Pirates Add 5 Players, Lose 3 in Rule 5 Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates were busy in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft
After not selecting a player in the Major League phase, Pittsburgh took a player in the first five rounds of the Minor League phase, selecting right-handed pitcher Franck De La Rosa, left-handed pitchers Randy Labaut and Steve Hajjar, catcher Aaron McKeithan and outfielder Joel Mendez. The Pirates lost three players by the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft, right-handed pitcher Darvin Garcia, catcher Dylan Shockley and infielder Isaias Dipre.
Pittsburgh took De La Rosa from the Athletics in the first round with the No. 8 overall pick. De La Rosa is a towering 6-foot-8 right-hander who spent all of last season in Single-A Stockton for the Athletics. He made just nine appearances, including one start, and went 1-1 with a 5.88 ERA, striking out 39 batters and walking 19 over 26 innings pitched.
De La Rosa was placed on the injured list on June 1 and missed the rest of the season.
In the second round, the Pirates poached from their division rival St. Louis Cardinals by taking McKeithan. The right-handed hitting catcher slashed .264/.356/.325 with one home run and 16 RBIs over 55 games at Double-A Springfield. Three picks later, the Boston Red Sox selected former Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Darvin Garcia, who was 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA over 45 innings pitched for Single-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
Pittsburgh selected Labaut from the Cleveland Guardians in the third round. Labaut, 28, was 3-6 over 36 appearances, including three starts, for Triple-A Columbus, posting a 4.57 ERA, striking out 63 batters and walking 52 over 61 innings pitched.
The Pirates went back to the well and selected another left-hander from the Guardians when they took Hajjar. Hajjar, 24, was 2-1 with a 7.26 ERA over 30 appearances, two of which were starts. Over his 39.2 innings pitched, the 6-foot-5 left-hander struck out 35 batters and walked 40.
Five picks after selecting Hajjar, the Pirates lost Shockley to the Atlanta Braves. Across Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, he hit two home runs, drove in 12 runs and slashed .233/.293/.344.
In the fifth round, Pittsburgh selected Mendez from the New York Yankees with its final pick in the Rule 5 Draft. The 21-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder batted .292/.405/.569 with 6 home runs and 30 RBIs in the Florida Complex League.
With the final pick in the draft, the Philadelphia Phillies selected infielder Isaias Dipre from the Pirates. Dipre, 21, spent all of last season in rookie ball, batting .301/.441/.579 with 8 home runs and 19 RBIs
