Complete 2009 First-Year (Rule 4) Player Draft Primer

Starting at 6:00 p.m. (EDT), the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, or Rule 4 Draft, will take place with the first round being shown live on MLB Network, and then subsequent rounds being covered on MLB.com. This year, the Draft will be the course of three days, as opposed to two in years prior.DRAFT DETAILS: 30 clubs select players in reverse order of won-lost records from the previous season (see image below for details). The Washington Nationals will have the first selection of the 2009 Draft. Compensation picks have been assigned to Clubs whose Type A or Type B free agents signed with other Clubs and/or to Clubs who did not sign a player who was chosen in the first three rounds of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Five clubs will have a pair of first round choices: the Nationals (first and 10th); the Seattle Mariners (second and 27th); the Colorado Rockies (11th and 32nd); the Arizona Diamondbacks (16th and 17th); and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (24th and 25th). Click to v...