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It seems like many of us in the Baltimore media spend a lot of time on baseball’s annual Rule 5 draft – the process in which teams select minor leaguers from other organizations and must put them on their 25-man roster for the duration of the upcoming season or offer them back for half of the $100,000 purchase fee.

There’s a reason we pay such close attention to it.

It’s become a sure-fire method for the Orioles to find players for their big-league roster.

In Dan Duquette’s tenure as executive vice president, the Orioles have selected at least one player in the Rule 5 draft each year. And most are currently with the organization, including last year’s pick, Joey Rickard, and Duquette’s first selection in 2011, infielder Ryan Flaherty.

This year, the Orioles drafted two players: speedy 24-year-old outfielder/infielder Aneury Tavarez from the Boston Red Sox organization and 22-year-old switch-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander from the Cleveland Indians organization.

The Orioles also grabbed two more players in the minor-league phase of the draft: Jefri Hernandez from the Cincinnati Reds organization and lefty Brian Moran from the Atlanta Braves organization.

We’re looking a little closer at those selected by the Orioles this week in our “Minor League Podcast with Adam Pohl.” He’s joined by BaltimoreBaseball.com’s minor league reporter, Dean Jones Jr.

Pohl, the voice of the Double-A Bowie Baysox, watched Tavarez play for Double-A Portland, and gives his assessment of the newest Oriole.

Pohl and Jones also talk about how hard it will be for Santander to be able to make that large jump from High-A to the majors, and discuss the fact the Orioles’ system had no one taken from it in this year’s draft.

If you’re a fan of minor league baseball and the Rule 5 draft, or if you’re just curious to hear more about Tavarez and Santander, check out this podcast.

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