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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 4/17/26

Interlock fingers with your favorite prospect analyst as he nears the end of his long, April road trip.
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Tom: Eric, Justin Campbell keeps coming back strong in short outings. Is he back on the radar as a potential 4? Rule V eligible, so wonder how he fits for Guards future. Thanks!
12:17
Eric A Longenhagen: Saw him the day before camp broke and was at last night’s game with a scout who covers Cleveland and we both think Campbell is back from the dead. He was throwing harder for my source than he did for me on he last day of ST and has been sitting 93-96 so far, averaging 94.4 mph. That’s up from college. He pitched well in the spring outing I saw, four pitches, feel, built like a starter, moves like a starter.
12:17
Eric A Longenhagen: Let’s see if he can hold that velo all season as he goes from 0 to a whole slate.
 
Is Campbell truly Rule 5 eligible? Seems his injury history would negate that.
 
Martyinnewyork said:
Is Campbell truly Rule 5 eligible? Seems his injury history would negate that.
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Injury history can get an additional option year if on the big league roster, but it does not get additional years of control in the minors... He was Rule 5 eligible last offseason and this next off season I am only seeing about 5-6 guys who may be Rule 5 adds including him, so we will protect him if he has a strong season/legitimately gets to AA to end the season...
 
sportscoach said:
Injury history can get an additional option year if on the big league roster, but it does not get additional years of control in the minors... He was Rule 5 eligible last offseason and this next off season I am only seeing about 5-6 guys who may be Rule 5 adds including him, so we will protect him if he has a strong season/legitimately gets to AA to end the season...
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Here is a list of 9 guys that is gonna be tough leaving any out.

Justin Campbell
Milan Tolentino
Jacob Zibin
Jackson Humphries
Matt Wilkinson
Kendeglys Virguez
Cooper Ingle
Alfonsin Rosario
Jaison Chourio
 
Niklex316 said:
Here is a list of 9 guys that is gonna be tough leaving any out.

Justin Campbell
Milan Tolentino
Jacob Zibin
Jackson Humphries
Matt Wilkinson
Kendeglys Virguez
Cooper Ingle
Alfonsin Rosario
Jaison Chourio
Click to expand...
Franklin Gomez
 
DerekG123 said:
Franklin Gomez
Click to expand...
As a public service message noted elsewhere, the Rule 5 draft is likely to be cancelled if the lockout extends into the spring. Here is the precedent:
  • The 2021 Precedent: When the owners locked out the players in December 2021, the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft was initially postponed and eventually canceled entirely for the first time since the draft’s inception in 1920.
 
Niklex316 said:
Here is a list of 9 guys that is gonna be tough leaving any out.

Justin Campbell
Milan Tolentino
Jacob Zibin
Jackson Humphries
Matt Wilkinson
Kendeglys Virguez
Cooper Ingle
Alfonsin Rosario
Jaison Chourio
Click to expand...

Hmm....

Tell me what has Zibin, Humphries and Virguez done for us in the minors? None of those three have gotten to AA yet... Campbell is kind of in the same boat, has not done enough yet to merit a 40 man roster... @DerekG123 you said Gomez and there are guys like Steven Perez... Perez is above Gomez right now getting a spot. Remember if not protected they still have to be able to produce and i don't see it from Gomez... Perez at least has produced at Akron and is a bullpen arm... Wilkinson likely gets added cause of pure depth reasons though he can go from pure depth to Logan Allen type/status this season if he pitches well...

Tolentino got skipped in last years Rule 5, though I am not thinking he gets through this years... Ingle is a sure bet... Rosario and Chourio i think get added mostly because of upside not cause they are near MLB ready... I mean Advincula, Antunez etc, could see adds if they play well in 26...

To me, Ingle is a must add, Chourio, Rosario, and Wilkinson are a most likely... Then we got a list of flip a coin in Tolentino, Campbell, etc... Let's see how guys finish the season, since it's extremely unlikely they will add anyone who hasn't played at Akron to the 40 man if the rule 5 draft is going on...

@thoughtful

You still always plan like it's happening... Though last time we had to add before it got cancelled... if We didn't that would have completely changed how we added guys...
 
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sportscoach said:
Hmm....

Tell me what has Zibin, Humphries and Virguez done for us in the minors? None of those three have gotten to AA yet... Campbell is kind of in the same boat, has not done enough yet to merit a 40 man roster... @DerekG123 you said Gomez and there are guys like Steven Perez... Perez is above Gomez right now getting a spot. Remember if not protected they still have to be able to produce and i don't see it from Gomez... Perez at least has produced at Akron and is a bullpen arm... Wilkinson likely gets added cause of pure depth reasons though he can go from pure depth to Logan Allen type/status this season if he pitches well...

