Holding the 13th overall pick in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies decided to select another infield utility player, Kyle Holder.
The Phillies poached Holder from the Yankees’ organization. After signing former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and scouting director Brian Barber last year, this move could be more significant than some realize. Since Philadelphia is pinching their pennies and have an obvious lack of talent in their pipeline, selecting a potential impact player here is huge. Holder is not going to be any type of Shane Victorino for the Phillies, but the 26-year-old could make a slight impact down the line, something that his former-and now again- coaches see in him.
The former 30th overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft has not done much in his career quite yet. In 2019, Holder his best hitting season, slashing a a .265/.336/.405 line in AA. As Fangraphs described him last year:
“Holder is a plus defensive shortstop who doesn’t do much with the bat.”
His professional baseball career thus far has been far from extraordinary. But, Holder has done good enough to keep a spot in the organization. Being in the deep and talented pipeline of a team like the Yankees, Holder definitely holds some value off of that alone.
Phillies’ Impact:
The Phillies are likely going to lose DiDi Gregorius, and then Jean Segura is on the trade block. They needed depth in their farm systems, and this move gives them just that. Holder is not going to be some exciting addition for the time being. However, he should provide some depth for the team as shortstops Bryson Stott and Luis Garcia continue to develop. Excluding Spencer Howard, Stott, 23, is the Phillies’ top prospect on MLB.com’s Phillies’ top 30, while Garcia sits at seven on that list.
Former Phillie Reggie McClain was chosen by the Yankees, however no players in the Phillies organization were selected during the draft.
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