You’ll notice a confidence percentage atop each of the reports on the 13 selections of this year’s Rule 5 Draft. While admittedly an arbitrary number, I thought it would be a fun thought exercise to illustrate how well I think their arsenal or skill set on display last season would translate to MLB.
Rockies: RJ Petit, RHP, Tigers
Confidence: 75%
A mountain of a man, Petit stands at 6-foot-8, 300 pounds, but has a pretty good feel for his arsenal, especially the plus slider that sits in the mid-80s. He went to the slurvy slider more than 30% of the time, generating a chase rate north of 40% while holding opponents to a .530 OPS.
His four-seam fastball averaged 96 MPH in 2025, with a sinker about two ticks below that, which he likes to run in on the hands of righties. Petit finished the year with Triple-A success, racking up more ground balls and filling up the zone at a respectable clip.
Petit’s arsenal is one that makes sense for the Rockies to covet, as his shorter, harder slider is less affected by altitude than other bigger breakers, along with two different fastball shapes he can utilize.
White Sox: Jedixson Paez, RHP, Red Sox
Confidence: 30%
Paez is a strike thrower, evidenced by his 3.9% walk rate in his professional career. An injury cut his 2025 season to just 19 1/3 innings, so the soon-to-be 22-year-old has yet to pitch above High-A.
His ability to fill up the zone with a five-pitch mix raises the floor, but his fastball has only been sitting in the low 90s since the start of the 2024 season, and his moderate workload in 2025 creates two obstacles.