Rule 5 pick adds young arm to the mix
DUNEDIN, FLA.— Elvis Luciano didn’t know he was on the market when Gil Kim, the Blue Jays’ director of player development, called last December to say Toronto had selected him in the annual Rule 5 draft.
“I wasn’t aware,” Luciano said Monday through translator Tanya Bialostozsky, also a mental performance coach with the Jays. “I was very surprised about it when I got the phone call.”
The selection of the former Kansas City Royals right-hander, then an 18-year-old who had never played above rookie ball, was possible because of a technicality involving his contract. His original minor-league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which he signed as a free agent in 2016, was voided after he failed a physical at age 16, the Royals told MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan in November. The Diamondbacks re-signed him to another contract with a lesser bonus, but he subsequently became eligible for each Rule 5 draft after that.
Luciano was acquired by the Royals as part of a trade for outfielder Jon Jay in June 2018. The Dominican Republic na- tive has a 3.37 earned-run average in 1332⁄ innings over two seasons in the minor leagues.
By picking Luciano, the Jays catapulted the youngster into a major-league environment. He must remain on Toronto’s 25man roster for the entirety of the 2019 season or be offered back to the Royals for half the $100,000 (U.S.) the Jays paid to select him.
Luciano will be the youngest pitcher in franchise history if he breaks camp with the team next month. He is something of long shot but is trying to make the most of the “learning experience.”
“I’m here,” he said, “and that means I have to get the work done and be ready.”
Pitching coach Pete Walker can see why Luciano is here.
“For a youngster that just turned19, his stuff is electric. He hides the ball very well, his changeup is outstanding, his breaking ball is a little bit of a work in progress but his fastball is major-league ready.”
If Luciano makes the roster, it would likely be in the bullpen, with the possibility of starting in the future. He will have to show the Jays that he can get big-league hitters out in Grapefruit League play, which starts Saturday.
“I want to try to get him to face some pretty good hitters,” Walker said. “He’ll get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do but he’ll be challenged, for sure. We have to find out early.”
Reliever Joe Biagini, who was a Rule 5 draft pick when he broke camp with the Jays in 2015, said Luciano should focus on communicating with the coaching staff and embracing the uncertainty of the experience if he wants to make the team.
“That mindset, I feel like it helps you just kind of relax and be calm a little bit more.”