A look at Atlanta Braves Rule 5 pick: Wendell Rijo

The Atlanta Braves left San Diego empty handed on the major league side of things, but the organization did add a minor league player on Thursday.

The Winter Meetings concluded with the yearly Rule 5 Draft on Thursday. The drafting was kicked off by the Detroit Tigers picking first (RHP Ruben Garcia from the Orioles) with the Atlanta Braves selecting 21st in the 1st Round of the Minor League Phase.

An explanation of the Minor League Phase:

"“There is also a Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, with the costs rising from $12,000 to $24,000 for a Triple-A pick (anyone not protected on a big league or Triple-A roster is eligible). … Players selected in this portion of the Rule 5 Draft aren’t subject to any roster restrictions with their new organizations.”"

With two open slots on the 40-man roster, the Braves made just one pick on Thursday, selecting 24-year-old second baseman Wendell Rijo from the NY Yankees farm system.

The 5-foot-11 Rijo was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16 by the Red Sox in July of 2012, then was later traded to the Brewers three years later in 2016. The Yankees acquired Rijo on June 16, 2018 and he got his first call-up at the Triple-A level this past season.

As you may have noticed, the kid has been around, having completed seven seasons and played 647 games in the minor leagues, with three different organizations. Overall, Rijo has a career .240/.319/.362 slash-line with 37 home runs and 69 stolen bases, in 7 pro seasons.

His 2019 campaign featured 103 games between three different levels of the Yankees minor league system (High-A, Double-A, Triple-A), as he hit .258 with 13 homers, 24 doubles, and 44 RBI altogether.

A little background

Looking at the early stages of Rijo’s career, it’s apparent he was a rather highly touted player in the early 2010s, even mentioned as the best player in the Dominican Prospect League in 2012; that after being listed as a top-20 prospect (No. 9) in Rookie and Short-Season ball in 2013.

Consider a quote from a 2012 scouting report, right after Rijo was signed by the Red Sox:

"“Although Wendell Rijo wasn’t the best runner or had the best power, he was undoubtedly the best baseball player in the Dominican Prospect League in 2012.”"

And as a very young player in the DPL, Rijo graded well in essentially all facets of the game, earning him a $625,000 signing bonus with the Red Sox as a teenager. Although, it looks as if his ability to hit for average and power has become his most recent plus-skills.

As relayed in some early scouting reports, if there’s one aspect of his game that’s a bit lacking…  it’s Rijo’s arm, which led to him becoming primarily a second baseman. Despite a weaker arm, the right-handed Rijo is said to have a quick release with his throws and “an instinctive ability to make plays.”

On offense, Rijo’s batted-ball profile is compared to former Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia, in that he’s able to generate a great deal of explosion and bat speed despite his small size.

With a quick bat and pull-hitting tendencies, it seems reasonable that both a combination of coaching and the newer Happy Fun Ball that the Braves could perhaps unlock a bit more power in Rijo. The fact that he hit more home runs in Triple-A compared to Double-A, while playing eight less games there, is at least an encouraging sign (granted, he hit just one more).

Even more, Rijo’s play didn’t drop off a bit once promoted to the Yankee’s Triple-A affiliate; in fact, he got better, slashing .270/.324/.496 in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (43 games) and .235/.309/.390 in Double-A Trenton (51 games).

With a total of 94 games between Double and Triple-A in 2019 — plus given that his production increased after being promoted — I would expect Rijo to be a solid contributor for Triple-A Gwinnett this coming season.

One thing I like about Rijo is his versatility, which could give the Stripers several options with its 2020 roster. Rijo played 36 games at third in 2019 and spent some time at shortstop the year before that, starting 21 games there.

Rijo’s ability to move around in the infield and the fact that he was an above-average offensive player at all three stops in the minors as recent as this past season — he posted a 100+ wRC+ at every level of the minors — gives me hope he could be a decent contributor in the Braves’ system in 2020.

Rule 5 picks aren’t usually the cream of the crop, and I highly doubt Rijo is the next Dan Uggla, but the Braves did a good job of maximizing their late-round pick by selecting a player that is competently able to do several different things on the baseball field.