As the past two decades have evolved, Johan Santana, Dan Uggla, Shane Victorino and Ender Inciarte are among those who have continued to prove teams can still find value in players taken during the Rule 5 Draft.

• How the Rule 5 Draft works 

With that being said, a quick look at all of the players the Braves have taken in this Draft over the past 50 years reminds us of the fact that many of the players selected never experience success at the big league level.

• History of the Rule 5 Draft

Here is each of the Braves’ Rule 5 Draft selections since 1970:

2016: RHP Armando Rivero
The Braves selected Rivero and then released him less than a year later before he pitched within their organization. The right-handed reliever came to Spring Training with right shoulder discomfort and spent the entire 2017 season on the injured list. He has spent the past three years pitching in Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

2015: LHP Evan Rutckyj
It didn’t take the Braves long to realize the spin rate and other metrics that made Rutckyj attractive weren’t enough to compensate for his command woes. The lefty was returned to the Yankees during Spring Training in 2016 and has not played for a Major League organization since ‘17.

2014: RHP Dan Winkler
The Braves took Winkler knowing he would miss nearly all of the 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-handed reliever made Atlanta’s Opening Day roster in '16. But he fractured his right elbow in just his third appearance of the ‘16 season. Still after returning in ‘17, Winkler provided significant value while proving to be one of Atlanta’s top relievers during the first half of ‘18. He was traded to the Giants in the ‘19 trade that landed the Braves veteran closer Mark Melancon. Winkler posted a 2.95 ERA over 18 appearances for the Cubs in ‘20.

2011: LHP Robert Fish
Fish was returned to the Angels after being taken by the Yankees in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft. In hindsight, nobody would have been mad had the Braves done the same the following year. Fish missed the '12 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and then posted a 3.97 ERA for the Braves at the Class A and Class A Advanced levels in ‘13. The injury-plagued reliever’s only professional experience beyond '13 consisted of three appearances for the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate in ‘16.

2002: RHP Chris Spurling
The Braves selected Spurling in December 2002 and traded him to the Tigers in exchange for Matt Coenen just before the start of the ‘03 season. Coenen, who was taken in the second round of the ‘01 MLB Draft, never advanced past the Double-A level. Spurling posted a 4.32 ERA while combining to make 187 appearances for the Tigers and Brewers from ‘03-07.

1996: LHP Jamie Walker
The Braves selected Walker in December and then packaged him in the trade that sent Jermaine Dye to the Royals just before the start of the 1997 season. This deal, which brought Michael Tucker and Keith Lockhart to Atlanta, was made just two days after the Braves had traded Marquis Grissom and David Justice to the Indians in exchange for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree. Losing Walker was the least of the concerns expressed by Braves fans during that week that created the financial flexibility necessary to extend Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. But the left-handed specialist did end up constructing a respectable 10-season career at the big league level.

1988: RHP Ben Rivera, OF Gerónimo Berroa, C Matt Stark
Rivera will forever be considered one of the most interesting selections because the Braves selected him out of the Braves’ system. That’s right. After making a clerical error that left Rivera unprotected, Atlanta opted to take him with the first overall pick in 1988. The right-handed pitcher debuted for the Braves in ‘92, but after just eight appearances, he was traded to the Phillies for journeyman reliever Donnie Elliot. He produced a 2.95 ERA in 14 starts for the Phils that year, but faltered the next year and never appeared in the Majors after ‘94.

Before Berroa found some success with the A’s during the late 1990s, he produced a .626 OPS over 88 games with the Braves in '88 and ’89. The outfielder began his professional career with the Blue Jays in ‘84. His manager with Class A Kinston that year was Grady Little, who became a manager in the Braves’ system after Bobby Cox ended his tenure as Toronto’s manager to become Atlanta’s GM at the end of the ‘85 season.

Stark also had a link to Toronto, having been taken by the Blue Jays with the ninth overall pick in the 1983 MLB Draft. The injury-plagued catcher played five games for Toronto in ‘87 and then was left unprotected after undergoing rotator cuff surgery in ‘88. The Braves selected him, but released him before the end of Spring Training in ‘89. Stark appeared in eight games with the White Sox in '90, but never again played in the Majors.

1975: LHP Luis Quintana
Quintana annually excelled as a reliever during the Puerto Rican Winter League, but his big league experience was limited to posting a 5.03 ERA over 22 appearances for the Angels during the 1974 and ’75 seasons. The Braves selected him but returned him to the Angels before the start of the '76 season.

1970: OF Guy Rose
After being selected by the Braves, Rose hit .252 with a .686 OPS over three seasons with the Triple-A Richmond Braves. The outfielder never made it to the Majors and his pro career ended after he hit .215 with a .603 OPS for the 1973 R-Braves. The most interesting thing about him might be that he spent the '70 season with the Double-A Albuquerque Dodgers. His manager was former Braves catcher Del Crandall and one of his teammates was Doyle Alexander, who nearly two decades later would be sent to Detroit in exchange for a young pitcher named John Smoltz.