As expected, the Yankees did not make a selection in the major-league phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, but did lose three players: RHP Garrett Whitlock was selected fourth overall by Boston, shortstop Kyle Holder was taken 11th overall by Philly, and RHP Trevor Stephan went 15th overall to Cleveland.
In the minor-league phase, which was combined into one large group instead of Triple-A and Double-A phases, the Yankees selected LHP Matt Krook from the Rays in Round 1 and RHP Reggie McClain from the Phillies in Round 2, and lost four players.
Those losses were: RHP Matt Wivinis (Round 1 Pick 2, Rangers); RHP Kaleb Ort (Round 2 Pick 3, Red Sox); C Gustavo Campero (Round 2, Pick 5, Angels); and OF Ben Ruta (Round 2, Pick 16, Padres).
Whitlock, 24, was the Yankees’ 18th-round pick in 2017, and is 12-8 with a 2.41 ERA in 42 games as a minor-leaguer. He was 3-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Trenton in 2019, but underwent Tommy John surgery that summer and did not pitch in 2020.
Per WEEI, Red Sox VP of pro scouting Gus Quattlebaum said that the organization is “really excited to land someone who we think has upside as a potential starter or at a minimum could assume some volume in a role out of the pen or as a starter.”
Holder, 26, was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2015, has spent the last few springs in camp as a non-roster invite, and was at the alternate site in 2020 but never got a call-up. Noted as a glove-first middle infielder coming out of the University of San Diego, the left-handed hitter has slashed .264/.317/.350 in the Minors. He spent 2019 at his high-water mark of Double-A, hitting .265 in 112 games, and has played limited second and third base in the system.
“Kyle is a natural shortstop and a plus defender at the position, and he has shown good progress offensively,” said Mike Ondo, Phillies Director of Professional Scouting, in a statement to MLB.com. “We’re excited to welcome him to our organization.”
Stephan, 25, was a third-round pick in 2017 and split 2019 between High-A Tampa and Double-A, going 4-7 with a 4.73 ERA. He was once as high as No. 7 on MLB.com’s Yankees prospects list, but was moved down from Trenton to Tampa mid-season in 2019 after struggling at Double-A.
Those three players cost $100,000 to acquire, and must stay on their new teams’ 25-man roster all season (outside of injured list stints), or be offered back to the Yankees for $50,000.
Minor-league choices are not subject to the same rules, only the cost of acquisition (which is $25,000), so Krook and McClain will be part of the organization somewhere for sure.
Krook, 26, was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2016, and was dealt to Tampa in the Dec. 2017 Evan Longoria deal. He spent most of his two seasons with the Rays at Double-A Montgomery, posting a 4.35 ERA in 124 innings as a swingman.
McClain, 28, was a 13th-round pick of the Mariners in 2016 and made his MLB debut in 2019, posting a 6.00 ERA in 21 innings. He made five appearances for the Phillies last year, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings, but spent most of his time at the alternate site. Unlike most Rule 5 picks, McClain only has two minor-league options remaining if the Yankees place him on the 40-man roster at any point, as he burned one in 2020.
Of the minor-league losses:
Wivinis, 27, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2017, and has gone 8-8 with a 2.23 ERA and 39 saves in 137 innings. He split 2019 between Tampa and Trenton, posting a 2.86 ERA in 50 1/3 innings.
Ort, who signed out of the independent leagues in 2017, was 11-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 90 relief outings over three seasons. He spent time in 2019 at Staten Island, Trenton, and Triple-A Scranton, posting a 3.40 overall ERA in 50 1/3 innings.
Campero, 23, was an international signing in 2017 and has spent his entire career in Rookie ball, most recently hitting .293 in 36 games with Pulaski in 2019.
Ruta, 26, is from West Windsor, NJ, and was a 30th-round pick out of Wagner in 2016. His high-water mark was Trenton, where he hit .260 with eight homers in 117 games in 2019.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch