Everyone loves to talk about how players like Dan Uggla, Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Joakim Soria, and even Roberto Clemente were aquired through the Rule V draft, but the reality is that it's not typically a very profitable way to aquire top tier talent. With this year's Rule V draft coming up next week, I thought I'd take a look at how the Braves have been helped and hurt, or haven't been, by the Rule V draft in this decade.

2007

Major League Phase: The Reds select RHP Sergio Valenzuela. This was a pretty curious move at the time as Valenzuela had racked up around a 7 ERA between Rome and Myrtle Beach in 2007 and a 5.61 ERA in four seasons. The move looked even worse after he was rocked in Spring Training with the Reds and returned to the Braves, who promptly sold his rights to Moncolva of the Mexican League. He actually pitched pretty decently there (8-4, 4.89 ERA, 18 starts), but his propects of reaching the majors are slim.

Minor League Phase: The Rangers select 3B Jaime Trejo. This was no loss at all as the Braves had actually loaned him to a Mexican League team for the 2007 season. He spent 08 in the Mexican League again, though I'm not sure if he was released by the Rangers or loaned by them too.

2006

Major League Phase: The Mariners select RHP Sean White. The M's actually managed to keep White on their roster all season, though they utilized the very liberal DL rules that seem to only apply to Rule V selections to make it work. He only appeared in 15 games in 07 for Seattle and spent 08 in AAA, racking up a 5.47 ERA to go with a 6-11 record. With all the turmoil in the Braves pitching this past season, there's a possibility White could have gotten a shot had he stayed with the Braves, but there's an equal possibility he could have fizzled out in AA.

2005

Minor League Phase: The Mariners select 2B Jason Bourgeois. He had fairly limited playing time for Richmond in 2005 and didn't really distinguish himself in 06 at AA for the Mariners. But, after leaving the M's as a Minor Leauge free agent and signing with the White Sox, Bourgeois all of the sudden became a player. He hit .306 with 38 steals between AA and AAA in 07 and hit .286 with 30 steals in 08 at AAA before making a brief 6 game ML debut with the White Sox. He just signed a minor league deal with the Brewers (in fact, he's eligible for this year's Rule V draft) and while he's not likely to ever become a star, his increased versatility (playing all over the infield and outfield) and speed mean he could see some more time in the bigs.

The Cardinals select C Iker Franco. He was adequate as a backup between Richmond and Mississippi in 05 and actually knocked in 10 homer at AA for the Cardinals in 06. He returned to Richmond in 07 and helped the team to win the IL Championship, though he did much more with his defense than his bat. Franco returned to his native Mexico in 08 and produced a good season with a .284 average and 22 homers, so maybe he'll be able to find a job in affiliated ball in 09.

The Red Sox select RHP Jason Richardson. He had a decent season in 05 between Myrtle Beach and Mississippi, but was pretty bad for the Red Sox' A ball team in 06. He's spent the last two seasons with the independent Sommerset team and his chances of pitching affiliated ball again are fading fast.

The White Sox select C Cole Armstrong. The Braves' enormous catching depth at the time (which included Brian McCann, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Brayan Pena, Clint Sammons, Max Ramirez, and caused Kyle Roat to suddenly retire in Spring Training) allowed Armstrong to slip to the Sox in the Minor League phase. The big Canadian has quietly climed the ladder, reaching AAA in 08 and earning a place on the Sox 40 man roster. While his offense might be better than Clint Sammons', his defense isn't, and it seems unlikely he would have survived the catching glut.

2004

Major League Phase: The Red Sox select OF Adam Stern. He's the classic case of how the Rule V draft can irrevocably deter the development of a player. After a very nice season for Greenville in 2004, the athletic, rangy, strong armed outfielder was buried on the end of the bench in Boston. A broken thumb didn't help and he spent so much time on the DL he actually had to be active for the beginning of 06 to allow the Red Sox to retain his rights. After a so-so season for the Red Sox AAA team he was traded to the Orioles for Javy Lopez. He spent 07 in AAA, only appearing in 2 games for the Orioles and was released in June of 08 after his performance declined. Stern has been a key part of the Canadian Olympic and WBC teams, so he be able to earn a job somewhere with a good showing in the 09 WBC.

