Milwaukee Brewers Select Caleb Boushley in Minor League Rule 5 Draft
By Paul Bretl
While business at the big league level is suspended until further notice, the Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of baseball can conduct business as usual at the minor league level—and with that, the Minor League Rule 5 Draft took place on Thursday.
So what is the Minor League Rule 5 Draft? Well, I’m glad you asked.
If a minor league player is on their team’s 38-player Triple-A roster, they are not eligible to be selected—this is how ball clubs are able to protect players they don’t want to see go elsewhere.
However, if a minor league player was signed at 18 and has more than five seasons of accrued experience, or signed at 19 and has four years of minor league experience, and that player is also not on the 38-man Triple-A roster, they are then eligible to be selected in the draft. The team that selected this player must have an opening on their Triple-A roster, but ultimately the player taken does not have to stay at the Triple-A level.
When it comes to the Milwaukee Brewers, they made a selection on Thursday, taking right-handed pitcher Caleb Boushley at No. 22 overall from the San Diego Padres organization.
Boushley is a Wisconsin native who grew up in Hortonville and went on to have a dominant career at UW-La Crosse, capping off his final season with a 1.75 ERA in 103 innings of work. The now 28-year-old was then selected in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft by San Diego.
Boushley has experience both as a starter and a reliever but has found more success out of the bullpen. Over his minor league career, which has spanned 99 games and 43 starts, Boushley has a 4.25 ERA, a 1.308 WHIP, along with 8.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
More recently in 2021, he posted a 5.85 ERA at the Triple-A level over 15 starts and a 3.79 ERA in Double-A during eight additional starts.
In the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization, Boushley’s most likely route to the big leagues is going to be as a reliever. He will begin the 2022 season either in Double-A Biloxi or Triple-A Nashville.
Below, Boushley describes his pitch mix and approach as a pitcher to the San Antonio Express News:
"“I’m a primary fastball-changeup pitcher, and if I’m able to throw my changeup in the zone, my fastball plays pretty well off that,” said Boushley via Brew Crew Ball. So, it’s just a matter of throwing strikes with all of my offerings.”"
In addition to adding Boushley, the Milwaukee Brewers would also have one of their own minor leaguers selected by another organization. At pick 24, The Los Angeles Dodgers would select catcher Kekai Rios.
Rios spent this past season with both high-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi—although a majority of his at-bats came with the Timber Rattlers.
In total, Rios would slash .248/.335/.376. His OPS at Wisconsin was .766 but just .348 in Biloxi; however, his stint with the Shuckers consisted of only 21 at-bats. Rios is also considered a very good defensive catcher.