D-backs lose Andrew Young in minor league phase of MLB Rule 5 Draft

Three members of the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system were selected Wednesday by other teams in the 2021 MLB Rule 5 Draft.

Slugger Andrew Young, who spent considerable time with the MLB team last season, was picked third overall by the Washington Nationals. Outfielder Ben DeLuzio went to the St. Louis Cardinals with the 17th pick, while right-handed pitcher Matt Brill was selected by the Nationals in the third round.

Young, who was outrighted from the D-backs’ 40-man roster a week ago and sent to Double-A Amarillo, was available as a non-member of the D-backs’ 40-man roster or Triple-A Reno’s 38-man roster.

Teams short of the 38-player maximum for their Triple-A squad were eligible to draft until their rosters were filled, if they desired.

Selecting teams pay $24,500 to each player’s old team and can assign them to any minor league level.

Young appeared in 58 games for the Diamondbacks in 2021, posting six home runs, seven doubles and 15 RBIs with a .209 average. He recorded 19 hits in 91 at-bats.

He also played 48 games with Triple-A Reno last year, slashing .304/.388/.598 with a .986 OPS. He recorded 11 home runs and 41 RBIs.

Arizona acquired Young in the December 2018 trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. The Diamondbacks also received pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly and a competitive balance draft pick in the trade.

DeLuzio last season split time between Triple- and Double-A, the former in which he recorded 18 RBIs over 48 games while hitting .271.

Brill spent his entire 2021 season with Double-A Amarillo, finishing with a 6.33 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 27 appearances.

Amid the freeze as the MLB Players Association and franchise owners search for common ground negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the major league phase of the draft did not take place as scheduled on Wednesday.

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