Cleveland Indians: At Risk of Losing Players to Rule 5 Draft?

Odds to be taken: Less than 5 percent

Catcher and first baseman Jeremy Lucas is another longshot to be taken though I would not completely rule him out. He hit 12 home runs at Double-A Akron and eventually found his way to Triple-A Columbus for a short time. A good offensive player that can catch is something teams love. He can play some first base as well so could find a home as an extra bench player with some teams. Defensively he’s not the best catcher though.

There are a few others that could maybe pique the interest of teams. Last year, the Indians lost reliever Josh Martin in the Rule 5 Draft, only to get him back when he didn’t make the San Diego Padres roster out of spring training. He had another solid season, this time at Triple-A Columbus.

He posted a solid 3.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. However, the right-hander saw his strikeout rate drop from 10.2 K/9 in 2015 to 8.2 in 2016. Still good, but not the kind of eye-popping number teams would go for.

The catching pair of Eric Haase and Sicnarf Loopstok are longshots but each can hit and catch, which makes them potential targets. Mitch Brown is an interesting option as well to a team that believes he can be converted to a reliever in quick order.

Jeff Johnson, Ronny Rodriguez, Michael Peoples, and Trevor Franks are a few others who some team maybe takes a flyer on but don’t expect any of them to be taken either.

Odds to be taken: Less than 1 percent

In the last decade, the only player of any significance the Cleveland Indians have lost in the Rule 5 Draft was reliever Hector Rondon, who ended up with the Chicago Cubs several years ago. Rondon was always an elite talent who simply suffered too many injuries to stick with Cleveland.

I don’t see any player on this list that holds up to the likes of a Rondon, though one never knows for sure when it comes to the Rule 5 Draft. Last year many thought Jeff Johnson would be drafted but he was not. Instead, Josh Martin was taken due to his ability to go multiple innings. Different teams look for different traits and skills in players.

Next: Does Belle Deserve Hall of Fame Induction?

While I would be a bit surprised if anyone was drafted (let alone stick with a team), it’s definitely a possibility though not one that any Tribe fan should be worried about. None of these players are top-10 prospects and only Santander may be a top-15. So rest assured Tribe fans, the Indians made the right call in rostering only Francisco Mejia. Any potential losses would be minimal.