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4 prospects Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft

Every December, teams like the Atlanta Braves start to panic because once a year, MLB holds a Rule 5 Draft, here are 4 prospects they must protect at all costs.

By Bryce Naughton

World Baseball Classic Pool C: United States v Colombia
World Baseball Classic Pool C: United States v Colombia / Christian Petersen/GettyImages
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Soon enough, the Atlanta Braves need to decide what players to protect not on the 40-man roster so they aren't selected by other teams in the annual Rule 5 Draft.

MLB explains the Rule 5 Draft by saying, "Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons."

No. 4 prospect Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft, Alan Rangel

Alan Rangel is a 26-year-old starting pitcher with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A team who is pretty ready to make his MLB debut after being in the Braves' farm system since 2015. He might be struggling in the minors in 2023, but he shows plenty of potential with his zone control and could help a less fortunate team like the Oakland Athletics.

In just two games at Triple-A in 2023, he has pitched 11 innings while holding down a 2.45 ERA. However, at Double-A, he struggled in 23 starts with an ERA of 4.66 and a record of 3-15. Like most players who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft, he is quite hit or miss.

Not getting promoted sooner and being held down at Rookie Ball and Single-A for five years has negatively hurt his growth.

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