The Philadelphia Phillies have selected the contracts of four players which shields them from the Rule 5 Draft, whilst also claiming a pitcher off of waivers from the Houston Astros. The players selected were INF Luis García, RHP James McArthur, OF Jhailyn Ortiz, and LHP Kent Emanuel.
García has been in the Phillies system for three years now, making a name for himself in the A to high-A minor league affiliates. In 2021, Garcia played in 51 games where he hit .243, with a slugging percentage of .414, which in big part was due to the 13 home runs he hit.
McArthur was drafted in the 12th round by Philadelphia in the 2018 June Amateur Draft, after spending three years at the University of Mississippi, and a season in the Cape Cod League with the Falmouth Commodores. Since being drafted by the Phillies, McArthur has bounced around the minor leagues, reaching as high as AA ball with the Reading Phillies. In 2021, McArthur spent most of his time with Reading, where he pitched for a record of 2-6, with an ERA of 4.25. His struggles continued into the Arizona Fall League where McArthur pitched with an ERA of 8.10 across his five starts for Peoria.
Ortiz joined the Phillies organization in 2016 and has remained in the system since then, mainly spending time in high-A ball. Across 95 games between Jersey Shore and Reading in 2021, Ortiz batted .250/.346/.488 with 23 home runs and 54 RBI.
Emanuel's contract with the Astros was picked up off of waivers by Philadelphia. His time with the Astros organization spanned eight seasons where he started out in A ball, to his most recent season which saw him make his major league debut against the Los Angeles Angels. During ten appearances with the Astros in 2021, Emanuel pitched 17.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.55.
It's uncertain what the Phillies organization plans to do with these pick-ups, but it's clear that they're valued enough by the front office to keep them instead of leaving them eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- Bryce Harper Wins National League MVP Award
- Is Bryson Stott Ready to Be the Phillies' Everyday Shortstop?
- This Player Just Makes Too Much Sense for the Phillies
More must-reads: