Two Tulsa Drillers selected in Rule 5 Draft

LAS VEGAS — Two members of the Texas League champions Tulsa Drillers team were selected in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft on Thursday morning. Connor Joe and Drew Jackson were selected by the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies respectively in the first round of the Rule 5 Draft.

Connor Joe hit .304/.425/.554 in 59 games at Tulsa and then finished the season at Oklahoma City where in 49 games, he hit .294/.385/.494. He also hit a total of 17 home runs in 2018.

Interestingly, Joe was selected as a catcher and apparently he has been taking reps there during this offseason.

Joe was originally traded to the Dodgers in September 2017 by the Atlanta Braves for future considerations.

Drew Jackson, who had been acquired during Phillies manager Gabe Kapler tenure in the Dodger player development organization, hit .251/.356/.447 in 103 games at Tulsa in 2018.

Jackson primarily played second base, though he also spent time at shortstop while also getting some games in the outfield.

Right after the draft was concluded, it was announced that Jackson had been traded to the Orioles for International Signing Bonus money. The Orioles will still be held to the same restrictions as the original drafting team.

The Dodgers will receive $100K for each player taken from their system. If at any point, Connor Joe and/or Drew Jackson is removed from their team’s 25-man rosters, any team can claim him and then they would have the same restrictions for having a Rule 5 draft pick on their active roster.

If no one claims the player, the Dodgers can pay $50K back to that team and get the player back.

The Dodgers can also decide not to take the player back and then those players can be sent down to the original drafting team’s minor league system.

As for the Dodgers, they have a full 40-man roster so they were not able to make a selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. And then, the Dodgers passed on taking anyone in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft.