Phillies take Kyle Holder in the Rule 5 draft

The Rule 5 draft is today and the Phillies are participating. With so many needs on the roster and with seemingly so little financial wiggle room to do so, grabbing a player who could possibly contribute is something the team should have been very interested in. So, they did:

With Didi Gregorius more than likely moving on and Jean Segura the only real shortstop on the roster, it makes some sense to roster a player than can handle the position defensively. This is the scouting report from last year’s prospect list at Fangraphs:

Holder is a plus defensive shortstop who doesn’t do much with the bat.

Well, that’s something I guess. Holder was included in the preview of “names to know” on MLB.com:

When Holder was taken in the first round of the 2015 Draft, he brought with him a reputation as being a plus defender with a bat that lagged behind. That hasn’t changed all that much, but he has shown the ability to play three infield spots well and did hit a more respectable .265/.336/.405 in Double-A in 2019. He could be a glove-first utility guy in the big leagues.

If Holder can stick this season as someone who can backup all three of the spots while also giving a little something off of the bench, it’ll be worth it. It’s a low cost pickup that doesn’t move the needle, but still gives the team some depth just in case something happens (Segura injury, Stott isn’t ready).

Not a bad gamble to be taking.