The Rule V Draft happens every December, and it is basically a tool to keep teams from hoarding prospects in their minor league systems for too long. Johan Santana is probably the most famous Rule V pickup, as the Twins got him for nothing. Last year the Orioles selected Randor Bierd from the Tigers.
The rules are pretty simple. Team select from a pool of minor leaguers (who is in that pool I'll get into in a bit), and can choose to not select anyone, and pass, or they can select the player of their choice. However, once that player is selected, they MUST remain on the teams Active 25-man roster for the entire season the following year (barring injury). If the team decides they no longer have room for the player on their roster, or decide for whatever reason they don't want that player on their active roster, the player must be returned to their original team. The two teams are permitted to work out a trade for the player, but the team that would be getting the player back is by no means obligated to do so.
For example, last year, the Orioles selected Randor Bierd from the Tigers organization. They liked the hard-throwing righty (and I still do) so they selected him with hopes he could stick in their bullpen all season. Bierd stayed in the pen for a while, but then was injured. Since he was on the DL, the Orioles were allowed to keep him in the organization even though he wasnt on the 25-man roster. When he was healthy again, though, he had to return to the major leagues. Once Bierd completed the season having been on the 25-man roster (when healthy) all year, he is now property of the Orioles, and can play in the minors this year for the O's (and most assuredly will start in Triple A).
So, that is basically how the Rule V Draft works. Now, who are the available players? It isn't just a free for all. The avaiable players are ones who fall under one of the two following guidelines:
1-Have been in the organization for 5 years, and we're under 19 when drafted/signed.
2- Have been in the organization for 4 years, and we're over 19 when drafted/signed.
Basically high school draftees that have been in your system 5 years, and college draftees that have been in your system 4 years need to be protected by being added to the 40-man roster.
So, who is that for the Orioles?
From the '04 draft, the high school guys need to be protected. Well, that's a short list. Certainly Brad Bergeson is a guy to protect. I would say he is the only guy the Orioles add to the 40-man from the '04 list. And guys from the '05 draft? Chorye Spoone, Nolan Reimold, and David Hernandez are the 3 that need to be added to the 40 man. As you can see, each year it staggers, so that next season, the high school guys from the '05 draft will need to be protected (most notably Snyder and Erbe).
So, in addition to all the roster moves mentioned in my previous posts, Bergeson, Spoone, Reimold, and Hernandez all need to be added to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule V draft.
Will the Orioles pick someone in the Rule V this year? Depends who is there. I would guess that if there is any sort of middle infield prospect that looks promising at all, the Orioles would give them a shot to the the utility infielder. The team doesn't really have anyone lined up to do that as it is right now, and there aren't any middle infield prospects banging down the doors to Baltimore. I'd say if a guy like that is there, the O's maybe pick him up, if not, I'd say this is a year they pass on a Rule V player.
Oh, and just FYI, it's Rule Five, not Rule "vee". Didn't want to confuse anyone about that.
More off-season stuff coming soon.
Keywords: Baltimore Orioles
