Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today selected ten players on the third and final day of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, which included rounds 11 through 20. Texas selected 20 total players in this year’s draft.
The Rangers’ 20th and final pick was made in honor of Charley Pride, who passed away this past December. Charley was a part owner of the Rangers, a veteran of the Negro Leagues, and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Charley’s son Dion was the club’s representative on day one of the draft in Denver.
Below is additional information on the club’s day three selections and a full list of the 20 draft selections. Texas chose eight right-handed pitchers, five left-handed pitchers, three catchers, three outfielders, and one shortstop. Among the 20 selections are 11 college players and nine players from the high school ranks.
OF JOJO BLACKMON (11th round, 314th overall) – Blackmon batted .419 with 4 home runs, 4 triples, 10 doubles, and 21 RBI during his senior season at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla. Also a standout football player, Blackmon is committed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for baseball.
RHP JACKSON LEATH (12th round, 344th overall) – The University of Tennessee pitcher missed the majority of the 2021 season due to a hamstring injury, as he totaled a 1.08 ERA (3 ER/25.0 IP) with 37 strikeouts and .170 opponent batting average over 7 appearances/3 starts spanning 2 campaigns (2020-21) with the Volunteers after transferring from Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas. Leath is a native of the DFW area and graduated from Waxahachie High School.
LHP THOMAS IRELAND (13th round, 374th overall) – The left-hander averaged 12.02 strikeouts per 9 innings this season at Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., whiffing 85 batters in 63.2 innings across 16 games/14 starts. The Canada native prepped at Martin Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. In 2019, Ireland represented Saskatchewan at the Blue Jays Baseball Academy tournament held at Rogers Centre in Toronto, an event that features Canada’s top amateur players.
C TUCKER MITCHELL (14th round, 404th overall) – Mitchell batted .382 with 9 home runs and 55 RBI this season at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. The catcher, who began his college career at Florida Atlantic University, has been playing for the West Virginia Black Bears of the MLB Draft League this summer, where he is teammates with Texas fifth-round pick LHP Mitch Bratt. Mitchell is committed to North Carolina State University.
RHP EVAN ELLIOTT (15th round, 434th overall) – The Toronto native was drafted out of Lethbridge College in Alberta, Canada. The right-hander was a member of the baseball team at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020 and had committed to the University of Iowa in 2021. Elliott was a member of the U18 Canadian Junior National Team.
LHP RYAN URE (16th round, 464th overall) – The 6-foot-7, 230-pound lefty led Eaton (Colo.) High School to the 2021 Class 3A state championship in late June, posting a win in the state semifinals. He was selected to the Colorado Dugout Club All State Game, and was also selected as All Patriot League First Team. He played first base at Eaton when not on the mound. Ure has signed to pitch at Oklahoma State University.
RHP MICHAEL ALFONSO (17th round, 494th overall) – Alfonso, 18, was named the 2021 Miami-Dade High School Baseball 4A-16 Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.62 ERA (30 ER/58.0 IP) and 68 strikeouts (10.6 K/9) as a senior at Key West (Fla.) High School. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound righty has a commitment to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla.
RHP KYLE LARSEN (18th round, 524th overall) – The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Larsen was drafted out of TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Fla. TNXL Academy is a baseball-centric school that plays outside the Florida High School Athletic Association and competes against junior colleges, Division II colleges, and high schools. Larsen is committed to the University of Florida.
OF WILL TAYLOR (19th round, 554th overall) – Taylor was selected as the South Carolina Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year after batting .450 with 7 home runs, 33 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases for the Dutch Fork High School Silver Foxes this past season, helping his school advance to the Class 5A district championship. He had a .586 on-base percentage and 1.455 OPS figure. He was rated the 20th-best player in the draft by MLB.com, and was ranked 21st by Baseball America. Taylor signed with Clemson University to play both baseball and football, as he was a highly-touted high school quarterback as well.
RHP JOSEPH MANTALVO (20th round, 584th overall) – The 19-year-old Montalvo is a right-handed pitcher at Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla. He has committed to play collegiately at Eastern Florida State University. The pick was dedicated to the late country music legend Charley Pride.