Here in New York, the term “Rule 5 draft” is as foreign as “Sweetest Day” or “NASCAR.” In other parts of the baseball world, however, it’s a valuable resource, and the amazing Chris Shelton serves as the new poster boy.

Of course, the Detroit Tigers’ first baseman won’t wind up with 103 home runs, as was his pace through Saturday’s action (and if he does, please, let’s all be very suspicious). But even last year, the 25-year-old appeared to be a legitimate asset, and his presence is a tribute to the Tigers’ scouting and patience.

The Rule 5 draft, held each December at the end of the winter meetings, forces clubs to scrutinize their 40-man rosters. Any player not on his team’s 40-man roster, with sufficient experience, can be selected by another club for the price of $50,000. The selecting club then must keep the player on its big-league squad for the entire subsequent season, or else offer the player back to his original team for $25,000.

Shelton, for instance, came to the Tigers from the Pirates after the 2003 season and played in just 27 games in 2004, missing significant time with a right foot injury.

“Our scouts felt he had the type of swing and bat that would allow him to be successful at the major-league level,” Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski e-mailed.

That roster space is a far greater price than the money, especially for big-market clubs. Yankees GM Brian Cashman, asked if he could envision harboring a Rule 5 player, responded, “Not while we are a contender.”

New York Mets GM Omar Minaya told Newsday’s Mark Herrmann: “It gets more difficult in New York to carry a Rule 5 guy than it is with a small-market club because usually, when you have your higher-payroll club, every spot counts for the purpose of winning now. … But could we do it? Of course. It would just be a little bit harder.”

Detroit Tigers Chris Shelton hits a solo home against the Cleveland Indians during American League action at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday April 16, 2006. The Tigers defeated the Indians by a score of 1-0.

The Red Sox actually kept a Rule 5 player last year, outfielder Adam Stern, a good pickup from the Braves. Stern, like Shelton and many other players, suffered injuries that limited him to 36 games. To prevent any chicanery, rules dictate that a Rule 5 draftee must spend 90 days on the active roster, or else his Rule 5 status carries over into the next year.

The reward can be so high. Twins ace Johan Santana was taken from Houston by Florida, then immediately went to Minnesota in a 1999 trade.

Now with Shelton thriving, too, perhaps we New Yorkers, and our teams, should be more open-minded about Rule 5.

How impressive is Shelton’s start to this season? As first reported by Danny Knobler of Booth Newspapers, Shelton became the first AL player to hit seven homers in his first nine games.

Home run historian David Vincent told Knobler that five NL players have done so, an impressive group featuring Willie Mays (1964), Dave Kingman and Mike Schmidt (both 1976), Larry Walker (1997) and Luis Gonzalez (2001).