Dallas – In the latest Rule 5 draft, pitchers continued their dominance, accounting for 11 of the 15 selected players. The Chicago White Sox made a move to strengthen their pitching staff by picking up right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
Smith, a 24-year-old pitcher with a strong minor league record, has gone 13-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 157 innings in three minor league seasons. The White Sox selected him with their first pick, demonstrating their commitment to building a competitive team.
Other teams made picks in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, including Atlanta Braves. They chose right-hander Anderson Pilar from the Miami Marlins and infielder Christian Cairo from the Cleveland Guardians. Pilar, who has pitched in 213 minor league games, is now part of the Braves’ organization.
Six players selected during last year’s Rule 5 draft remained with their original organizations, while two position players picked by other teams came from the Detroit Tigers: catcher Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman. The Baltimore Orioles lost two right-handed pitchers to different teams in consecutive picks.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42916535/eleven-pitchers-15-players-selected-rule-5-draft