Not surprisingly, the Oakland A’s snapped up two players in the MLB Rule 5 Draft during the virtual Winter Meetings Thursday. In the first round, David Forst and company selected outfielder Ka’ai Tom out of the Cleveland Indians system. Then the A’s were one of only two teams to make a second-round pick and took Dany Jimenez, a reliever out of the Toronto Blue Jays system.
Ka’ai Tom
Tom is 26-years old and was the Indians’ fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of Kentucky. The lefty hitter last split the 2019 season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. Tom produced a combined .290/.380/.532/.912 slash line in 479 at-bats. He cranked out 23 homers and drove in 86. The native of Hawaii has developed a power stroke in the minors after only hitting eight career home runs in college. Tom also saw appreciable time at all three outfield positions in 2019.
Dany Jimenez
This is the second time Jimenez has been taken in the Rule 5 draft. He was taken by the San Francisco Giants in last year’s draft and then returned to Toronto in August. The right-hander appeared in only two games for the Giants. Jimenez’ last full season in the minors was split between Single-A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire. He produced a 2.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. The eye-popping quality Jimenez offered from that season is 93 strikeouts in just 59 innings.
Adding It Up
It looks to be a solid Rule 5 draft for club General Manager David Forst. He selected a needed depth outfielder and yet another power arm for the bullpen. Robbie Grossman is out and Ka’ai Tom in. Joakim Soria is out and Dany Jimenez in. It’s all part of the equation for the economy-minded Oakland A’s. From the looks of it, their money is once again wisely spent.
Main Image Embed from Getty Images
