Rule 5 draft

DWK · 10-31-2010, 09:06 AM

Can anyone tell me when this started? I'm re-launching my online league we are starting back in 1970 did they have the rule 5 back then?

DWK · 10-31-2010, 04:52 PM

I found it so the Rule 5 Draft was active in 1970

History of the rule

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Major League franchises found themselves bidding against one another for the services of young players. These engagements subsided when World War II broke out. When the war ended, the bidding wars resumed.[1]
This competition for the best amateur athletes resulted in skyrocketing signing bonuses. In 1947, Major League baseball implemented the Bonus Rule. The rule prevented the wealthiest teams from signing all of the best players and from stashing those players in their farm systems. Additionally, the bonus market was weakened as a result of inhibited competition. In return, this limited labor costs.[1]
The legitimacy of the rule was challenged several times after it was initially implemented. In December of 1950, the rule was rescinded.[1] In 1952, a committee chaired by Branch Rickey revived the rule. It was this iteration of the rule that stated a team had to place the players who met the Bonus Rule criteria on the Major League roster immediately. Furthermore, the player had to remain on the roster for two calendar years from the signing date.[1] Although the players were signed as a result of their potential, some players were not able to succeed. Pitcher Tom Qualters appeared in one game in the 1953 season. He did not appear in another game until 1957.
The New York Yankees worked out a deal with the Kansas City Athletics where the As signed Clete Boyer to a contract.[1] The As used Boyer sparingly for the two years they had him. Then, just days after the first date at which the As could send Boyer down to the minor leagues, they traded him to the Yankees as the "player to be named later" from a trade the previous winter. This trade did not sit well with the owners of the other American League teams. They claimed that the Yankees had used the As to hold Boyer. However, the deal was allowed by the league.[1]
Incidents like the Clete Boyer trade showed how the Bonus Rule could be circumvented. On top of that, rumor spread that teams were ignoring the rule and bribing players. In 1958, both leagues voted to rescind the rule. In addition, they rescinded it retroactively. This eliminated the major league roster requirement for the players signed in 1957.[1]
After the league added four new teams, the Bonus Rule was reintroduced in 1962. The difference between the new version of the rule and the previous one was that a player had to spend just one full season on the roster instead of two seasons.[1]
In June 1965, the Major league draft was introduced in baseball. Each drafted player was required to negotiate with the team that selected him. This brought an end to the Bonus Rule.

Le Grande Orange · 11-01-2010, 02:18 AM

Wikipedia has it a bit wrong. The bonus rule, that is, the rule by which amateur players who were paid above a certain amount of signing bonus had roster restrictions placed upon them, ended after the 1957 season.

It was replaced by the First Year Player Draft (not to be confused with the amateur draft which MLB calls by the same name). This original First Year Player Draft specified that any player, after his first season in the minor leagues, who was not advanced to the 40-man roster (and then onto the 25-man roster when the season started) could be drafted by any other major league club. The idea behind it was that no club would sign an amateur player to a big bonus since it would have to advance that player to the major league roster after just one year or risk losing him.

The rule was tweaked over a period of years before finally being dropped after the 1965 season as it had done little to curtail the rise in signing bonuses for amateur players.

The Rule 5 draft itself dates back all the way to 1892 (though of course it was known by a different name and operated under somewhat different rules).

If you want to learn more about these and other league operating rules, I highly recommend visiting this site. It has the most accurate overall information.

10-31-2010, 09:06 AM	#1
DWK All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Somewhere in South Carolina Posts: 636	Rule 5 draft Can anyone tell me when this started? I'm re-launching my online league we are starting back in 1970 did they have the rule 5 back then?

11-01-2010, 02:18 AM	#3
Le Grande Orange Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Up There Posts: 15,644	Wikipedia has it a bit wrong. The bonus rule, that is, the rule by which amateur players who were paid above a certain amount of signing bonus had roster restrictions placed upon them, ended after the 1957 season. It was replaced by the First Year Player Draft (not to be confused with the amateur draft which MLB calls by the same name). This original First Year Player Draft specified that any player, after his first season in the minor leagues, who was not advanced to the 40-man roster (and then onto the 25-man roster when the season started) could be drafted by any other major league club. The idea behind it was that no club would sign an amateur player to a big bonus since it would have to advance that player to the major league roster after just one year or risk losing him. The rule was tweaked over a period of years before finally being dropped after the 1965 season as it had done little to curtail the rise in signing bonuses for amateur players. The Rule 5 draft itself dates back all the way to 1892 (though of course it was known by a different name and operated under somewhat different rules). If you want to learn more about these and other league operating rules, I highly recommend visiting this site. It has the most accurate overall information. Last edited by Le Grande Orange; 11-01-2010 at 02:19 AM.

10-31-2010, 04:52 PM	#2
DWK All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Somewhere in South Carolina Posts: 636	I found it so the Rule 5 Draft was active in 1970 History of the rule In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Major League franchises found themselves bidding against one another for the services of young players. These engagements subsided when World War II broke out. When the war ended, the bidding wars resumed.[1] This competition for the best amateur athletes resulted in skyrocketing signing bonuses. In 1947, Major League baseball implemented the Bonus Rule. The rule prevented the wealthiest teams from signing all of the best players and from stashing those players in their farm systems. Additionally, the bonus market was weakened as a result of inhibited competition. In return, this limited labor costs.[1] The legitimacy of the rule was challenged several times after it was initially implemented. In December of 1950, the rule was rescinded.[1] In 1952, a committee chaired by Branch Rickey revived the rule. It was this iteration of the rule that stated a team had to place the players who met the Bonus Rule criteria on the Major League roster immediately. Furthermore, the player had to remain on the roster for two calendar years from the signing date.[1] Although the players were signed as a result of their potential, some players were not able to succeed. Pitcher Tom Qualters appeared in one game in the 1953 season. He did not appear in another game until 1957. The New York Yankees worked out a deal with the Kansas City Athletics where the As signed Clete Boyer to a contract.[1] The As used Boyer sparingly for the two years they had him. Then, just days after the first date at which the As could send Boyer down to the minor leagues, they traded him to the Yankees as the "player to be named later" from a trade the previous winter. This trade did not sit well with the owners of the other American League teams. They claimed that the Yankees had used the As to hold Boyer. However, the deal was allowed by the league.[1] Incidents like the Clete Boyer trade showed how the Bonus Rule could be circumvented. On top of that, rumor spread that teams were ignoring the rule and bribing players. In 1958, both leagues voted to rescind the rule. In addition, they rescinded it retroactively. This eliminated the major league roster requirement for the players signed in 1957.[1] After the league added four new teams, the Bonus Rule was reintroduced in 1962. The difference between the new version of the rule and the previous one was that a player had to spend just one full season on the roster instead of two seasons.[1] In June 1965, the Major league draft was introduced in baseball. Each drafted player was required to negotiate with the team that selected him. This brought an end to the Bonus Rule.