The Rule 5 draft saw the Brewers both acquire and lose some players
MLB’s Rule 5 Draft took place on Wednesday with several players in the Brewers organization heading elsewhere, while some new faces join the fold. The Brewers added a pair of pitchers and outfielder with interesting track records in the minors. They lost Shane Smith, who had reached Triple-A this year, and Miguel Briceno, a young shortstop in their system.
Acquired in the Draft
-
Connor Thomas, LHP (From the St. Louis Cardinals)
The Brewers drafted left-handed pitcher Connor Thomas with the 13th pick of the first round in the draft. At 26 years old, Thomas has yet to debut in the majors but had an impressive season with Triple-A Memphis. He pitched to a 2.89 ERA over 90 1⁄3 innings.
He was a starter in previous seasons, but clearly found some success out of the bullpen this year. He struck out 79 batters to just 24 walks and secured three saves. -
Garrett Spain, OF (From the Toronto Blue Jays)
In the minor league phase of the draft, the Brewers selected Garrett Spain in the first round (No. 25). Spain is a 24-year-old who spent most of the year at the Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate. He struggled with a .167 batting average, but he impressed much more back in 2023 at High-A. He had double-digit steals and home runs, so it will be interesting to see how he develops. His BABIP notably dipped from .308 to .201, which clearly played a part in his poor statistical output, while he maintained a strikeout rate around 26%. -
Zachary Peek, RHP (From the Baltimore Orioles)
A second-round selection in the minor league phase (No. 45 overall), Peek doesn’t have an extensive record in the minor leagues. He’s pitched less than 30 innings since the start of 2023 across three levels, most recently making three appearances at Double-A this year. Although he hasn’t played in many games these past few seasons, he had a fantastic 2021-22 with respective ERAs of 3.22 and 3.57 across 90 combined innings.
Lost in the Draft
-
Shane Smith, RHP (To the Chicago White Sox)
The first pick of the MLB phase of the draft belonged to the Chicago White Sox, who selected Brewers pitcher Shane Smith. He pitched mostly at Double-A but appeared a few times for Triple-A Nashville this past season. He had a 3.05 ERA with an impressive 113 strikeouts in 94 1⁄3 innings. -
Miguel Briceno, SS (To the Minnesota Twins)
Taken in the second round of the MiLB phase (No. 37 overall), Briceno is just 21 years old. While he might not reach the majors for a few more seasons, he’s impressed through his teenage years at the lower levels. This was his first season at Single-A, hitting .277 while striking out just 12.8% of the time. He only hit three home runs, but he tacked on 16 stolen bases to go with his promising plate approach.
To view a full pick-by-pick recap from MLB, click here.