Written by Mike Falcone / Newport Gulls

NEWPORT, RI—The Rule 5 Draft, named after its place in the Professional Baseball Agreement varies from the more commonly known First-Year Player Draft or Rule 4 Draft, as the players selected are already professionals under contract with major league teams. A team that takes a player in the Rule 5 Draft must pay $50,000 to the organization in which he was selected from. The team that has selected this player is then required to keep the player on their Major League 25- Man roster for the duration of the upcoming season. If the player does not remain with the club all season, he is then returned to his original team for half the original payment ($25,000) or waived.

This past December in the Rule 5 Draft, 2016 Newport Gull Paul Campbell (Clemson) was picked up by the Miami Marlins. Campbell was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 21st round of the 2017 MLB Draft. In 2019, Campbell started 20 games. He logged 144.2 IP and held opposing hitters to a .238 average between the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) and the Montgomery Biscuits (AA). 

The Clemson Tiger rose through the prospect rankings rising to No. 24 in the Tampa Bay Rays organization before being scooped up by the Miami Marlins. Campbell didn’t take the hill in spring training until March 16 where he struck out four hitters over 2 IP against the Washington Nationals. Campbell was credited with the save in the 4-3 Marlins victory. He would make four appearances in total, tallying eight strikeouts across seven innings pitched. He limited opponents to a .192 average and held a 3.86 ERA against established major league talent. In his final three appearances, he faced off against hitters such as Nolan Arenado, Francisco Lindor, and Juan Soto. 

According to MLB.com, Marlins manager Don Mattingly believes Campbell will be used as a spot starter and a long reliever in Miami’s bullpen this year. Mattingly wasted no time using Campbell, bringing him in during the team’s third game this season against non-other than his former ballclub, the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Campbell was called in with one out in the third inning of Saturday’s contest. He completed two innings of work, striking one batter and allowing three runs. He is the 25th Gull to play in the Major Leagues. 

In 2016, Campbell made four appearances for Newport including two starts. Campbell excelled on the mound holding NECBL hitters to just a .105 average and boasting a 2.08 ERA. Two of his four appearances came in the playoffs including one start against the Mystic Schooners where he gave the Gulls six strong innings. 

Campbell is following the line of another former Newport Gull Brett Graves (Missouri). Graves pitched for Newport in 2012 and 2013. He was a member of the No. 1 Summer Collegiate Baseball Team in the country in 2012. Graves was a 3rd round pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 MLB Draft, then selected in the Rule 5 Draft Pick by the Miami Marlins and spent the duration of the 2018 season in Miami pitching 33.1 IP across 21 appearances. 

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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.

For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.