Rule 5 Draft set to begin as baseball clubs hope to bag players
The Winter Meetings are closing down in Major League Baseball and with the off season period heading towards the spring training window, teams are preparing to move in on good player options in the rule 5 Draft.
The event is expected to kick off soon and while there isn’t much anticipation on the selection choices spread across the horizon, teams are hoping to land the best crop of players in the minor leagues.
The chances of picking some top prospects in the draft are severely low. The event has been unproductive for clubs that have wished for the likes of Joakim Soria, Dan Uggla or Josh Hamilton.
During one time the possibility of uncovering a gem was undeterminable but stricter laws on player protection has dulled the process altogether. The cluster of minor league players, unprotected by their clubs will enter the draft and the teams on the lower performance table of the previous league standings will make the first choice pick.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2006 had allowed Major League ball clubs an extra year for evaluating the players. That rule has cost the event much attraction and many believe this year’s crop of minor league stars will not be up to the mark.
The Vice President of scouting operations from the Cleveland Indians, John Mirabelli, had a lot to add on the matter. He said, "The extra time has not only afforded teams more evaluation time, but it also has allowed the natural attrition process to be part of the decision. Consequently, teams are making much better, more precise roster decisions. Scouting the opposition is important but knowing your inventory is critical and teams are capitalizing on the extra year".
The lowest ranking club from this year were the Pittsburgh Pirates. They will be allowed to make the first pick and General Manager, Neal Huntington, was willing to comment on the team’s likely focus on selection.
Huntington said, "We're kicking around some names. Teams have called to see if we would trade - either trade the pick completely or trade down. It's a lot of fun talking about trading down. There are guys out there that we are interested in. It's not something that we're over the top excited about this year. But there are guys that we feel like can help us and have a legitimate chance to make the team".
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