Cincinnati Reds have had mixed results in the Rule 5 Draft

The Cincinnati Reds have had successes and failures via the Rule 5 Draft.

For the second year in a row the Cincinnati Reds selected a player only to trade him.  This year they selected Brad Keller from the Arizona Diamondbacks and traded him to the Kansas City Royals.  Keller is a starting pitching prospect that has never pitched above Double-A.

Last year, the Reds drafted a pair of catchers, Luis Torrens and Stuart Turner.  They both made the Opening Day roster, Torrens for the San Diego Padres and Turner for the Reds.  Turner was invaluable as a defensive back-up during the stretches that Devin Mesoraco was on the DL.

In 2015, however, neither of their selections made the Opening Day roster.  They selected Jake Cave from the New York Yankees and Chris O’Grady from the Los Angeles Angels.  The Reds returned both players to their original organizations

From 2009 through 2014, the Reds didn’t select anyone in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft.  In 2008 they did the same thing that they did this year.  They drafted a player and then sold him to someone else.

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In 2007 the Reds drafted the infamous Sergio Valenzuela from the Atlanta Braves.  Infamous in the sense that he never made it to the big leagues.  He has pitched in the Mexican League since the 2007 season.

The 2006 Rule 5 Draft was historic for both the Cincinnati Reds as well as other MLB teams.

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The eighth pick for the 2006 Rule 5 Draft was Jared Burton of the Oakland Athletics.  The Reds selected him and kept him around for five years.  Burton went 10-3 over 169 innings with a 3.41 ERA.

The bigger pick of the 2006 Rule 5 Draft was the third selection overall made by the Chicago Cubs.  They selected Josh Hamilton from the Tampa Bay Rays and then sent him to Cincinnati.  Hamilton’s strong season in 2007 launched him to a career resurgence and five All Star Game appearances with the Texas Rangers.

The 2006 Rule 5 Draft also saw Joakim Soria go from the San Diego Padres to the Kansas City Royals.  Soria spent the next five years with the Royals, twice making the All Star Game.  He has also spent the past two seasons with the Royals as a set-up man.

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The Cincinnati Reds have experience getting good talent from the Rule 5 Draft.  The past two seasons they have traded someone that they selected in the draft.  Hopefully, catcher Stuart Turner was the right guy to keep from last season.