Pirates Add Three Minor Leaguers in Rule 5 Draft
By now, you have probably heard that the Pirates drafted Jose Soriano with the first pick in the 2020 - 2021 Rule 5 Draft. Later in the day, they swung a trade with the New York Mets for Luis Oviedo, the ninth overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. However, once the wheeling and dealing of the Major League portion was done, all 30 clubs moved to the Minor League portion where all available players were up for grabs again, but they could go anywhere in the team's Minor League system to continue their development. The Pittsburgh Pirates were active in this part of the draft as well, taking three players to finish the day.
The Pirates added two more pitchers to their system and an infielder over the course of the three rounds of the Minor League Rule 5 Draft. They selected RHP Shea Spitzbarth from the Los Angles Dodgers, IF Claudio Finol from the Cincinnati Reds, and right-handed pitcher Jeffery Passantino from the Chicago Cubs. Passantino and Spitzbarth have both played in Triple-A in 2019, while Finol was an A-Ball prospect. All three will join the Pirates Minor League system adding depth to each of those positions. We look at all three of the newest Pirates Minor Leaguers and where they will most likely play in 2021.
RHP Shea Spitzbarth (Round 1)
In the first round of the Minor League Draft, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Shea Spitzbarth.Spitzbarth has spent the past six seasons in the Dodger Minor League system and had an interesting career. He has done an incredible job in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, but when he moves to Triple-A, the wheels come off. He has appeared in at least one game at Triple-A in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and had ERAs of 19.29, 9.00, and 8.16 respectively. Because of this Spitzbarth has become stagnant in the Dodgers organization and was looking for a change. Most of Spitzbarth's work has come in the bullpen, and with a fastball that hits 95 miles per hour, he could be looking at either a back-end or middle relief spot in the Minor Leagues.
In 2019, Spitzbarth started with Double-A Tulsa, where he worked mostly as a back-end pitcher. He had a strong showing, going 3-3 with a 2.05 ERA over 32 appearances spanning 44 innings of work. He split time as a set-up man and a closer, collecting five saves and finishing out 10 games for the Drillers. He showed decent control, walking 9.6% of batters he faced, and had an opponents batting average of just .176. This was in large part because of his 33.7% strikeout rate as he used his fastball to set-up what Scouts have called a nasty curveball. With success under his belt, Spitzbarth moved to Triple-A Oklahoma City where he appeared in 20 games and went 1-0 with an 8.18 ERA.
IF Claudio Finol (Round 2)
In the second round of the Minor League Rule 5 Draft, the Pirates added to their middle infield depth picking Claudio Finol. Finol has been in the Cinncinati Reds organization for the last four seasons and has been known more for his defensive ability than his offense. He is another Venezuelan born prospect and has great range in the middle infield. In his first four professional seasons, his fielding percentage has been better than .950 in three of those four seasons. He has plus plate discipline and an ability to put the ball in play. At 5'11, 171 pounds, Finol projects as a contact hitter, but will most likely be known more for his defense than his offense.
Last season, Finol played the first six games of the season in Rookie ball before advancing to Class-A. In his six games with the Billings Mustangs, Finol hit .226 with four RBI. His run production was up, so the Reds decided to advance him to Class Low-A Dayton. Finol would spend the rest of the season in Dayton and hit .218 with a home run and 14 RBI. His plate discipline was down, with just 13 walks, and he struck out a career-high 16.7% of the time. He continued to make contact at a high rate but just wasn't able to find the holes often enough. Defensively, he played second base, third base, and shortstop with second base being his best position. In 246.1 innings as a second baseman, he did not commit an error in 2019 while turning 19 double plays. Look for Finol to play with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders to start the season, with a possibility of making high-A ball by year's end.
RHP Jeffery Passantino (Round 3)
In the third round of the Minor League Rule 5 Draft, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Jeffery Passintino from the Chicago Cubs. Passantino had a roller coaster year in 2019, as he went from Low-A ball all the way to Triple-A in the course of one season. Passantino has filled many roles from the bullpen to the starting rotation and that's the way he likes it. He is the second pitcher that the Pirates acquired in the Rule 5 Draft that had Triple-A experience. He had success at all four levels of the Minor Leagues that he pitched in, and is looking to make that next step in 2021.
He started the year in Low-A South Bend and went 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 games coming out of the bullpen. He was a three to four-inning guy and his biggest weapon is his strikeout rate as he set down 34% of batters at Low-A ball. Then, in late June he advanced to Advanced-A Myrtle Beach where he moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation. He continued his success, going 3-1 with 2.00 ERA in seven games, six starts. He still had a high strikeout rate, of 25%, but his big strength turned into missing batters bats with an opponent batting average of .215. Injuries paved the path to the upper levels of the Minor Leagues. He spent two games each at Double-A and Triple-A and posted ERAs of 3.60 and 2.00 respectively. In Triple-A, he made two starts, spanning nine innings while allowing two runs, striking out 11, and walking one. He dominated some of the best hitters in Triple-A and has confidence on his side. He will most likely join the Indianapolis Indians starting rotation in 2021, with his eyes on advancing to the Major Leagues sometime during the season.
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