The Rule 5 draft is a blessing for prospects, but a burden for the Yankees.
The Yankees' minor league system is deep, and the annual minor league draft imposes a depth penalty. Each winter, prospects who have reached a certain standard of professional experience and have not yet qualified (not yet on the 40-man roster) are selected and immediately added to another team's major league roster. be done.
If that player survives the next season in the majors with his new team, he becomes a full-fledged member of the new organization. If the drafting team decides there's no longer room for him on the 26-man roster (perhaps because he's underperforming), he will likely be sent back to his former organization.
The Rule 5 Draft is a special time for prospects who are desperate for an opportunity. Mitch Spence pitched 426 1/3 innings in the minor leagues with the Yankees before being selected No. 1 overall by the Athletics in the Rule 5 Draft last December.
