Detroit Tigers: Six players added to 40-man roster to avoid Rule 5 Draft

The Detroit Tigers added six players to the 40-man roster yesterday to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft that takes place in December.

An article on the Free Press revealed that the Detroit Tigers added six players to the 40-man roster yesterday to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. The draft takes place in December, but the deadline for protection was yesterday. Here are the players they chose to protect.

Isaac Paredes

Paredes has exceeded all expectations at the age of 20, and as expected, he was added to the 40-man roster. There is speculation that he might make an appearance in the big leagues as early as next year, assuming he continues his strong performance. Paredes most recently appeared in the Mexican Pacific League where he has hit .306 over 16 games with two home runs.

Beau Burrows

Burrows was expected to appear in Detroit in 2019 but had a poor season in Toledo. Nonetheless, he clearly has potential as a pitcher and Detroit doesn’t want to risk losing him to the Rule 5 Draft. He just turned 23 a few months ago and has plenty of time to develop into a solid player. His 5.51 ERA wasn’t pretty last year, but don’t chalk him off just yet.

Kyle Funkhouser

Like Burrows, Funkhouser was expected to pitch in Detroit at some point in 2019 but performed miserably in the minors. Funkhouser is a little older, at 25, but Detroit still believes he could be valuable. He had an 8.53 ERA in Toledo but was able to post a 1.90 ERA in Erie over four starts. Hopefully, for his sake, he can get it together in 2020.

Daz Cameron

Cameron came over from Houston as part of the Verlander trade. Detroit had high hopes for him coming into the 2019 season, but he was never able to get it going in Toledo. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old has plenty of time to grow and develop into a reliable outfielder. After hitting .214 over 120 games in Toledo, Cameron is getting off on the right foot in the Puerto Rican Winter League, starting the season with a .417 average over 13 plate appearances.

Anthony Castro

Castro showed a lot of improvement from 2018 where he had a 8.10 ERA over three appearances in Erie to 2019 where he held a 4.40 ERA over 27 appearances. Castro is already 24-years-old but if he is able to continue improving he could see success as a late bloomer. This is what the Tigers will be counting on.

Derek Hill

Hill was a first-round pick in 2014 and has taken some time to develop. Detroit clearly still believes in him though, and he did hit 14 home runs last season in the minors. He could develop into a reliable outfielder with some power, and that’s what Detroit is banking on by keeping him.

The Detroit Tigers now have 39 players on the 40-man roster, leaving one spot open to draft someone with their pick in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The Tigers took Victor Reyes in 2017, who looked extremely promising in 2019, so it will be interesting to see who they decide to go with this year.