Atlanta Braves Select Tyler Thomas in Minor League Portion of Rule 5 Draft

The Atlanta Braves made the move for a pitcher in the Rule 5 Draft.

While the Atlanta Braves didn't take anyone in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, they did select Tyler Thomas in the minor league portion. 

Thomas is a left-handed pitcher who was taken in the 7th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs out of Fresno State University. Interestingly enough, Thomas was traded by the Cubs to the Texas Rangers for Jesse Chavez. After spending five seasons with the Rangers he was let go. 

In 2023 he played in the Atlantic League and posted a 0.90 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 20 innings. 

That led the New York Mets taking a chance on him by signing him to a minor league deal this past June. 

Thomas had a 0.79 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 22.2 innings at Double-A, but then struggled in 12 innings at Triple-A with a 6.75 ERA and 2.17 WHIP. The Mets then sent him to the Arizona Fall League where he posted a 3.72 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 9.2 innings with 13 strikeouts. 

At 6-foot-1, the lefty features a low 90s sinker, low 80s change-up, and upper 70s slider. 

He mostly throws the sinker and slider, but in his final Triple-A appearance of the year he got 4 whiffs on 5 swings against his change-up. 

Over six minor league seasons he has a K/9 of 10.1, so despite not getting a ton of swings and misses, he's shown the ability to get strikeouts. 

There doesn't seem to be a lot of upside here for the 27-year-old, but it provides left-handed depth in the system. 

Braves Didn't Lose Anyone in Rule 5

The Atlanta Braves avoided having any players taken in the MLB or minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. 

That means Luis de Avila, Jesse Franklin, and others will remain in the system for now.

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