The Three Best Picks From the Rule 5 Draft

Colorado is not a great fit for any pitcher, we all know that. However, the Rockies recently added Gabe Ribas as their pitching coordinator, plucking him from Detroit. Ribas spent a lot of time with Petit which should help his development path stay the course.

The Rockies are always in need of arms, so Petit’s path to the roster — like most first-overall selections in the Rule 5 — is pretty clear.

If he is able to stick as a middle reliever and show that the swing-and-miss stuff can translate, there’s an outside chance he could quickly become a high-leverage option this season. Especially if the Rockies trade anyone away from their bullpen.

Peyton Pallette (RHP) – 9th Overall, Cleveland Guardians

Peyton Pallette not being protected by the White Sox was a surprise, and now he lands with a divisional rival in Cleveland. The former second-round pick shifted to the bullpen in 2025 and posted a 4.06 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 12.03 K/9, and 3.92 BB/9 across Double and Triple-A.

A delivery that looks effortless with a bit of a unique motion gives his mid-90s fastball the look of a pitch that is coming in with more zip. He pairs the fastball with a curveball that has plus movement and produced over a 30% whiff rate. He also has a slider and a changeup that clocked in with whiff rates above 50%, giving him enough of an arsenal to find two or three pitches that can truly work.

Going from 95 mph to a lower 80s curveball gives Pallette a great speed deferential with the curveball and/or slider serving as a split between the two in terms of velocity. Command can be shaky, not only in terms of missing the zone but also catching too much of it at times.

Cleveland is one of the better organizations when it comes to pitcher development. Perhaps there’s some blind trust here, but I think the Guardians have what it takes to turn Pallette into a useful bullpen option.

After having a few departures from what has been a great bullpen the past few years, I’d gamble that Pallete sticks.

Daniel Susac (C) – 4th Overall – San Francisco Giants (via Minnesota Twins)

The Twins selected Daniel Susac and quickly moved him to San Francisco. The Giants also did this in 2022, when they acquired Blake Sabol — another catcher (and outfielder)– after he was selected fourth by the Cincinnati Reds.

Susac was a first-round selection by the then Oakland Athletics in 2022 and has steadily climbed his way through the minors. He spent all of 2025 in Triple-A where he slashed .275/.349/.483 with 18 home runs and a 94 wRC+. At 6’4″, Susac is on the bigger side for a catcher and showed decent contact rates but chased more than you would like.

The hitter-friendly environment in Triple-A boosted some of his numbers, but I do think there’s some more power he could tap into. Although, I think he’ll always be valued more for his glove.

Buster Posey knows catching, and if they think Susac was worth trading for then I trust them. Having an opportunity to work with, and learn from, Patrick Bailey is about as good of a development path as you could ask for as a young catcher.

With little competition at this time, I expect Susac to fill the back up role, focus on his defense, and hope the bat can blossom into a little bit more.