Bernie on the Scene: Another Group of Rule 5 Picks to Know

This is my last installment of players taken in the recent Rule 5 MLB Draft.

Some of the players I have profiled will be important in fantasy, as many will make the club's  26-man roster. If they don't stick all season, they have to be returned to their original team for half the purchase price, $50,000.

Trevor Stephan, Indians from Yankees
Right-handed pitcher
Pick: 24

At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Trevor Stephan has the type of frame scouts seek in pitchers. But his velocity hasn't lived up to the strength of his frame. He has made it as far as Double-A.

To this point in his career, Stephan has been a fairly consistent righty with an emphasis on his fastball and slider combination. The limited repertoire means a career in the bullpen, likely a role as a middle reliever. His fastball is 89-91 mph, which isn't great velocity in today's game. His slider also sits at the same velocity.

A third-round pick of the Yankees in 2017 out of Arkansas, he never really climbed the Yankees prospect ladder and became expendable. 

Conclusions: I think it will be tough for Stephen to stick with the parent club all year. Based upon what I have seen, he isn't better than the pitchers currently targeted for middle relief with the Indians.

Ka'ai Tom, A's from Indians
Outfield
Pick: 26

With the Indians' outfield woes, I was surprised they exposed the left-handed hitting Tom to the draft. But they did, and he was scooped up by the Athletics.

Tom is only 5-9, 190. He isn't big, but he's solid. He was selected in the fifth round by the Indians in the 2015 draft out of the University of Kentucky, where he played two seasons and stole 29 bases. He was caught stealing only five times. Speed is an asset for him, but he also has some gap and home-run power.

Tom has reached Triple-A for Cleveland, where he hit 15 doubles, four triples and nine home runes in 211 2019 plate appearances. He also had another 14 homers at Double-A before he was promoted, giving him 23 home runs for the season. How does an Indians team that lacks power give up on that type of bat? They obviously know something I don't.

Conclusions: I just don't get this move by the Indians. The Oakland club will be the beneficiaries. But I also ask myself why every team passed on him before the A's took him at No. 26?

Dedniel Nunez, Giants from Mets
Right-handed pitcher
Pick: 14

Nunez is much like other pitchers selected in the draft. They have high spin rates, which a pitcher like Trevor Bauer has made popular and important. Nunez can start or relieve, giving the Giants options for his use. 

An international free agent out of the Dominican Republic, Nunez is 6-2, 180, so he has nice size for a pitcher. Still only 24, Nunez has reached high-A, but he may be able to stick with the Giants.

Nunez throws his fastball 89-94 mph and has a good curve/slider type secondary pitch. Probably best described as a slurve. He lacks consistency for his changeup, which remains a work in progress.

Conclusions: Nunez may have been exposed to the draft due to a history of shoulder issues. That would be a red flag for many clubs. I'm not sure he is defined enough as either a starter or reliever to make him relevant enough for a big-league roster.

Gray Fenter, Cubs from Orioles
Right-handed pitcher
Pick: 22

Fenter was a ranked pitcher with the Orioles. He was a 2015 seventh-round pick out of West Memphis High School. Fenter will be 25 in mid-January.

At 6-0, 200, Fenter was signed for $1M, so the Orioles had some money behind him. However, after he signed, he had Tommy John surgery.

Throwing 96-97 mph in high school, Fenter was attractive to scouts; he also throws a curve. However, he has only reached Single-A, so I think it will be very tough for the Cubs to keep him around all year.

Fenter, fully recovered from his surgery, increased his strikeout rate to 11.7 per nine innings at Single-A Delmarva in 2019. That's likely what attracted Baltimore.

Conclusions: Fenter still needs minor league development. He has only 230 professional innings in his career. While the high velocity and strikeout rates are compelling, is he ready for prime time?

Heading Home

The Pirates traded first baseman Josh Bell to the Nationals for pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean. Crowe and Yean were ranked pitchers for Washington.

Bell gets new life in Washington, with a lineup that is far better than the one he leaves in Pittsburgh. The RBI chances should be there for his potentially potent switch-hitting bat. 

Frankly, I don't think we have seen anywhere near the best of Josh Bell. This trade could be a steal.

Crowe is a major league average (grade 50) right-hander with a 92-94 mph fastball. He can hit 98. He also throws a good changeup and a mediocre curve and slider.

The Nationals can use him either as a starter or reliever, but he projects to start in the Pirates system. He's 6-2, 230, and at age 26, he may be ready for big-league action. A 2017 second-round pick, Crowe has had Tommy John surgery while pitching at University of South Carolina.

Yean is 19. He can bring his fastball to 97 mph, but he is quite a way away from pitching in the big leagues. He has a history as a starter, which is where I project him to pitch for the Pirates. He was also ranked well among Nationals prospects.

Yean has a clean delivery and should be able to really help the Pirates once his development concludes. But that will be a couple years away.

For Josh Bell, it will be a very Merry Christmas. He escapes the cellar with the Pirates and goes to a contender.

Follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff and read my work at Forbes.com — like this one.

I wish each and every one of you a very Healthy Happy Prosperous Safe and Peaceful New Year. We can say goodbye to 2020. We won't miss it, either.