Update: Check out MjwW’s look at all things Rule 5 at Bluebirdbanter.com
These are all of the players who will be eligible for the first time for the Rule 5 draft held in December at the Winter Meetings. Michael Crouse is a name that was quite promising a year ago but who dropped off in 2012. Ryan Goins performed well in the Eastern League in 2012 for a SS and has been sent to the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters. He is joined by fellow first-time eligible players Ryan Tepera and Sean Ochinko. AJ Jimenez will need to be protected this year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery that ended his 2012 season. SS Kevin Nolan is another interesting name that the Jays might consider protecting. All of the above except Nolan and Ochinko will make their case for protection in the Arizona Fall League.
Currently, there are 37 players on the Jays’ 40-man roster including Omar Vizquel and all of the pending free agents. The pitchers expected to vacate spots on the 40-man roster include Kelly Johnson, Brandon Lyon, Carlos Villanueva, and long-time reliever Jason Frasor. This would drop the Jays down to 32 with pitchers JA Happ, Sergio Santos, Kyle Drabek, Drew Hutchison and Dustin McGowan all needing protection from the Rule 5 draft. Barring an unexpected move, these 5 will will return to the 40-man. This bumps the Jays back up to 37.
The replacements for departing relievers/second basemen may come from the AFL where they will likely be competing for a spot on the 40-man. AJ Jimenez will likely be protected as he was a Top 20 prospect in the Jays system and should recover fully from his mid-season Tommy John surgery. John Stilson was a name that could have competed for the 40-man and possibly on the active roster in the Spring of 2013. He was recently removed from the AFL roster by the Jays and its unclear whether it was because he was injured, tired or something else. Perhaps the team have decided against pushing up his timeline and will give him another full season in the Minors to develop as a starter. Sean Ochinko and Ryan Tepera have failed to turn heads in the AFL so far and must be considered long-shots for the 40-man at this point. Ryan Goins could be protected because there is a distinct lack of depth to the Jays’ system in the middle infield where Goins has performed as high as New Hampshire (AA).
| 2012 FIRST TIME ELIGIBLE PLAYERS | |||
| Name | Pos | DOB | Acquired |
| Dustin Antolin | RHP | 8/9/1989 | 2008 (11) |
| Markus Brisker | RF | 8/21/1990 | 2008 (6) |
| Michael Crouse | RF | 11/22/1990 | 2008 (16) |
| Brad Glenn | RF | 4/2/1987 | 2009 (23) |
| Ryan Goins | SS | 2/13/1988 | 2009 (4) |
| Yan Gomes | C | 7/19/1987 | 2009 (10) |
| Anthony Gose | CF | 8/10/1990 | 2010 Trade |
| Shawn Griffith | RHP | 5/24/1987 | 2009 (37) |
| Chad Jenkins | RHP | 12/22/1987 | 2009 (1) |
| A.J. Jimenez | C | 5/1/1990 | 2008 (9) |
| Brandon Kaye | RHP | 8/16/1988 | 2011 NDFA |
| Aaron Loup | LHP | 12/19/1987 | 2009 (9) |
| Jack Murphy | C | 4/6/1988 | 2009 (31) |
| Kevin Nolan | SS | 12/13/1987 | 2009 (20) |
| Sean Ochinko | DH | 10/21/1987 | 2009 (11) |
| Gustavo Pierre | SS | 12/28/1991 | 2008 NDFA |
| Carlos Ramirez | RF | 4/24/1991 | 2008 NDFA |
| Ryan Schimpf | 2B | 3/11/1988 | 2009 (5) |
| Egan Smith | LHP | 3/16/1989 | 2009 (7) |
| Ryan Tepera | RHP | 11/3/1987 | 2009 (19) |
| Denny Valdez | RHP | 5/8/1990 | 2008 NDFA |
| Kenny Wilson | CF | 1/30/1990 | 2008 (2) |
| Tyler Ybarra | LHP | 12/11/1989 | 2008 (43) |
Source: MjwW of BluebirdBanter.com
And now the current 40-man:
| Pitchers | B/T | DOB |
| Henderson Alvarez | R-R | Apr 18, 1990 |
| Chad Beck | R-R | Jan 17, 1985 |
| David Carpenter | R-R | Jul 15, 1985 |
| Joel Carreno | R-R | Mar 7, 1987 |
| Brett Cecil | R-L | Jul 2, 1986 |
| Evan Crawford | R-L | Sep 2, 1986 |
| Steve Delabar | R-R | Jul 17, 1983 |
| Kyle Drabek 60-day DL ** | R-R | Dec 8, 1987 |
| Sam Dyson | R-R | May 7, 1988 |
| J.A. Happ 60-day DL ** | L-L | Oct 19, 1982 |
| Drew Hutchison 60-day DL ** | L-R | Aug 22, 1990 |
| Casey Janssen | R-R | Sep 17, 1981 |
| Chad Jenkins | R-R | Dec 22, 1987 |
| Brad Lincoln | L-R | May 25, 1985 |
| Aaron Loup | L-L | Dec 19, 1987 |
| Dustin McGowan 60-day DL ** | R-R | Mar 24, 1982 |
| Brandon Morrow | R-R | Jul 26, 1984 |
| Darren Oliver | R-L | Oct 6, 1970 |
| Luis Perez 60-day DL ** | L-L | Jan 20, 1985 |
| Ricky Romero | R-L | Nov 6, 1984 |
| Sergio Santos 60-day DL ** | R-R | Jul 4, 1983 |
| Catchers | B/T | DOB |
| J.P. Arencibia | R-R | Jan 5, 1986 |
| Travis d’Arnaud | R-R | Feb 10, 1989 |
| Jeff Mathis | R-R | Mar 31, 1983 |
| Infielders | B/T | DOB |
| David Cooper | L-L | Feb 12, 1987 |
| Yunel Escobar | R-R | Nov 2, 1982 |
| Yan Gomes | R-R | Jul 19, 1987 |
| Adeiny Hechavarria | R-R | Apr 15, 1989 |
| Brett Lawrie | R-R | Jan 18, 1990 |
| Adam Lind | L-L | Jul 17, 1983 |
| Mike McCoy | R-R | Apr 2, 1981 |
| Mike McDade | S-R | May 8, 1989 |
| Outfielders | B/T | DOB |
| Jose Bautista | R-R | Oct 19, 1980 |
| Rajai Davis | R-R | Oct 19, 1980 |
| Anthony Gose | L-L | Aug 10, 1990 |
| Colby Rasmus | L-L | Aug 11, 1986 |
| Moises Sierra | R-R | Sep 24, 1988 |
| Designated Hitter | B/T | DOB |
| Edwin Encarnacion | R-R | Jan 7, 1983 |
Wasn’t Daniel Webb traded to the Chicago White Sox along with Myles Jaye in the Jason Frasor deal?
Yea, this list was made in 2011. I’ve been removing the names as I go. Thanks.