The Angels added outfielder Randal Grichuk to their 40-man roster Wednesday, protecting him from next month’s Rule 5 draft. Grichuk hit .256 with 22 homers at Double-A last season.
The Angels, whose roster is now at 40, did not have any other top minor league prospects who were vulnerable of being picked in the Rule 5 draft.
Here are some of the Angels’ top prospects, grouped by the year they are first eligible for the Rule 5 draft:
2013: Randal Grichuk.
2014: Zach Borenstein, Kaleb Cowart, C.J. Cron, Taylor Lindsey, Alex Yarbrough.
2015: R.J. Alvarez, Mike Morin, Mark Sappington, Eric Stamets.
2017: Hunter Green.
Quick Rule 5 draft refresher: Players who are eligible for the draft and not protected on the 40-man roster can be taken by other teams in the draft, which occurs on the final day of the winter meetings (Dec. 12). If a player is picked, his new team must keep him on the major league roster all season or offer him back to his original team in exchange for a small fee.
The Angels will probably have some extra spots open on the 40-man between now and the draft, most likely when they non-tender one or more of their arbitration-eligible players (Tommy Hanson?). However, they still can’t add any more minor leaguers to the roster after Wednesday.