Why Did The Red Sox Expose Shane Drohan To The Rule 5 Draft?
For those who watched my Red Sox offseason guide video, you may have caught the name Shane Drohan mentioned as a player to watch. It turns out that we smelled this one coming from a mile away. The Red Sox decided to not add Drohan to the 40-man roster which means he’s eligible to be plucked in the Rule 5 Draft.
Is this a mistake by the Red Sox?
Is this a calculated gamble?
Maybe it’s a mixture of both. I’ll do the best I can to inform you the reader of everything you need to know.
Drohan, a former 5th round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, was very up and down last season in the minors. Drohan was a standout in the Spring and then caught fire in AA. The former Florida State product went 5-0 in six starts while sporting a 1.32 ERA with AA Portland.
Drohan wasn’t super highly thought of as a prospect but he learned a cutter last year. Once he applied that pitch to his arsenal, the guy really caught fire and was promoted to AAA fairly quickly. Given the depth issues of starting pitching at the big league level, Drohan was starting to become a name that may work his way into the rotation.
Pretty much everything went to hell right after he was promoted to AAA. In 21 appearances (19 starts), Drohan notched a 6.47 ERA. The velocity wasn’t impressive and he just stunk against higher level of hitters. Especially at AAA where a lot of old vets are there playing regularly.
Drohan, now 24, will be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft because he was not placed on the 40-man roster after a certain amount of time staying in the minor league system. Clearly, Craig Breslow either thinks he’s not going to get claimed or he’s okay with losing him.
Drohan clearly has something to him. It’s a matter of if he can take that next step. Don’t forget, Arizona’s Brandon Pfaddt was taken one pick after Drohan. There is a clear pathway to making the majors as a backend starter. Especially considering that Drohan is a lefty.
The Red Sox made this gamble a year ago. They didn’t put Thad Ward on the 40-man roster. So far, that appears to be the correct decision after Ward posted a 6.37 ERA in his first season with Washington. Either way, the Drohan thing will be something to monitor. Don’t be surprised if another team plucks him. The good news is that even if that’s the case, Drohan has to stay on the MLB team for the entire season or that team has to return Drohan to the Red Sox.
We’ll see what happens. The Rule 5 Draft takes place on December 6th this year. Drohan might not be the only Red Sox prospect picked based on the way that Chaim Bloom hoarded during his time in Boston.
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