Not surprisingly the Dodgers neither selected any players in the major league portion of the annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday nor did they lose any.

Also not surprisingly they did participate in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. In an effort to strengthen the minor league system, especially at the AAA level, the Dodgers selected four players late in the draft: Peter Lavin (17th), Alex Santana (25th), Randy Fontanez (28th) and Nate Samson (30th).

Outfielder Lavin was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round in 2011. Born a short 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium in nearby Montebello, California, the 26-year old attended the University of San Francisco. He will turn 27 on December 27th. In 2014 Lavin played both for the High A Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League and the AA Reading Fightin Phils of the Eastern League. In 128 games he hit .287 with 11 home runs, 49 runs batted in and an OBP of .332. During his four-year professional career he has played all three outfield positions.

With a plethora of outfielders already ahead of him on the Dodgers depth chart, 26-year-old Peter Lavin might be forced to begin the 2015 season at High-A Rancho Cucamonga. (Photo credit – Tug Haines)

Lavin excels on defense. Phuture Phillies, a source of information on Phillie prospects highlights his defense. “He plays above-average defense in center and on a regular basis tracks down balls that seemed destined for extra bases once they leave the bat. Lavin possesses good speed and while this allows him to get to some of these balls, it’s his reads he gets off the bat and his solid routes to the ball that really make the difference.”

Randy Fontanez was signed by the Mets in the 27th round of the 2011 Amateur Draft out of the University of South Florida where Randy made his mark as a dominate pitcher. On March 26, 2010, he threw the third no-hitter in the University of South Florida’s baseball history against Notre Dame. Another highlight for Fontanez was pitching for the Puerto Rican national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Fontanez also played at two levels in 2014 spending about equal time with the High A St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League and with the AA Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League. The 25-year-old right-hander made 46 appearances in relief. His ERA was 3.74 along with 66 strikeouts in 65 innings while giving up 21 walks.

Fontanez, who pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 WBC, will most likely begin the 2015 season at Double-A Tulsa. (Photo credit – Mike Ehrmann)

When asked if there was a specific Mets manager or coach who has made an impact in his approach to the game and helped elevate his performance, Randy Fontanez was quick to respond. “The Mets coach that has helped elevate my game the most would have to be my pitching coach from this past season, Phil Regan,” Said Fontanez. “He is one of the most knowledgeable baseball minds that I’ve ever been around. He has a resume longer than most coaches in the world. Throughout the season he was able to tweak small things and help me make adjustments to help improve my game for the long run.” Dodger fans will remember Phil Regan, affectionately called “The Vulture.”

Shortly after his selection by the Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draft, Fontanez was welcomed by Dodgers top pitching prospect Jose De Leon via Twitter.

The veteran of the bunch is 27-year-old Nate Samson, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 34th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft from Forest High School in Ocala, Florida. In 2014 he split his time between the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association Independent League and the Class A Mobile Bay Bears of the Southern League. During the season he hit .310 with an OBP of .385. He had six home runs and 32 runs batted in while striking out 30 times and walking 32.

During his minor league career Samson has played second base as well as third base, although the majority of his playing time has been at shortstop. He has embraced a utility infielder role: “The middle infield are the top prospects by every right,” Samson said. “They’re very talented and they needed the experience. That’s why they’re here, but in a utility role there’s really nobody in front of me. I play wherever they need me to play. I’ve learned to be good at multiple positions and I’m trying to contribute any way I can. “

Sampson’s best shot at making it to the bigs is as a utility infielder, but at 27 years old he has a very difficult road ahead of him. (Photo credit – Adam Kline)

Alex Santana, perhaps we should call him Alexander Santana so as not to be confused with the Great Lakes Loons outfielder Alex Santana, is a right-handed pitcher. From Quisqueya, DR, Alexander Santana is a bit on the slight side. The 23-year old is 5′-11” and weighs 170 pounds. In 2014 he pitched at three levels spending time with the short season Aberdeen IronBirds, the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds and the AA Bowie Baysox. Pitching strictly in relief he had a 3.20 ERA, a 0.890 WHIP, while striking out 48 in 39.1 innings and walking only 10.

Santana will probably begin the 2015 season an Low-A Great Lakes or High-A Rancho Cucamonga. (Image courtesy of orioles-nation.com)

All four of the players selected by the Dodgers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft are temporarily list on the roster of the Oklahoma City Dodgers.