Rule 5 Decision: Jairo Pomares

Decision time for the #2 guy in 2018 international class

Photo Credit: Eugene Emeralds

This is the fifth in a series focusing on the Giants’ upcoming Rule 5 protection choices. There’s a fairly large selection of players who present challenging decisions, so we’ll take a look at them one by one. In previous editions, we’ve looked at:

• Hunter Bishop

• Jose Cruz

• Tristan Beck

• Will Wilson

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So much depends upon the 2018 international class. I’ve written many times over the last few years, my opinion that that class of free agents will ultimately sit alongside the 2008 draft as a bellwether moment in franchise history. That class was led by a trio of talent at the top. Marco Luciano was instantly the favorite, the $2.6 million dollar power prodigy, zooming up near the top of various outlets’ Top 100 lists before he was out of his teens. Luis Matos quickly became a co-favorite among Giants fans, surging to a league MVP that made history for the San Jose Giants in 2021. In between the two (at least on signing day) was Cuban Refugee Jairo Pomares, who signed with the Giants a month before turning 18 for the princely sum (assuming Luciano’s was a kingly one) of $1.1 million.

Often the over-looked, or at least looked upon with slightly less enthusiasm than the other members of the triad, Pomares didn’t seem to come with Luciano’s raw power when the two were teammates in the complex league, nor Matos’ overall game and sense of flair when the two were teammates in San Jose. As the group reaches the roster protection stage together — with all having started and finished the regular season playing at the same level — the Giants will be forced to weigh in with their public declaration: which of this group will they choose to protect with a coveted 40-man spot? One of them? Two of them? All three?

Let’s take a look at Pomares’ case to gain his golden ticket this fall.

Roger Munter @rog61

Jairo Pomares 105 mph out to dead center. Sound up for crack of bat!