I checked the past 3 years, a player in low A being drafted is exceedingly rare and in fact there's only been one player from that level who's managed to stick in the past 3 years, even he was a RP. Lendy Castillo Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com Lots of AA/AAA players drafted, very few below there. I think teams realize the amount of development lost due to players, especially hitters, being overmatched by large jumps from A ball just isn't worth it. Since Kepler is a corner player a team couldn't even justify it on the basis of defense. I'd leave him unprotected, the risk just isn't that high imo.