The Rule 5 Draft: What You Need To Know
The rule 5 draft is often seen as unimportant to most major league baseball fans. After all, if the player was any good, he’d be on the 40 man roster. For those of you who don’t know, here’s how it works: If a player has been in the minor leagues for either four (if over 19 when signed) or five (if under 19 when signed) years and is not placed on the 40 man roster by their team, they are eligible to be selected in the draft. If they are selected they must be placed on their new team’s 25 man major league roster for the entire season. If they fail to stay on the big league roster, that team must offer them back to their original team for $25,000. With the recent completion of this years rule 5 draft, I thought I would take a look at some historical numbers to get an idea of what you can expect if your team drafted a player.
The most common positions picked are predictably outfielders and pitchers. Namely, right handed pitchers make up a little under half of the picks since the first rule 5 draft. After being picked, only about 35% of picks last the entire year with their new big league ball club. While being picked does give these players a chance to prove themselves on the major league level, the downside is that it interrupts their normal development pattern. This was the case with catcher Jesus Flores last year. He was forced to backup Schneider for the Nationals last year essentially losing a year in development. In fact, this interruption can have an affect on the health of players. About half of all pitchers taken in the Rule 5 draft that stay with their new team have arm trouble within the next six years, many within the next three.
Sounds pretty grim for these players so far, but some really do have an impact on their new clubs. One name you may recognize from last year is Joakim Soria. Not only did he stick it out with the club, but he was the closer for a large part of last year and became a household name in intense fantasy circles. Obviously, it goes without saying that Josh Hamilton was a great pick for the Reds. Using the rule 5 draft as a spring board he managed to resurrect his once promising career.
A couple other names you might recognize: Jay Gibbons (2000), Jorge Sosa (2001), Chris Shelton (2003), Dan Uggla (2005), and who can forget Johan Santana in 1999. These players came at no price to their new team except for a spot on the 25 man roster.
This year it was a good day to be in the Twins’ minor league system as three players were drafted out of it. Two each were also drafted out of the Indians and Red Sox systems. The Phillies were the only team to draft two players. Historically, we can see some patterns forming. Detroit and San Diego are the top two teams to gain players. San Diego has gained a reputation of giving second chances, so the rule 5 draft is a perfect fit for them. On the other side, the Indians and Pirates are the top teams to lose players. Cleveland has a reputation for drafting college pitchers in the rule 4 draft which make them more prone to be eligible to be drafted in the rule 5 draft.
For coverage of this years rule 5 draft, check out Baseball America. I am a firm believer that before we can understand the present, we must understand the past. The same holds true in all facets of life including baseball and fantasy baseball. That’s why every once and a while I’ll give you glimpses into the past such as this. The rule 4 draft can have a bigger impact than one might think. Just think what the Twins would be if they didn’t have Santana.
The most common positions picked are predictably outfielders and pitchers. Namely, right handed pitchers make up a little under half of the picks since the first rule 5 draft. After being picked, only about 35% of picks last the entire year with their new big league ball club. While being picked does give these players a chance to prove themselves on the major league level, the downside is that it interrupts their normal development pattern. This was the case with catcher Jesus Flores last year. He was forced to backup Schneider for the Nationals last year essentially losing a year in development. In fact, this interruption can have an affect on the health of players. About half of all pitchers taken in the Rule 5 draft that stay with their new team have arm trouble within the next six years, many within the next three.
Sounds pretty grim for these players so far, but some really do have an impact on their new clubs. One name you may recognize from last year is Joakim Soria. Not only did he stick it out with the club, but he was the closer for a large part of last year and became a household name in intense fantasy circles. Obviously, it goes without saying that Josh Hamilton was a great pick for the Reds. Using the rule 5 draft as a spring board he managed to resurrect his once promising career.
A couple other names you might recognize: Jay Gibbons (2000), Jorge Sosa (2001), Chris Shelton (2003), Dan Uggla (2005), and who can forget Johan Santana in 1999. These players came at no price to their new team except for a spot on the 25 man roster.
This year it was a good day to be in the Twins’ minor league system as three players were drafted out of it. Two each were also drafted out of the Indians and Red Sox systems. The Phillies were the only team to draft two players. Historically, we can see some patterns forming. Detroit and San Diego are the top two teams to gain players. San Diego has gained a reputation of giving second chances, so the rule 5 draft is a perfect fit for them. On the other side, the Indians and Pirates are the top teams to lose players. Cleveland has a reputation for drafting college pitchers in the rule 4 draft which make them more prone to be eligible to be drafted in the rule 5 draft.
For coverage of this years rule 5 draft, check out Baseball America. I am a firm believer that before we can understand the present, we must understand the past. The same holds true in all facets of life including baseball and fantasy baseball. That’s why every once and a while I’ll give you glimpses into the past such as this. The rule 4 draft can have a bigger impact than one might think. Just think what the Twins would be if they didn’t have Santana.
