What Eppler found was a plethora of unproven potential major league talent that the LA Angels subsequently took a chance on. Many of Eppler’s moves did not turn out as he hoped, but he and his staff found a few hidden gems that were either left unprotected or had been released. Deolis Guerra was plucked off the Pittsburgh Pirates unprotected list during the Rule 5 draft.
The thing about the Rule 5 draft is that if you pick someone from another club’s roster then you must keep him on your major league roster all season or risk losing him back to his original club.