Minnesota Twins: The Best and the Worst of the Twins Rule 5 Draft History
Minnesota Twins’ Best Rule 5 Picks
No. 3-Ryan Pressly: Ryan Pressly was once a Boston Red Sox farmhand who was solid in the first three seasons of his pro career. Everything fell apart in 2021, as he produced a 5.38 ERA and 1.399 WHIP at Double-AA and High-A. The Sox left him unprotected heading into the draft and the Minnesota Twins pounced, taking him fourth overall.
He became a reliable piece in the bullpen for five-and-a-half seasons, producing a 3.75 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 281 games. The 32-year old was traded to the Astros in the middle of 2018, and he hit a new level of dominance after, producing a 2.21 ERA and 43 saves in 168 games.
There’s added value in the pick when you consider the trade package they got back, as the club received Jorge Alcala, a solid reliever in his own right, and Gilberto Celestino, a 22-year old speedy outfielder with a good glove.
No. 2-Shane Mack: The best offensive player the Twins have chosen in the Rule 5 Draft, Shane Mack, was a Padres first-rounder out of college in 1984. He didn’t show much with the Friars, posting an 80 wRC+ in two seasons. This kind of performance convinced the front office to leave him vulnerable in the draft.
The Twins brass saw the opportunity to add a talented hitter and took him fifth overall before the 1990 season. He didn’t disappoint. Not only did he surpass the expectations of most Rule 5 players, but he spent five years with the team, amassing 17.9 fWAR while slashing .309/.375/.479 with 67 home runs and 71 stolen bases.
From ‘91-’92, his age 27 and 28 seasons, he ranked sixteenth in all of baseball in fWAR, right behind Ozzie Smith, and two spots ahead of Kirby Puckett. During this time, he owned a .874 OPS and 141 wRC+.
Mack left for Japanese baseball after 1994, then returned to North America, playing for the Red Sox, Athletics, and Royals. He wasn’t around too long, nor was he a star, but his peak offensive output made him a steal from the Rule 5 Draft.
No. 1-Johan Santana: Technically speaking, Johan Santana shouldn’t be on this list. Officially, the Marlins picked him in 1999. We include him here because the Minnesota Twins had a deal in place to swap Santana for Jared Camp, the Twins’ pick that year.
After joining the team for the 2000 season, he wasn’t an immediate success. He produced a 6.49 ERA in 86 innings his rookie year, followed by a 4.74 ERA as a sophomore, but he lit it up from there, ending his Twins tenure with an impressive 3.22 ERA and 3.31 FIP while posting 9.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over eight years.
From 2002-2010, he was second in pitching fWAR with 44, never posting an ERA above 3.33. During his career, he was a four-time All-Star and won two Cy Youngs, placing within the top seven four other times. In 2018, the left-hander appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot but only received 2.4% of the votes, not enough to remain on it.
Santana is by far the best player the Twins acquired via the Rule 5 Draft and ranks as one of the best Rule 5 picks of all time. Now, let’s focus on the key steals that other teams grabbed from the Twins.
Minnesota Twins Worst Rule 5 Losses
Akil Baddoo: I understand the Twins’ logic when they decided to leave Akil Baddoo unprotected in 2020. He played more than 38 games just once in his minor league career and even underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. He was 22 and failed to play above High-A. It’s safe to assume the Twins thought if a team were to take Baddoo, they’d probably return him anyways.
You don’t need me to tell you that’s not what happened. The Tigers took the young outfielder third overall, and he played well enough to lock up a starting role midseason. You might think this is recency bias, but there’s no denying that Baddoo outplayed the Rule 5 draft pick expectations. He ended up with a .259/.330/.436 slash line, 13 home runs, and 18 stolen bases.
Even if he’s an average hitter the rest of his career, that’s much more than the Tigers could have hoped for, especially with his speed and raw power. Baddoo will remind the Twins what they lost every time they meet.
Rudy May: Rudy May was a left-handed pitcher who amassed a sixteen year MLB career. but he got his start signing with the Twins as an amateur free agent in 1962. He spent the 1963 season, at age 18, with the Bismarck-Mandan Pards, the Twins A-Ball team at the time, posting a 4.29 ERA and wasn’t added to the 40-man roster that offseason.
The rules were a bit different back then, and May was grabbed by the White Sox in the first-year player draft, almost identical to the Rule 5 Draft. He wound up making his major league debut in 1965 with the California Angels before making stops with the Yankees, Expos, and Orioles.
May ended up with a 3.46 ERA (99 ERA-), 3.38 FIP (94 FIP-), 12 saves, and a 36.3 WAR in 2622 innings and 535 games. There were a few dominant seasons during his career, particularly in ‘79 and ‘80 when he posted a 2.31 and 2.46 ERA, respectively, appearing mostly as a reliever.
The lefty was never an All-Star and never placed in the Cy Young voting. Regardless, his above-average numbers and longevity help him stand out from the usual Rule 5 draftee.
Reggie Smith: The Twins lost a lot of talent in 1963. Like May, Reggie Smith was taken in that year’s first-year player draft after spending one season in the Twins system. The Red Sox snagged him, and the rest is history.
Not only is he the best player Twin ever picked in the draft, but he’s one of the best all-time. He played 17 seasons, compiling a .287/.366/.489 slash line, 314 home runs, 137 stolen bases, and was a plus defender. Add it all up, and it was good for a 64.6 career fWAR.
Smith was a seven-time All-Star, placed in the MVP voting seven times, including two fourth-place finishes, was awarded a Gold Glove in ‘68, and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1967. In ’88, he was a World Series champion while still a member of the Red Sox. The BBWAA included him on the 1988 Hall of Fame ballot, but he didn’t receive enough support to stay on for the following year. He currently stands as one of the best outfielders not in the Hall.
No matter which way you look at it, Smith was a star and someone who could’ve elevated the Twins in the 1970s, when the playoffs were a rare occurrence for the organization.
Next. Minnesota Twins: Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat finally get the HOF call. dark