex League catcher Jefferson Valladares. Still just 22 years old, Valladares was signed back in 2019 but has only played in 15 games at the Single-A level. The Venezuela native has an .866 OPS in his professional career, mostly in rookie ball.
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Overall, the Dodgers have to be happy with today’s results. The 40-man roster was a big crunch this offseason, but they did not pay much of a price in the Rule 5 Draft. Although were not awarded a 40-man roster spot this offseason players like Ryan Ward, Carlos Duran and Austin Gauthier have a solid chance to make their MLB debuts in 2025, and they represent quality depth that will remain in the organization.
