{"id":40789,"date":"2020-11-20T20:32:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T01:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=40789"},"modified":"2020-11-20T20:32:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T01:32:12","slug":"milwaukee-brewers-protect-three-from-rule-5-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/11\/20\/milwaukee-brewers-protect-three-from-rule-5-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Milwaukee Brewers Protect Three from Rule 5 Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

A catcher and two pitchers were added to the 40-man roster by the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> on Friday, keeping them from next month’s Rule 5 draft.<\/p>\n

Catcher Mario Feliciano<\/strong><\/a> and pitchers Alec Bettinger<\/strong><\/a> and Dylan File<\/strong><\/a> were protected from being selected by other teams in December’s Rule 5 draft. Friday’s moves, at the deadline for protecting prospects, put the Brewers’ 40-man roster at 39.<\/p>\n

All three players are among the Brewers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To see the full rules and past results for the Rule 5 draft please follow this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Catching Depth<\/h2>\n

Protecting Feliciano gives the Brewers five catchers on their 40-man roster. Omar Narvaez<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Manny Pina<\/a>,<\/strong> and Jacob Nottingham<\/strong><\/a> all saw action behind the plate in 2020, while David Freitas<\/strong><\/a> was added to the playoff roster and had one at-bat.<\/p>\n

Feliciano is the fourth-ranked Brewers prospect. Both players were part of the Brewers’ 60-player pool during this pandemic-shortened season and worked out in Grand Chute, Wis.<\/p>\n

Feliciano spent most of 2019 at high Class-A Carolina and a few games at Double-A Biloxi, hitting .270 with 19 homers and 81 RBIs.<\/p>\n

Saving Arms<\/h2>\n

Bettinger is No. 24 and File No. 25 on the Brewers’ prospect list. Both right-handers were part of the 60-player pool.<\/p>\n

Bettinger was at Biloxi in 2019, going 5-7 with a 3.44 ERA. Bettinger walked 35 and struck out 157 in 146 innings. File split 2019 between Carolina and Biloxi, going a combined 15-6 with a 3.24 ERA. File walked 22 and struck out 136 in 147 innings.<\/p>\n

Not Protected<\/h2>\n

Top-30 prospects not put on the 40-man roster are right-hander Zack Brown<\/strong><\/a> (No. 14), catcher Payton Henry<\/strong><\/a> (No. 15), first baseman-third baseman Lucas Erceg<\/strong><\/a> (No. 28), and outfielder Pablo Abreu<\/strong><\/a> (No. 29).<\/p>\n

After being the Brewers’ minor-league pitcher of the year in 2018, Brown struggled in 2019. He went 3-7 with a 5.79 ERA at Triple-A San Antonio, walking 64 and striking out 98 in 116.2 innings.<\/p>\n

Abreu posted on his Instagram account that he underwent surgery on his right elbow. Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said Thursday it was not a major procedure and Abreu should be ready for spring training. The 21-year-old has not played above low Class-A.<\/p>\n

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Stearns said the elbow surgery that OF Pablo Abreu revealed on Instagram (“I love the social media reveals”) was not a serious injury and he should be ready for spring training. Is a player under consideration for roster protection tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tom (@Haudricourt) November 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n