SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cameron Cauley -- the Rangers No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- stands at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, a former big leaguer himself, stands at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. Maybe that’s why Schumaker basically begged the club’s media contingent to ask about Cauley one afternoon in Surprise.
“I saw him in Double-A [last year],” Schumaker said. “I've always been a big fan of his, maybe because I'm the same size as him. But he hits the ball way harder than I did -- than I anticipated. Quite honestly, there's an impact behind the baseball. I was not thinking he had that in him. It just keeps trending, and he keeps surprising us, day in and day out.”
Cauley is making such an impact on the Rangers’ coaching staff -- Schumaker included -- that after a few rounds of cuts midway through camp, Cauley has remained.
The Rangers’ third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has become a cult legend in the Cactus League over the last two springs as a Minor League extra who has found a way to make an impact in a small sample. Now, in his first official big league camp, he has gone 11-for-32 with a home run and a .976 OPS.
Cauley hasn’t touched Triple-A just yet, but it’s easy to see how he can eventually contribute to the big league club in 2026, even if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.
Schumaker agrees.
“He hits the ball all over the field,” Schumaker said. “He's walking. He's not punching out. He's playing a good shortstop, a good second base. He played third base. He played the outfield. He's got a good attitude about it. He's got grit. He's got fight. That heartbeat stuff is what I'm looking for. The talent is the talent at this level, like I've talked about. The separation he has is the real fight in him. He's going to will himself [to the big leagues].”
Cauley could have already had a fast track to the big leagues this past offseason.
In December, he was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time, and many experts expected him to be a potential choice for a number of teams after the Rangers left him unprotected. After all, he has the speed and defensive ability to be a real weapon off the bench. And the development of his hit tool has only made him more attractive.
But he wasn’t picked and he showed up in Surprise looking to prove himself this spring.
“I guess it puts a chip on my shoulder, but I feel like I always have one, just because I'm a little undersized and not the biggest guy, so I always play with one,” Cauley said. “But it definitely gives me a little bit of motivation. But at the same time, it's in the past, and now it's this year. I can still have a chance to live out my dream. So if I just keep doing the right things, God has a plan and it'll fall into place.”
Cauley is a natural shortstop, but he has made appearances all over the field, both last season and this spring in order to further develop his versatility.
But the best way to get to the big leagues is going to be if he can continue to hit like he has in camp. In Double-A in 2025, Cauley hit .253/.325/.448, producing a career-high .773 OPS. He also set career highs in doubles (26), homers (15), runs scored (74) and walks (47).
He slashed .241/.325/.401 in the first half and was even better in the second, at .266/.326/.502.
“Can he keep repeating what he did in the second half?” Schumaker questioned. “The biggest thing for me is: Can you help us win baseball games? And to me, he can. He's showing that right now. … He's just a winning baseball player that reminds me of the National League kind of utility guys before there was a DH. He helps you win more than lose. He still has a chance to make the team, there's no doubt about it. But what he's done, he's just made himself a really attractive option.”