Angels in danger of losing prospect Jose Rojas in Rule 5 Draft.

General Manager Billy Eppler, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
General Manager Billy Eppler, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
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The LA Angels upcoming Rule 5 Draft is looking to be one of the most important Rule 5’s in recent memories, if not for the team than at least for the fans.

The Angels currently have fan favorite prospect Jose Rojas sitting off of the 40 man roster, which would mean that any team could come in and swoop Rojas off the Angels roster come draft day in December. There is almost an air of guarantee that if the Angels don’t protect Rojas then there will be some team that will come in and take him, and when you look at his developmental progress why wouldn’t anyone want him?

Jose Rojas put together a 31 HR season across 578 Triple A plate appearances in his fourth full season in the minors (2019) and has consistently showed the ability to improve year after year, even on his best attributes. At the age of 26 it’s very clear that Jose Rojas is nearly ripe enough, if not already there, for big league Angels to pick him off the MiLB tree. His rise from being nothing more than a 36th round pick to his status as a burgeoning MLB prospect and hometown native has been a story that Angel fans fell in love with over the course of the 2019 season.

Normally you wouldn’t expect much from an 1086th pick in the draft, but as the right-handed power hitting infielder has shown us, there is always much more than meets the eye. Unlike a top draft pick who is given every chance to succeed by their respective organization, almost to the point where the organization will try to force success into their hands, Jose Rojas has been grinding himself to the bone with little help except his own. There is a real power to living on dreams and stopping for nothing, even when the world seems to get in the way.

And sometimes that power comes out in the form of big dingers.

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