Rangers eager to strengthen org teeming with top Draft picks

ARLINGTON -- Looking at the Rangers’ roster midway through the season, it’s littered with recent top Draft picks.

Take Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, the former Vanderbilt teammates who went in the first round in 2021-22. Or Josh Jung and Justin Foscue, the infielders who went in the first round in 2019-20. Even Cole Winn, the starter-turned-reliever who the Rangers selected in the first round in 2018.

And Wyatt Langford, who made his MLB debut less than a year after being selected at No. 4 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

For as much money as the Rangers have spent in free agency over the last six years, with Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, drafting and developing continues to be as important as ever when creating a roster that can compete at the big league level. And for the second straight year, the Rangers will be picking right in the middle of the pack at No. 16 when the MLB Draft starts next Saturday.

Rangers director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg is in his 34th season with the club and his 12th at his current position. He’s picked up and down the Draft order, including at No. 30 in 2024.

“The first rounders, you always want to hit on those guys,” Fagg said. “I think we've gotten better at our process over probably the last 10 years or so, you know. We know each other very well. I think they're the best in baseball, as far as going out there and evaluating talent, along with all the other people that have their hands in the Draft, as far as the analytic side, and the PD side, all the experts we have that contribute to our Draft process. We’ve streamlined our process of selecting guys and they're showing up in the big leagues.”

MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft has the Rangers selecting Jared Grindlinger, a two-way player out of Huntington Beach (Calif.) High School, though expert Jonathan Mayo indicates that Texas would prefer him with the bat (OF) rather than the mound (LHP). Grindlinger is ranked No. 16 in the Draft Top 250.

It’s also worth noting that the Rangers aren’t scared of two-way prospects, despite little success for them at the big league level. They currently have a pair of two-way players in the farm system in Josh Owens and Seong-Jun Kim.

“I'll speak specifically to Josh Owens, to kind of the path we took with him,” Fagg said. “He was one that was very open to it, and wanted to do it, and felt he could do it. We're going to keep moving that direction, see what happens. There's a few of those guys in this Draft also, where we would talk about possibly doing that too -- not to get into specific players. [Shohei Ohtani] … I think he kind of opened the door a little bit for that. If you can try to develop one and then one ends up being a useful piece both ways in your Major League club, it's a huge win.”

• Day 1 picks: 16, 54, 89, 117
• Bonus pool allotment: $10,219,200
• Last year’s top pick: Gavin Fien, SS, pick 12 ... The 6-foot-3 right-handed slugger was the Rangers’ first high school first-round draftee since 2018. The California prep standout was among the top high school hitters in the Draft class. He played just 10 games in the Texas system before he became the highest ranked prospect included in the trade package that landed the Rangers MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals this offseason.
• Breakout 2025 pick: AJ Russell, SP, pick 52 ... The Tennessee right-hander dropped to the second round due to injury concerns following an internal brace surgery in 2024, though he thrived whenever he did pitch for the Volunteers. Now the Rangers’ No. 3 prospect, Russell has posted a 3.06 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) between Single-A Hickory and High-A Hub City.

Quality players can be found anywhere in the Draft, not just in the first round. The Rangers picked Evan Carter in the second round in 2020. Cam Cauley, who was recently called up to make his MLB debut, was picked in the third round in 2021. The club’s lone All-Star representative Jacob Latz was picked in the fifth round in 2017.

Fagg is well aware that the complete Draft class matters just as much of the top selection. But it’s still just as important to hit on the big dog

“I think all of [the rounds] are important,” Fagg said. “Especially now, where it's harder to get in professional baseball. There's less teams, less affiliates, obviously, and there's only 20 rounds. It's imperative that we do try to get 20 rounds of players that we like that make viable pieces that are good, organizational players. We want all big leaguers, but the percentages tell you that’s not going to happen. I think all those are important. We're trying to make the best pick we can make, and try to get big leaguer in the 20th round.”