The 2022 Rule 5 draft was held on December 7 in San Diego, CA as part of the conclusion of the annual Winter Meetings. 82 total picks were made; the Yankees lost nine prospects but gained one.
MLB Portion
RHP Wilking Rodriguez selected to the Cardinals as pick #25.
You may not recognize the name, but Rodriguez was re-signed by NYY at the end of August after having not pitched in the States since 2015. He last pitched for Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in 2021, posting a 2.01 ERA in 44.2 IP. Not much is available internationally on how he was used, but in this clip he was a closer and in another he was pitching in the 7th.
RHP Zach Greene selected to the Mets as pick #27.
Greene posted a 3.42 ERA in 68.1 IP with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2022 and a WHIP of 1.21. Greene was used as a middle reliever and closer in SWB, but given the Mets have Edwin Diaz signed for a few years, it’s safe to imagine him being used as a set-up tool for Diaz.
MiLB Portion
RHP Alfred Vega selected by Baltimore
Vega only pitched a handful of innings after being out most of 2022 due to injury, posting a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 IP, allowing 3 ER in that span. Vega also pitched in 37 IP for FCL Yankees and Single-A Tampa, and had a combined 1.70 ERA in that span. Vega was primarily used as a reliever/closer and will do well in AAA after an adjustment period.
RHP Yon Castro selected by LA Dodgers
Castro pitched for Single-A Tampa in 2022 exclusively as a starter & held a 3.59 ERA in 87.2 IP. Castro flashed some brilliance throughout the season, but also had some really rough games. That said, given the occasional difficulties he had, whether or not AAA is a good fit for Castro is yet to be seen.
RHP Denny Larrondo selected by Arizona
Larrondo is the least experienced of the pitchers selected given he only has 58 innings under his professional belt. After being signed by the Yankees as a top international draft pick in 2018, Larrondo threw in 2019 in the DSL, 2021 in FCL and missed all of 2022 due to injury. That said, in 2021 Larrondo had an ERA of 4.56 in 25.2 IP and was used as a starter/long reliever.
RHP Ryan Miller selected by Boston
Miller did not have the best of seasons with Yankees High-A affiliate Hudson Valley after posting a 5.75 ERA in 36 IP. Miller was also on the IL for the last few weeks of the season, so it’s possible that he was fighting the injury all year. Miller was used as a reliever/closer
Yankees selected Pablo Mujica from Kansas City
Mujica pitched 31.2 innings with the Arizona Complex League Royals in 2022 and posted a 3.13 ERA with 44 K in that time. Not much comes out of many Complex League sites, so little is public on him, but Mujica was used as a long reliever/closer and frequently threw 2-4 innings in 2022.
RHP Nelson Alvarez selected by Tampa Bay
Alvarez pitched a 2.85 ERA in 53.2 innings in 2022 with High-A Hudson Valley, his best season of his career thus far. Alvarez also made an appearance in the Arizona Fall League with Mesa, but threw an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings. Alvarez was used as a short reliever/closer for Hudson Valley.
Oliver Dunn selected by Philadelphia (final selection in draft)
The only position player prospect lost or claimed by the Yankees, Dunn had a drastically shortened season due to an extended injury in 2022, only playing in 36 games. Dunn missed exactly 2 months of the season (last game on June 28 – back from IL on August 28), and had a combined slash of .288/.406/.525/.931 between AA Somerset and AAA Scranton. Dunn played 2B, 3B and LF in 2022, although he primarily played at 2B (103 innings) and LF (96 innings).
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