D.L. Hall among 6 added to 40-man roster

BALTIMORE -- In order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, the Orioles added six prospects to the 40-man roster for the second consecutive year on Friday, selecting the contracts of left-handers D.L. Hall and Kevin Smith, righties Kyle Bradish, Félix Bautista and Logan Gillaspie, and infielder Terrin Vavra.

By doing so, the Orioles protected four of their five Rule 5 eligible Top 30 prospects from selection, while leaving shortstop Adam Hall, their No. 15 prospect per MLB Pipeline, exposed in the process. D.L. Hall (No. 3 club, 72 overall), Bradish (No. 8), Vavra (No. 13) and Smith (No. 14) are ranked on the club’s Top 30 list, while Gillaspie and Bautista are unranked. The club also left bubble candidates Robert Nuestrom, Blaine Knight, Nick Vespi, Patrick Dorrian, Cadyn Grenier and Cody Sedlock unprotected. Grenier and Sedlock are former first-round picks.

The deadline to shield prospects from Rule 5 selection was 6 p.m. ET on Friday. The Orioles’ 40-man roster consists of 39 players after Friday’s moves, which also included claiming infielder Lucius Fox off waivers from the Royals. The Rule 5 Draft is scheduled for Dec. 8.

Players first signed at 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by another organization through the Rule 5 process. For players signed at 19 or older, their protection must come within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Those players must be offered back to their former team for $50,000 if they do not remain on the MLB roster for the full season.

Let’s take a look at the prospects the O’s protected Friday and what the decisions mean for their outlook next season and beyond:

1. LHP D.L. Hall
MLB Pipeline club ranking: No. 3, No. 72 overall
2022 Opening Day age: 23
2021 stats: 2-0, 3.13 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 16 walks in 31 2/3 innings at Double-A Bowie
MLB ETA: 2022

The biggest no-brainer on this list, Hall looked every bit the former first-round pick he is over seven early-season starts at Double-A Bowie, where he paired with Grayson Rodriguez to form one of the most dynamic rotations in the Minor Leagues. But despite his obvious upside -- a high 90s fastball, plus curve and big ceiling -- Hall has yet to show durability as a prospect. This year, his elbow began barking in June and Hall never returned to the mound, though the issue did not require surgery. He recently resumed throwing at the club’s Sarasota, Fla., complex, with an eye toward returning healthy in 2022.

2. RHP Kyle Bradish
MLB Pipeline club ranking: No. 8
2022 Opening Day age: 25
2021 stats: 6-5, 3.68 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) between Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, 131 strikeouts, 44 walks in 100 1/3 innings
MLB ETA: 2022

Part of the four-player package acquired from the Angels for Dylan Bundy, Bradish was one of the top performers at Baltimore’s alternate training site in '20 and moved quickly after debuting in the O’s system this year, reaching Triple-A Norfolk after only three starts at Double-A Bowie. Bradish dominated at Bowie but had to work harder for results at Triple-A, especially during July and August, when he pitched to a 5.89 ERA. But the big righty has the profile (6-4, 220 pounds) and arsenal (three above-average pitches) of a big league starter, and his overall results were solid enough to foresee him battling for a big league rotation job next spring.

3. LHP Kevin Smith
MLB Pipeline club ranking: No. 14
2022 Opening Day age: 24
2021 stats: 3-7, 4.59 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) between Bowie and Norfolk; 105 strikeouts, 59 walks in 82 1/3 innings
MLB ETA: 2022

Another trade acquisition, Smith is a 6-foot-5 left-hander who arrived from the Mets in the Miguel Castro deal at the 2020 Trade Deadline. He excelled in five starts at Bowie but struggled at Triple-A, pitching to a 6.23 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) for the Tides. Smith relies on guile and command more than overpowering stuff, which make his 2021 struggles somewhat concerning. Still, the Orioles did not want to risk another club stashing him on their roster for an entire year, over which he could theoretically bounce back and forth between the 'pen and rotation. His future in Baltimore may very well be in a swingman role.

4. INF Terrin Vavra
MLB Pipeline club ranking: No. 13
2022 Opening Day age: 24
2021 stats: .248/.388/.430, 5 HR, 6 SB in 40 games at Double-A
MLB ETA: 2022

Also acquired via trade at the 2020 Deadline, Vavra arrived from the Rockies with Tyler Nevin for right-hander Mychal Givens. But the Orioles saw far less than they wanted of him this season, Vavra missing all but 40 games at Double-A Bowie due to lingering lower back issues. Still, Vavra’s age, baseball bloodlines and track record as a plus hitter made leaving him exposed a gamble the O’s weren’t willing to make.

5. RHP Félix Bautista
MLB Pipeline club ranking: Unranked
2022 Opening Day age: 26
2021 stats: 1-6, 1.54 ERA, 77 strikeouts, 30 walks, 46 2/3 innings in 40 appearances between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A
MLB ETA: 2022

A surprise developmental success story of 2021, Bautista began the year as a 25-year-old in High-A and finished it on the 40-man roster. The 6-foot-5 righty jumped three levels this summer, opening eyes during a 12-outing stretch at Bowie where he pitched to a 0.68 ERA. Walks have always been a concern for Bautista, but he also throws 100 mph with improving secondary stuff. The Orioles just don’t have much of that kind of upside in their bullpen and did not want to risk losing it to another club.

6. RHP Logan Gillaspie
MLB Pipeline club ranking: Unranked
2022 Opening Day age: 24
2021 stats: 1-3, 4.97 ERA, 52 strikeouts, 11 walks, 41 2/3 innings in 26 appearances between High-A Aberdeen and Bowie
MLB ETA: 2022

Bautista was a surprise developmental story of 2021, but Gillaspie is the surprise selection of this group. Signed to a Minor League contract in June, Gillaspie had a 4.97 ERA between High-A and Double-A and a 9.00 ERA in the Arizona Fall League entering Friday.