Braves lose two pitchers in Minors phase of Rule 5 Draft

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Braves did not make any selections during Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft. But the club lost two pitchers -- Mike Lee and Blaine Sims -- during the Minor League phase.

The D-backs selected Lee off of Atlanta's Double-A Mississippi roster. Sims was selected by the Astros off of the Class A Advanced Lynchburg roster.

Lee went 9-8 with a 3.71 ERA in 25 appearances (20 starts) with Mississippi this past season. The 27-year-old right-hander spent five seasons in the Red Sox's organization before being released during the 2012 campaign. The Braves signed him later that same year after he spent some time with Rockford of the independent Frontier League.

Sims has gone 4-23 with a 5.12 ERA in the 92 appearances (24 starts) he has made since beginning his professional career with the Braves in 2010. While producing a 8.44 ERA in the 20 appearances (eight starts) he combined to make below the Double-A level this year, the 24-year-old left-hander was attempting to transform himself into a knuckleball pitcher.