Players Added to 40-Man Roster 2013-14

One thing I'm thankful for: the Rule 5 Draft. Every December, MLB holds this event, a rare occasion where each team gets the chance to unabashedly pilfer talent from the organizations of their competitors. However, there are a couple of important stipulations: 1) Any player taken in the Rule 5 Draft has to remain on his new team's active (i.e. 25-man) roster for the entirety of the upcoming season or risk being returned to his original team. 2) Only players NOT on a team's expanded (i.e. 40-man) roster are eligible to be drafted in the proceedings. It's this second stipulation that led to more than 100 players being added to their team's respective 40-man rosters prior to last week's November 20 deadline to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Naturally my heart was all aflutter with all these roster moves, even though there was not a household name in the bunch. The closest thing to a recognizable player is Cardinals AAA CF Oscar Taveras, Baseball America's #3 ranked prospect going into 2013, but who had his 2013 season with the Memphis Redbirds marred by a high ankle sprain (628 points, 13.4 points per game). But there are some very impressive talents on this list of players who figure either to be part of their respective teams' immediate of long-term plans. Here they are, arranged by position in graphical depth chart format:

Let's start with the highest-scoring player (in terms of minor league stats, of course) both because he scored the most points and to address any possible confusion. The confusion of the type blovy8 experienced when he noted in the MLB Trade Rumors comments section: "The odds are against you whenever you try a link to Michael Taylor." This refers to the fact that the link in the article leads not to Michael Anthony Taylor, the Nationals farmhand who got called up last week, but to Michael D. Taylor, major leaguer for the Oakland Athletics in 2013. The Michael Taylor in question was drafted in the 6th round by Washington out of Ft. Lauderdale FL in 2009, the same year as the other Michael Taylor was involved in the flurry of moves involving Matt Holliday and the A's. Playing exclusively for the Potomac Nationals, the fast A or A+ league in the Washington organization, our Taylor showcased a combination of speed on the basepaths (51 SB) and doubles power (41 2B), which means he profiles as a traditional leadoff hitter who could make a push to make Denard Span expendable before his 2015 contract option comes due.

Next on the list in terms of raw points is Colorado's class A SS Rosell Herrera, a 21-year-old switch hitter from the Dominican Republic. I know the South Atlantic League is on the lower end of the minor league skill spectrum, but putting up a .343/.419/.515 slash line (.933 OPS) before you're allowed to drink is impressive at any level. I would bat him second in front of Ji-Man Choi, 1B who played all over the Mariners system last year. Although he didn't score as many fantasy points as Boston's plate discipline expert Garin Cecchini (95 BB to 86 K between A+ and AA in 2013) to the former San Diego contact hitting specialist Dean Anna (he and his .331 AVG were traded to the Yankees on the Rule 5 protection deadline, which makes him not your typical November call-up), Choi bats left handed and displays the combination of power (18 HR in 122 games) and bat control (.295 AVG) you'd like to see in a typical number 3 hitter. Plus he contributes to the international flavor of this lineup.

For pure cleanup hitter power, you have to go with Tulsa Drillers LF Kyle Parker in the Colorado organization. His 23 HR (most among the players called up) and .288 AVG form a good statistical base for the former 1st round pick (in 2010 out of Kentucky). Across the outfield and next in the order, I'd put Mississipian lefty Carlos Moncrief, who showed a decent power/speed combination (17 HR, 15 SB) to go along with an .824 OPS for Cleveland's Akron Aeroes in AA. Michael Oelman, Baltimore's closest internal option to replace Matt Wieters behind the plate, outslugged Yankees #1 prospect (according to MLB.com) Gary Sanchez at the A+ level. In other offensive news, since the deadline in question, RF runner-up Randal Grichuk has been traded to the Cardinals in the Peter Bourjos-David Freese deal.

The most impressive pitcher, statistics wise, has to be Kendry Flores, another young Dominican (he'll be age 22 in 2014) who most recently played exclusively at class A. In his 22 starts last year, Flores posted a not quite Cliff Lee-esque, but still very impressive 8.06 K/BB ratio (137 K's to only 17 walks) with a WHIP under 1 (0.918). In an ironic twist, Kyle Lobstein, the next-best 2013 pitcher to be protected from this year's Rule 5 Draft was acquired by the Tigers from the Rays in LAST year's Rule 5 Draft. Although Lobstein wasn't kept on Detroit's 25-man roster last year (he made almost as many starts in AA as in AAA), the two clubs worked out a trade to allow the former 2nd round pick from Flagstaff AZ to stay in the motor city. Oakland's Raul Alcantara actually scored a couple more points per game than Lobstein, but he also pitched in lower levels (A and A+) albeit with a much improved 3.11 combined ERA compared to the 5.09 he posted in 2012, his first year since being acquired in the Josh Reddick-Andrew Bailey trade.

This team's number 4 starter is one whose name I'll bet Houston broadcasters are practically salivating over trying to pronounce: Asher Wojciechowski. I'm sure the Elias Sports Bureau has a file on this, but I'd be willing to bet that the former 1st round pick by Toronto has to be in the running for the curviest name on the back of his jersey award. Anthony Ranaudo, another former 1st round pick who dominated in both AA and AAA, rounds out the rotation. He represent's Boston's second player on this chart, tying Colorado, Cleveland, Detroit, and Tampa Bay for the most of any team represented. In the bullpen, AA closer Jeff Walters, the only representative from the Mets organization, is the most impressive, but as I've heard and agreed with many times before, these stats are unfairly inflated by saves and a pitching position whose top performers averaged just under 60 innings last season can't be as valuable as those who averaged more than 150 innings.

I know we're still months away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, but it's never too early to get a head start on analyzing your favorite team's 40-man roster. I for one am looking forward to being fully informed the next time a top contract is selected for any major league roster. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the offseason!