The Rule 5 Draft is typically a major event in Boise’s offseason, as they always leverage their status as a “rebuilding team” to try and get a leg up on the league. This year was no exception, as Boise did well in the draft, acquiring more players than any team not named Twin Cities. Additionally, they didn’t lose any of their unprotected players to other teams, something that hasn’t happened since 2046.Here, we’ll break down each of Boise’s picks in the draft, along with their BBA prospect rankings, and an estimate of how likely each player is to spend the entire season on Boise’s roster.
* * * * * Round 1: Omran Ahmad from Yellow Springs
BBA prospect ranking: #78
Chance of retention: 90%
Ahmad is a rangy infielder who can play short in a pinch, but doesn’t really have the arm for it, so he’ll likely be limited to second-base duties for the Spuds. But that’s good news, because second base is a position of need for Boise, especially defensively, and Ahmad has been outstanding there, with a +6.5 Zone Rating in Double-A last season. He has a great eye at the plate, and the Spuds will enjoy his walks, but he also has a bit of a strikeout problem. The coaching staff plans to work with him on his swing, and hopefully iron that out while keeping his on-base ability in tact.
Ahmad is a perfect platoon partner and defensive sub for Carlos Fernández, so the expectation is that the two will split time at second this season. But with Boise’s increased focus on infield defense, don’t be surprised if Ahmad gets the lion’s share of those starts.
Round 2: Hazđm Danishmend from Montreal
BBA prospect ranking: #173
Chance of retention: 70%
Danishmend is a young catcher with a lot of intangibles. Scouts praise his work ethic, and teammates rave about his clubhouse presence. And while that’s all great, the Spuds would love to see his impact also show up in the box scores. The backup catcher role has been a sore spot in recent years. Last season especially, when catchers not named Randy Bader batted a collective .183/.269/.304 for Boise.
There is hope that Danishmend can end that slump. His bat is very advanced for his level of experience; it’s basically BBA-ready. He posted a .373 on-base percentage last season in Double-A, with 3.1 WAR. In the wake of the trade of John Adams, he is penciled in as Boise’s backup catcher, but we’ll have to wait and see if he can deliver.
Round 3: Todd Jones from Sacramento
BBA prospect ranking: #182
Chance of retention: 20%
Jones is a candidate for the fifth starter role, and he’ll get a good look in Spring Training. There’s no doubt he’s BBA-ready — he spent the last two seasons in Triple-A and posted an ERA in the mid-3s both years. If there’s one knock on him, it’s that he lacks a real strikeout pitch, so he might have a harder time adjusting to BBA competition. As a top-200 ranked prospect, Boise wants to keep him if possible, but for them to justify doing so, he’ll have to outperform several more proven pitchers vying for the same spot, including BBA veteran Ernesto Ramos, and the organization’s #5 prospect Brian Ioneki.