Dillon Atkinson: Rule 5 ritual has been successful for Duquette

After being hired as the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations following the 2011 season, Dan Duquette has made little noise in the Winter Meetings each offseason. He hasn't been completely quiet however, as he always participates in the Rule 5 Draft.

Duquette has selected six players in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in his time with the Orioles, with four of those players breaking camp with the major league club in their respective year. Here are those players:

* 2012: Ryan Flaherty from the Cubs
* 2013: T.J. McFarland from the Indians
* 2014: Michael Almanzar from the Red Sox
* 2015: Jason Garcia from the Red Sox (selected by Astros, then flipped to Baltimore) and Logan Verrett from the Mets
* 2016: Joey Rickard from the Rays

Are these players superstars? No, they're not. But the majority of them have either already contributed to the ballclub in a productive way or they have the potential to do so in the future.

Flaherty has seen time in multiple roles with the Orioles since his rookie year in 2012, but his home seems to be in a utility role. His best defense has shown to be at second base - where he has recorded plus-7 Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-7.5 UZR/150 in his career - but he is also serviceable at first base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field. He doesn't provide the best defense in those spots, but he can play there in a pinch for you if needed. His career .215/.282/.365 slash line and 75 wRC+ aren't too impressive, but his walk rate has climbed each year in his career, beginning from a 3.6 walk percentage in 2012 to 8.6 percent in 2015. His bat isn't all that, but his positional flexibility provides good value as a backup infielder - and even corner outfielder - over the past four seasons.

McFarland has an interesting situation on the ballclub this year, as it remains to be seen whether or not the potential return of Brian Matusz from the disabled list will boot McFarland out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old southpaw has posted a 3.89 ERA (3.80 FIP) over 173 2/3 innings since joining the Orioles in 2013. He's not a fan favorite, but he quietly goes about his business in his usual long reliever role out of the bullpen. Pitching in Oriole Park, you have to keep the ball out of the air, and McFarland has done that, posting impressive groundball rates of 57.8, 61.9, and 64.3 percent in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Despite a shaky 2015 season in which his walk rate tumbled rather dramatically, McFarland has been able to get ground balls and has shown to be fine riding the Norfolk-Baltimore shuttle, making him flexible bullpen depth.

There isn't much to discuss with Almanzar. He didn't make the club out of spring training in 2014, and was placed on the disabled list. After being activated from the 60-day disabled list, the Orioles designated Almanzar for assignment, and he was returned to the Red Sox on July 1. Less than two months later, the Orioles re-acquired Almanzar alongside infielder Kelly Johnson from Boston in exchange for infielders Jemile Weeks and Ivan DeJesus. Almanzar has been in the Orioles system since, and is currently in Triple-A Norfolk.

For the first time in the Duquette-era, the Orioles selected two players - in fact, both pitchers - in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in 2015. Garcia and Verrett both joined the Orioles in spring training, with Verrett seemingly having the upper hand with more experience in the higher levels of the minors (Verrett pitched in Triple-A in 2014), while Garcia's highest pro level was high Single-A. However, despite both impressing during spring training, this was not the case. Garcia won the final bullpen spot, but Verrett found himself a spot in the Mets' major league bullpen after being claimed on waivers by the Rangers from the Orioles and then sent back to New York, so he can't be too upset with the outcome. While he has below average command, Garcia presents a mid- to high-90s fastball with a slider that has potential to be at least league-average. The Orioles had to bite the bullet by hiding him in the bullpen in 2015, when he struggled mightily prior to being placed on the 60-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. But after returning, the hard-throwing righty posted a 2.81 ERA over 16 innings. The Orioles now are stretching him out in the minor leagues, hoping he can become a future option for the club as a starting pitcher. If that doesn't work out, his stuff could play very well in the back end of the bullpen down the road.

And last but not least, let's take a look at Rickard. The 24-year-old outfielder blew everybody away in spring training with his bat, defense and speed. Rickard won the starting left field job out of spring training, going 2-for-4 with a double on opening day, his major league debut. It's very possible that the Orioles will ride the hot wheels off of Rickard until we find out exactly who he is. Have the Orioles struck gold with Rickard, similar to how the Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies did in 2015 with Rule 5 picks Delino DeShields Jr. and Odubel Herrera, respectively? It's probably not likely, but it's possible. If they haven't won the jackpot with Rickard, it's still not a loss. They'll be riding his hot streak for as long as he can, which is a bonus, and he'll produce as a younger version of David Lough - with a higher ceiling.

Have the Orioles found stars in the Rule 5 Draft? No. But the ballclub has been able to bring in a utility infielder, a long reliever/swingman, a potential flamethrower in the rotation or bullpen, and a productive fourth outfielder who may actually be good enough for to start in left field. For the minimal price of paying each player's extremely low salary along with $50,000 to the player's former team, Duquette has found positive value in the Rule 5 Draft.

Dillon Atkinson blogs about the Orioles for Orioles Uncensored. Follow him on Twitter: @DAtkinsonOU. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.