In the first round of the Rule 5 Draft, Charlotte selected 28 year old catcher Hiba Majaliwa from the Montreal organization. Majaliwa is a left handed hitter, providing something that allows the team to use him in a platoon role if desired. He is a solid defender who should not be in the game against left handed pitching. He has never played at the big league level and is looking forward to the opportunity to compete for a spot on the Charlotte roster this Spring. He has been named to three minor league All-Star teams since being drafted into the GBC in 2049, winning the Warren Cox League All-Star Game MVP Award in 2056. The acquisition of Majaliwa may allow the team to give top catching prospect Lawrence Stewart a full season at AAA in an attempt to better prepare him to be the big league catcher in 2059.
In the 2nd round of the Rule 5 Draft, Charlotte selected 25 year old CF Mick Scott from San Fernando. The Bears had recently signed him to a minor league free agent deal but did not put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the draft. Scott was originally drafted by the Cario Pharaohs on the GBC. He was in that organization’s farm system while current Charlotte GM Nathan Garrison was the GM of that club in 2055. Scott was a top 100 GBC prospect but never made his way onto the top level’s roster before he reached minor league free agency. Scott is an excellent defender in center, with a 13 ZR at the position at the AAA level last season. He has the toolset to play any outfield position and possibly second base with some training there. His infield arm strength doesn’t lend itself to him being able to effectively play short. Scott and the third round pick were brought in to try to find someone who can play great defense in center against left handed pitching since Victor Frazier has not been good against southpaws and none of the other outfielders on the roster can really handle all of the defensive responsibilities that come with being in center field.
In the 3rd round of the Rule 5 Draft, Charlotte selected 30 year old center fielder Lao Kum. Like Scott, he will compete for the backup/platoon center field position. Kum has struggled at the BBA level, owning a career wRC+ of 25 in 118 games. Scouts like his offensive toolset more than Scott’s but he hasn’t been able to put it together in a tangible way up to this point. It seems likely that either Scott or Kum will make the team out of Spring Training and the other will be sent back to their original team.