Question for you, Orioles fans. Prior to 2021, when was the last time the O’s selected a player in the Rule 5 draft who made a significant contribution in his first year?
It’s a rare occurrence, as you might imagine. By definition, any player plucked in the Rule 5 is one who wasn’t on his former team’s 40-man roster — which usually means it’s someone with very little experience in the upper minors and none in the majors. The majority of Rule 5 picks don’t even last a full season with their new team before being sent back to their old one, and the lucky few that stick often face a rough first year as they’re thrown into the big league fire.