Tolentino got skipped in last years Rule 5, though I am not thinking he gets through this years... Ingle is a sure bet... Rosario and Chourio i think get added mostly because of upside not cause they are near MLB ready... I mean Advincula, Antunez etc, could see adds if they play well in 26...

To me, Ingle is a must add, Chourio, Rosario, and Wilkinson are a most likely... Then we got a list of flip a coin in Tolentino, Campbell, etc... Let's see how guys finish the season, since it's extremely unlikely they will add anyone who hasn't played at Akron to the 40 man if the rule 5 draft is going on...

@thoughtful

You still always plan like it's happening... Though last time we had to add before it got cancelled... if We didn't that would have completely changed how we added guys...
Click to expand...
Zibin and Humphries are both only 21 years old. Zibin received over a million and both were injured and delayed starting and or progression. You don’t question a 26 year old Campbell but you do Zibin/Humphries? Virguez I get, although he has probably the most electric arm in the system right now save maybe Espino.
 
sportscoach said:
Hmm....

Tell me what has Zibin, Humphries and Virguez done for us in the minors? None of those three have gotten to AA yet... Campbell is kind of in the same boat, has not done enough yet to merit a 40 man roster... @DerekG123 you said Gomez and there are guys like Steven Perez... Perez is above Gomez right now getting a spot. Remember if not protected they still have to be able to produce and i don't see it from Gomez... Perez at least has produced at Akron and is a bullpen arm... Wilkinson likely gets added cause of pure depth reasons though he can go from pure depth to Logan Allen type/status this season if he pitches well...

Tolentino got skipped in last years Rule 5, though I am not thinking he gets through this years... Ingle is a sure bet... Rosario and Chourio i think get added mostly because of upside not cause they are near MLB ready... I mean Advincula, Antunez etc, could see adds if they play well in 26...

To me, Ingle is a must add, Chourio, Rosario, and Wilkinson are a most likely... Then we got a list of flip a coin in Tolentino, Campbell, etc... Let's see how guys finish the season, since it's extremely unlikely they will add anyone who hasn't played at Akron to the 40 man if the rule 5 draft is going on...

@thoughtful

You still always plan like it's happening... Though last time we had to add before it got cancelled... if We didn't that would have completely changed how we added guys...
Click to expand...
Steven Perez is an older fringe relief prospect that could have left in free agency. He isnt really even a factor.

A year ago Yorman Gomez had basically the same resume as Franklin Gomez. A good year at A+ and AA forced them to protect him. Not sure why you dont think the same thing can happen to Franklin Gomez. They didnt pay 1.5 million in bonus money for him knowing his R5 status with no thought of protecting him at all. Obviously it had to be on their mind.
 
Niklex316 said:
Zibin and Humphries are both only 21 years old. Zibin received over a million and both were injured and delayed starting and or progression. You don’t question a 26 year old Campbell but you do Zibin/Humphries? Virguez I get, although he has probably the most electric arm in the system right now save maybe Espino.
Click to expand...

Money is irrelevant... It depends on what the guys do in the second half of the season whether or not we even think about it
 
sportscoach said:
Money is irrelevant... It depends on what the guys do in the second half of the season whether or not we even think about it
Click to expand...
I literally spit my drink out on my shirt after reading you post ANYTHING money related is irrelevant with this ownership/organization.

Kudos for doing so I’m assuming with a straight face.
 
Niklex316 said:
I literally spit my drink out on my shirt after reading you post ANYTHING money related is irrelevant with this ownership/organization.

Kudos for doing so I’m assuming with a straight face.
Click to expand...
SPENDING money is never irrelevant, it is always a consideration and should be with our limitations....but money already SPENT? That becomes irrelevant very, very quickly. When you are an investor, you never, ever evaluate keeping anything on the basis of what you paid. If you do, you become poorer, without a doubt. And this organization knows that.
 
Niklex316 said:
I literally spit my drink out on my shirt after reading you post ANYTHING money related is irrelevant with this ownership/organization.

Kudos for doing so I’m assuming with a straight face.
Click to expand...

Do not forget we went over slot on Mooney... He is Rule 5 eligible this winter and we both know we won't be protecting him... Dorssys Paulino signed for 1.1 million which was our largest International signing bonus and we never rostered him...

Plus if we did it purely on money Campbell would be rostered since he was a comp pick in the first round at 1.7 million...

Yeah, guys who they spent more money on, will get a longer leash in the minors, but if you ain't producing at Akron or higher, you likely will not get roster to the 40 man before the rule 5 draft...
 
Ok, please tell me how this is possible. I have never seen this before. Pitching line from the Hill City game:

IPHRERBBKHR

Keljo5.28441714.05
Flores(L, 3-1)1.10002200.00
 
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