Pirates Breakout Prospect Named Rule 5 Draft Candidate
As quickly as Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect Sammy Siani established himself as a player to watch, he may be on his way out.
MLB.com's Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra listed one intriguing option for each team when the Rule 5 Draft takes place at the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. For Pittsburgh, they listed Siani after his breakout performance during the 2024 season in the minor leagues and the Arizona Fall League.
"Siani was scuffling and stuck in High-A Greensboro when he changed his swing and flattened his bat path this season," they wrote. "A .965 OPS over 20 games led to a bump up to Double-A where his production was more modest, but he held his own. Then he hit .375/.457/.550 in the Fall League. He runs well and can handle all three outfield spots defensively, so he could be a fourth or fifth outfielder."
Players who aren't on a 40-man roster and turned pro at 19 or older in 2021 or 18 or younger in 2020 are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Teams that select a player must pay $100,000 to the team they selected the player from and keep them on the active roster for the following season. Should they choose to send the player down to the minors, they must first clear waivers and then get offered to their original team at half the price they were acquired for.
Siani was the No. 37 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Siani had a hit in all but one game he played in during his stint in the AFL, which included having a 15-game hitting streak. The left-handed hitting outfielder hit three home runs and had 18 RBIs while also posting a .375/.457/.550 slash line.
Siani's strong performance in the AFL came on the heels of his best season in the minor leagues. Across 116 games, 96 of which came in Double-A Altoona, the Pirates prospect hit .265/.338/.400 with nine home runs and 48 RBIs. He also had 16 stolen bases in 2024.
