Joshua Ryne Jung...father, Jeff, is a longtime high school baseball and football coach in the state of Texas... younger brother, Jace, played three seasons at Texas Tech and was selected by Detroit in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft...Jace batted .232 in 30 games at West Michigan (High-A) in 2022…Josh and Jace reside together in Lubbock, where Josh purchased a house in summer 2020… grew up a Yankees fan…has participated in the Texas Rangers Winter Caravan each of the last three years…signed autographs and interacted with fans as part of Rangers annual Toy Drive event at Globe Life Field on 12/12/22.
2022
Batted .204/.235/.418/.654 (20-98) with five home runs, four doubles and 14 RBI over 26 games in his Major League debut... opened campaign on Triple-A Round Rock Injured List (torn left labrum) and spent most of season rehabbing following surgery on 2/23...was activated from IL on 8/9 and had his contract selected from Round Rock on 9/9…10 of his 20 hits went for extra bases (5 HR, 1 3B, 4 2B)...recorded five XBH in his first six MLB games, the most ever by a Ranger through six career games... worked first career walk in his 54th PA, as he had 0 BB/25 SO over his first 13 G...batted .270 (10-37) w/ three HR vs. LHP and .164 (10-61) w/ two HR vs. RHP…set career highs with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 H, 9 TB, 2 R, 2 XBH, and three times on base on 9/27 at SEA…his five RBI accounted for every run scored in the Rangers’ 5-0 win, joining CLE’s Joe Carter on 8/12/84 vs. NYY (6 RBI) as just the 2nd MLB rookie to ever have 5+ RBI account for all the runs scored in a game (since RBI became an official stat in 1920)…committed two errors in 76 chances (.974 fielding pct.) over 26 games/starts at third base (25) and designated hitter (1)... started each of team’s final 26 G after he was called up on 9/9, including 19 straight starts at 3B to close the season...entered 2022 rated among the top prospects in baseball by Baseball America (no. 26) and MLB Pipeline (no. 29).
MINORS IN 2022: Played 31 total games with the Arizona Complex League Rangers (Rk.) and Round Rock (AAA), batting .266/.326/.540/.866 (33-124) with nine HR and 29 RBI... saw action in eight games on injury rehab assignment w/ ACL Rangers (.240/.345/.600/.945, 3 HR, 5 RBI) from 7/28-8/6…activated from Round Rock IL on 8/9 and batted .273/.321/.525/.846 w/ six HR, 24 RBI in 23 G w/ Express...hit two HR and recorded career-high 6 RBI on 8/16 vs. El Paso.
2021
Slashed .326/.398/.592/.990 with 19 HR and 61 RBI in 78 G with Round Rock (AAA) and Frisco (AA)…did not begin his season until mid-June, as he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot during spring training and underwent surgery on 3/22 in Dallas…the procedure, which involved a screw being inserted into his foot, was performed by foot specialist Dr. Keith Heier… his .990 OPS figure ranked 6th among all minor league players (min. 300 AB)…committed just one error in 116 total chances at 3B for a .991 fielding pct…finished the season with an 18-G hit streak (.431, 31-72)…entered the season ranked by Baseball America and MLB.com as the Rangers’ top prospect and a top 100 overall prospect by BA (no. 49) and MLB.com (no. 63)… also tabbed by BA as the organization’s “Best Hitter for Average” in the publication’s annual Best Tools survey…at the end of the season, was tabbed by Baseball America as a top prospect in the Triple-A West (no. 4) and Double-A Central (no. 7) leagues… attended a December hitter’s camp for Texas prospects in Arizona and a player development camp/seminar for a select group of top Rangers prospects at Globe Life Field this January.
2020
Due to the cancellation of the minor league season, Jung spent the entire 2020 campaign at the club’s Alternate Training Site in Arlington, participating in daily workouts and scrimmages with a group of Rangers prospects…he also competed in the Fall Developmental League in Arizona, registering a .345/.447/.563/1.010 slash line with three HR and 13 RBI, and finishing among team leaders in runs (1st, 16), doubles (T1st, 10), hits (2nd, 30), and walks (2nd, 15)…was 2-for-8 (.250) with a pair of singles and a run scored in eight Spring Training ‘A’ game appearances prior to the COVID-19 shutdown…saw additional action in Summer Camp scrimmages and workouts at Globe Life Field before the resumption of the regular season in July.
2019
Rated by Baseball America as Texas’ top prospect entering 2020, and as well as no. 55 (MLB.com) and no. 93 (BA) overall on the overall top prospects lists...combined to bat .316 (55-174) with 2 HR and 28 RBI in 44 G with Low-A Hickory and Rookie-level AZL Rangers in his professional debut…homered in 1st pro AB as part of a 3-for-4, 3-RBI performance on 7/11 vs. AZL Dodgers...appeared in just 4 G in the Arizona League before he was promoted to Hickory on 7/16…ranked among South Atlantic League leaders in 2B (T2nd, 13), RBI (T10th, 23), H (T10th, 45), and BA (13th, .287) from the time his promotion thru the end of the season…named the 10th-best prospect in the SAL by Baseball America at the end of the year.
