Rule V Results

I'm a little late with this but I've been busy with final exams this week. Here are the players who were selected from the Braves system in the Rule V draft this past Thursday.

2B- Jason Bourgeois- selected by the Seattle Mariners in the AAA phase of the draft. Bourgeois was a former prospect for the Rangers and was unable to ressurect himself in Richmond last year.

.240/.301/.317

C- Ike Franco- selected by the Cardinals with the last pick of the AAA phase. His stats from Mississippi:

.250/.294/.281

RHP- Jason Richardson- selected by the Red Sox in the AAA phase. His stats from Mississippi:

17G 30.2IP 0-2 4.11 11BB 29K

C- Cole Armstrong- selected by the White Sox in the AAA phase as well. He has only reached low-A Rome and here were his stats:

.228/.283/.357

Rule V Draft

The Rule V Draft will occur this Thursday. Here is a brief synopsis of what the Rule V Draft is courtesy of Rotoworld.com.

"Under the terms of the Rule 5 draft, players with at least three years of professional service (four years if they were drafted/signed at age 18 or younger) and who were not protected on a team's 40-man roster are eligible for to be selected by another club for $50,000. The drafted player must remain with his new club for the full season or be offered back to his original club for $25,000."

It seems like the Braves have lost quite a few prospects through this draft over the years. Adam Stern and Buddy Hernandez to name a few recently. Although Buddy Hernandez was offered back to the Braves. Of course, the fact that they lose a lot of players is indicative of their successful minor league system.

Some of the players who could get taken this year include:
RHP Kevin Barry
OF Henry Blanco
RHP Charlie Morton

I think it is possible that the Braves could go after some help in the bullpen by drafting somebody from another team in the Rule V Draft. They typically do not draft players in this draft but I think it is possible this year with their bullpen troubles.

Furcal to the Dodgers

Well it is official. We are going to need a new shortstop. I can't say I am that surprised. I don't think the Braves were going to spend more than 8 or 9 million per year on him. The Braves just couldn't compete with the Dodgers offer of 13 million per year. So the question is who is going to replace Furcal? Here are some scenerios that I can see playing out.

1. The most likely option in my opinion is they will trade acquire a shortstop from outside of the organization. There has been a lot of talk about getting Julio Lugo from Tampa Bay. Lugo's career numbers are remarkably comparable to Furcal's and would serve as a good leadoff replacement. They could also sign Nomar and either bat Giles or KJ leadoff or sign a left fielder who is suited for the leadoff role.

2. Wilson Betemit could be given the everyday starting SS job. He has finally developed into a good hitter and showed some real promise last year. The only problem is that he has grown out of a shortstop's body. His range at SS is very questionable even though his offense is not. Also, he would not provide an answer to the leadoff situation.

3. They have some really good SS prospects in the minors but they will not be ready for next season. Whoever starts at SS next year is probably just going to keep it warm until Yunel Escobar is ready. He was drafted out of Cuba at an older age than normal so his development should be fairly rapid. Another guy they have is Elvis Andrus. He is only 17 years old but is showing a ton of promise in the low minor leagues. He is still a few years away at least.

In the end losing Furcal is a big hit but the Braves are used to losing top guys to free agency. They just aren't one of the big spending clubs anymore. I'm sure JS and Bobby Cox have a plan in place to compensate for the loss of Furcal next year. Now that Furcal is gone, it gives the Braves a lot of financial flexibility to go ahead and upgrade at RP and LF.