Minor League Phase: The Mariners select 2B Aaron Herr. He was a bust as a supplemental first round pick, but had a breakout season for the Cardinals' AA team in 2005. Nevertheless, he left as a Minor League free agent to the Reds, where he had a couple of productive seasons at AA and AAA before falling off at AAA this season and getting released. He finished out the year with the Indians' AAA team and while he's developed into a power hitting third baseman, his chances at making the majors don't seem high.

2003

Major League Phase: The Devil Rays select RHP Alec Zumwalt. The former professional outfielder didn't make the team out of Spring Training and was returned to the Braves. He didn't pitch great at AAA in 2004, but was traded along with Jose Capellan for Dan Kolb. He had some borderline effective years at AA and AAA for the Brewers (in fact a very nice 2006 season) before becoming pretty ineffective for the Athletics' AAA team in 2007. He spent this past season with independent Camden and his chances of reaching the majors seem pretty slim.

Minor League Phase: The Angels select LHP Willi Collazo. He was very effective out of the bullpen for Myrtle Beach and Greenville in 2003, but less so for the Angels' AA team in 2004. He was downright awful in 05, compling a 7.01 ERA. He regained his form in 06 after signing with the Mets as a minor league free agent, with a good year between AA and AAA, followed by a great year at AAA in 07 that led to a six game Major League debut. He didn't return to the majors in 08, but pitched decently in AAA, splitting time between starting and relieving. He's left handed and breathing, so he's still got a chance to have and impact in the majors.

The Devil Rays select C Adan Munoz. This one never made any sense; he only played 16 games of affiliated ball, all for Greenville in 2002, a year before this draft took place, and never played a game with any Rays team. Apparently he's still playing in the Mexican League, but it's pretty unlikely he'll ever come back to the states.

(Couldn't find Minor League Phase details for 2000-2002)

2002

Major League Phase: The Padres select RHP Buddy Hernandez. He was immediately traded to the Athletics for Jose Flores (who the Athletics claimed back during Spring Training), but he didn't make the team and was returned to the Braves. Aside from the 2005 season, which he missed most of due to injury, Hernandez deserved a callup to the majors every year between 03 and 07. He was an effective, reliable reliever, but his diminutive size and lack of overpowering stuff seemed to have doomed him. He spent the 08 season as Alec Zumwalt's teammate with the independent Camden team and his chances at a major league shot seem to be fading.

The Braves select RHP Chris Spurling from the Pirates. He's the last player the Braves actually selected in the Rule V draft, but he didn't make the team and was traded to the Tigers for Matt Coenen. Spurling was a fairly effective, if not great, reliever for the Tigers and Brewers for four seasons, but he didn't play anywhere in 2008 and his status for the future is certainly in question. Coenen was fairly good for Myrtle Beach in 2003, before hurting his arm in 2004. He was ultimately released and certainly didn't give the Braves the kind of return on the trade that Spurling gave the Tigers.

2001

Major League Phase: The Devil Rays select Kevin McGlinchy. He basically jumped from A ball to the Majors with the Braves in 1999 and turned in a stellar rookie season. That jump though likely led to him blowing his arm out in 2000 and that's why he was avialable in the Rule V Draft. It was a smart move by the Rays to select him, but, unfortunately, he was never healthy enough to even pitch a game for their organization. He ended up making a comeback with a few indy league teams and the Cubs' AA and AAA affiliates, but his career ended in 2005 without having pitched another game in the majors.

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If you read all this, you're a champ, +297 to you. The big point is that the Braves aren't likely to take any great losses in the upcoming draft, nor are they likely to make any great gains, or any picks for that matter. In fact, judging all this, the best Rule V strategy would be to look for minor league free agents who have been drafted in the Minor League Phase before.