Chris Kline of Baseball America has an update on the Rule 5 Draft which is set to commence tomorrow. The big name in this year’s Rule 5 Draft appears to be Indians outfielder Brian Barton.
The Tampa Bay Rays currently have the first overall pick, though several sources tell Kline that the Padres are planning on moving up to the 1st overall pick and selecting Barton.
A few first-round draft picks from the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft are eligible for tomorrow’s draft. No. 3 overall pick Kyle Sleeth (Tigers), No. 5 overall pick Chris Lubanski (Royals), No. 6 overall pick Ryan Harvey (Cubs), No. 16 pick Jeff Allison (Marlins), No. 21 pick Matt Moses (Twins) and No. 27 pick Eric Duncan (Yankees) could all be donning a new uniform for the 2008 season.
A notable Rule 5 pick was made by the Florida Marlins. They selected SP Johan Santana in the 1999 Rule 5 Draft and sent him to the Minnesota Twins for a minor-leaguer on the same day.
