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By Jim Callis
December 2, 2006

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, and Ask BA is back after its week off. The amateur and Rule 5 drafts are on your minds, as my e-mail will attest. So we'll get to some of those questions in a moment.

In the last Ask BA, I ran a chart that listed all the 2006 draftees who received six-figure bonuses after the seventh round. Two players who signed late were omitted: Nate Boman (ninth round, Angels), who turned pro for $400,000; and Tim Gustafson (ninth round, Braves), who got $200,000. I've updated the list for the sake of future reference.

I have two questions regarding the new draft compensation rules. How is the order determined in the supplemental rounds? Previously, it was by reverse order of standings, but I thought I read somewhere that it has been changed to the lost free agent's Elias ranking. And how do they sort out teams with multiple selections? Also, my favorite team (the Giants) is notorious for not valuing their draft picks. If they fail to sign one of their perhaps several supplemental choices, will they be entitled to another sandwich pick the following year? And do the new non-signing rules also apply to regular choices gained as compensation, or just to choices originally owned by the selecting team? That probably counted as four questions, but all your answers are appreciated.

Dave Fox
Decatur, Ga.

There has been a lot of confusion about the changes to free-agent compensation in the new Basic Agreement. But one thing that will stay the same is the order of the supplemental choices. It will mirror the order in each regular round, which is determined by the reverse order of the standings. After all of the clubs with a sandwich pick make a selection, teams with additional supplemental picks will make their second selections, again in the same order, and the process will be repeated until all clubs have exhausted their sandwich choices.

Teams failing to sign any first-, supplemental first-, second- or supplemental second-round pick in one draft will get the choice right after the corresponding selection in the next year's draft. (An unsigned third-rounder would yield a supplemental third-rounder in the next draft.) So if the Giants had the 32nd pick in 2007 and didn't sign him, they would get the 33rd choice in 2008. That compensation only extends for one year, so if San Francisco couldn't lock up the 33rd choice in 2008, it wouldn't get the 34th pick in 2009.

With all of the free-agent signings that have been going on, can we have a list of an updated draft order with all the compensation picks?

Brendan Repicky
Martinez, Calif.

That I can do. Here's the updated list of all supplemental picks and all draft choices that have changed hands. The Indians' signing of David Dellucci is still waiting on a physical, but I've included it below. I also added the list of remaining free agents who will require compensation should they change teams. Type A free agents will yield both a draft pick from the signing club plus a supplemental first-rounder, while Type B free agents will yield just the supplemental first-rounder.

I'll continue to update this in Ask BA every week.

First-Round Picks

1. Devil Rays

2. Royals

3. Cubs

4. Pirates

5. Orioles

6. Nationals

7. Brewers

8. Rockies

9. Diamondbacks

10. Giants

11. Mariners

12. Marlins

13. Indians

14. Braves

15. Reds

16. Blue Jays (Frank Catalanotto, A, to Tex)

17. Rangers (Carlos Lee, A, to Hou)

18. Cardinals

19. Phillies

20. Red Sox

21. Blue Jays

22. Dodgers

23. Padres

24. Rangers (Gary Matthews Jr., A, to LAA)

25. White Sox

26. Athletics

27. Tigers

28. Twins

29. Giants (Moises Alou, A, to NYM)

30. Yankees

Supplemental First-Round Picks

31. Cubs (Juan Pierre, B, to LAD)

32. Nationals (Alfonso Soriano, A, to ChC)

33. Diamondbacks (Craig Counsell, B, to Mil)

34. Giants (Alou)

35. Braves (Danys Baez, A, to Bal)

36. Reds (Rich Aurilia, A, to SF)

37. Rangers (Lee)

38. Phillies (David Dellucci, A, to Cle)

39. Red Sox (Alex Gonzalez, B, to Cin)

40. Blue Jays (Catalanotto)

41. Padres (Dave Roberts, A, to SF)

42. Angels (Adam Kennedy, B, to StL)

43. Athletics (Frank Thomas, B, to Tor)

44. Tigers (Jamie Walker, B, to Bal)

45. Mets (Chad Bradford, A, to Bal)

46. Giants (Mike Stanton, B, to Cin)

47. Rangers (Matthews)

48. Blue Jays (Justin Speier, A, to LAA)

49. Padres (Woody Williams, A, to Hou)

50. Mets (Roberto Hernandez, A, to Cle)

51. Rangers (Mark DeRosa, B, to ChC)

52. Diamondbacks (have yet to sign 2006 first-rounder Max Scherzer)

Second-Round Changes

55. Nationals (Soriano to ChC)

57. Braves (Baez to Bal)

62. Reds (Aurilia to SF)

65. Mets (Hernandez to Cle)

69. Padres (Williams to Hou)

76. Blue Jays (Speier to LAA)

Third-Round Changes

87. Mets (Bradford to Bal)

92. Padres (Roberts to SF)

95. Phillies (Dellucci to Cle)

Remaining Compensation Free Agents

Ari: Miguel Batista (B).

Bos: Keith Foulke (B).

Cin: Scott Schoeneweis (B).

LAD: Julio Lugo (A).

Mil: Tony Graffanino (A).

NYM: Guillermo Mota (B).

NYY: Ron Villone (B).

Oak: Barry Zito (A).

StL: Mark Mulder (B), Jeff Suppan (A).

SD: Alan Embree (B), Ryan Klesko (B), Chan Ho Park (B), Todd Walker (A), David Wells (B).

SF: Jason Schmidt (A).

Sea: Gil Meche (B).

Tex: Vicente Padilla (B).

Tor: Ted Lilly (B).

Was: Jose Guillen (B).

Who are the top prospects for selection in the major league Rule 5 draft? Who did the Cubs leave unprotected that could be selected, or do they not have anyone they'll miss?

Brad Childers
York, S.C.

Chris Kline did his usual fine work on a Rule 5 draft preview that should go live on the website on Monday, and I don't want to steal all his thunder. But I will tell you that his No. 1 prospect for the Rule 5 draft is Rockies righthander Pedro Strop. Originally signed as an infielder by the Rockies, Strop moved to the mound this year and showed a consistent 93-95 mph fastball and glimpses of a plus slider. He went 3-1, 3.42 with 35 strikeouts in 26 innings between Rookie-level Casper and low Class A Asheville.

With the new CBA giving teams an extra year of protection for players, this Rule 5 draft may be even duller than usual. The Cubs probably won't lose anyone, but if they do, their top three candidates are lefthander Edward Campusano, second baseman Mike Fontenot and third baseman Casey McGehee.

Campusano, 24, is an intriguing reliever who showed a lively 92-93 mph fastball and a wipeout slider this year. But he also has had problems staying healthy and went down in August with elbow trouble. Fontenot, 26, is an offensive-minded second baseman who hits for average and gets on base, plus he offers a little pop. McGehee, 24, is more of a versatile role player than a potential regular. He has caught and played all four infield positions as a pro, and he could probably handle the outfield as well.

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