The Padres Rule 5 Success

Nobody expected Everth Cabrera to go from A-ball to the majors and have a lick of success, but after 255 plate appearances in the majors, Cabrera has done nothing but impress. When the Padres took the Rockies farmhand third in the Rule 5 draft, they stated their intent to keep him on the roster – a necessity if the Pads hoped to steal a potentially useful part from their division rivals.

The 5’9” shortstop has shown the ability to swipe bags (18/20 on the year), walk (10.9%), and play a decent major league shortstop while posting an above average wOBA. The little guy is hitting nearly 60% grounders and has parlayed his speed into 13 infield hits and a modest success rate (4/13, ~31%) on bunting for a hit. Those type of hits are fueling his .335 BABIP

The sample size is far too small to make any type of definitive statements on Cabrera’s defense, but for someone making such a leap in levels, it’s pretty impressive that Cabrera is capable of putting up a slightly below average season. Worth noting is that Baseball America labeled him as a fine defender in their Rule 5 wrap.

Obviously we have little data available for Cabrera at comparable levels, which makes projecting him moving forward a bit more difficult, but ZiPS has his wOBA at .287 moving forward and .338 on the season. Even if Cabrera does struggle down the stretch he’s a 22-year-old without much experience in Double or Triple-A, and he still might post a two-win season. Oh, and he was acquired for the price of a roster slot.

The Padres have to be thrilled with the results thus far.