First five rounds: Josh Jung (1-8), Davis Wendzel (CBA-41), Ryan Garcia (2-50), Justin Slaten (3-86), Cody Freeman (4-115), Kellen Strahm (5-145)
Also notable: Cody Bradford (6-175), Gavin Collyer (12-355), Mason Cole (27-805)
It was certainly a Texas-themed draft for the Rangers, as five of their first seven picks had some connection to the state of Texas whether it was a college or a hometown. They use their first two picks to save money on big time Texas college hitters, though overall, this wasn't the typical Rangers draft because they focused more on safety than on upside. Jung was my personal favorite pick overall, though overall aside from all the Texans (even fourth rounder and California high schooler Tyler Freeman was committed to Baylor), it was a fairly unremarkable draft, at least for now.
1-8: 3B Josh Jung (Texas Tech, my rank: 9)
The Rangers started it off in-state, grabbing who I would call the best second-tier college hitter in the country (the first tier being Adley Rutschman, Andrew Vaughn, and JJ Bleday). Josh Jung, a San Antonio native out of Texas Tech, had a huge sophomore season in 2018 by slashing .392/.491/.639 with 12 home runs, and he was again one of the best hitters in the country in 2019. This year, he slashed .343/.474/.636 with 15 home runs and a 43/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 64 games, showing off a broad range of skills on the offensive side of the ball. Jung is 6'2" and he produces a ton of hard contact all over the field, and adding a little bit of loft could make him a legitimate threat for 25-30 home runs annually. He also has exceptional plate discipline and walked in 17.5% of his plate appearances this year, and his ability to wait for his pitch and barrel it up will certainly help his power play up in pro ball. There are some questions about his raw power given his current swing path and his bat speed, but he's such a competent hitter that he should be able to be a middle of the order bat at the major league level. Defensively, he has a very strong arm but he's still working on the glove side of things over there, and there is still a chance he ends up having to slide over to first base. Still, his bat will profile there. He signed for $4.4 million, which was $780,000 below slot, and he's slashing .433/.485/.667 with a home run and a 5/3 strikeout to walk ratio over seven games between the complex level Arizona League and Class A Hickory.
CBA-41: 3B Davis Wendzel (Baylor, my rank: 66)
Davis Wendzel may not be a true Texan like Jung, having grown up in Southern California (where he attended high school with Royce Lewis and Chase Strumpf), but three years in Waco makes him an honorary Texan that's good enough for the Rangers. Wendzel was draft eligible as a sophomore last season, but after slashing .310/.435/.532, he elected to return to Baylor and that turned out to be a wise decision. Despite missing some time with an oblique injury, he slashed .367/.484/.610 with eight home runs and a 37/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 46 games, powering the Baylor offense to the Los Angeles regional. You can't miss him on the field; Wendzel might have been the most recognizable player in college baseball this year, as his beard/mullet combination is the stuff of legends. He has a big swing that has some length to it, but his great bat speed helps him hit the ball hard all over the field and over the fence. He also has solid plate discipline, and if he can add some loft to his swing, he could hit for both power and a high on-base percentage. Defensively, he's very competent at third base and should be a net positive there, with his gamer mentality helping everything play up. On the flip side, Wendzel turned 22 in May, making him the second oldest of the 78 players drafted on Day One and giving him less development time than his peers. Together, he has the upside of 20 home runs and high on-base percentages annually as well as good defense at third base. Of course, you have to take his age into account, and a realistic middle projection would be for 15 home runs and decent on-base percentages annually. He signed for $1.6 million, which was $210,000 below slot.
2-50: RHP Ryan Garcia (UCLA, my rank: 92)
I already spoke of Mississippi State's Ethan Small (Brewers), Missouri's TJ Sikkema (Yankees), and Texas A&M's John Doxakis (Rays) dominating the SEC in previous draft reviews, but UCLA's Ryan Garcia deserves just as much credit in the Pac-12. The LA-area native was untouchable for the Bruins this season, posting a 1.44 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and a 117/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 94 innings, including a 1.64 ERA in his tough conference slate. He won't blow anyone away with his stuff, using a low 90's fastball with some run, a solid slider, and a decent changeup to keep hitters always off balance. He has great command and exceptional feel for pitching, and those attributes will have to carry him through pro ball because he's only six feet tall and probably won't add much velocity. Because he's set there, the Rangers will want to work with him on sharpening and refining those secondary pitches so that his margin for error can grow, and he has the ceiling of a #3 or #4 starter. Working in his favor is that he also thrived in the elite Cape Cod League last summer, where he had a 1.29 ERA and a 33/9 strikeout to walk ratio in 28 innings. Garcia signed at slot for $1.47 million and has a 3.60 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and an 8/2 strikeout to walk ratio over five innings between the Arizona League and short season Spokane.
3-86: RHP Justin Slaten (New Mexico, unranked)
Getting back to the Texas theme, the Rangers took New Mexico hurler Justin Slaten, who grew up in the small East Texas town of Hallsville, near Longview. Slaten posted a 7.02 ERA as a sophomore this year but bounced back in a big way this year, posting a 2.51 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 98/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 82.1 innings. He's a 6'4" righty with a low 90's fastball, a good slider with two-plane break, and a developing curveball and changeup. The command is average if possibly a tick below, but he's got some upside with that projectable frame and could be a mid rotation starter if he refines his curve and/or changeup and gets more consistent with his command. Otherwise, his fastball/slider combination will play well in the bullpen. Slaten signed for $575,000, which was $224,700 below slot, and he has a 5.14 ERA, a 2.00 WHIP, and a 10/5 strikeout to walk ratio over seven innings between the Arizona League and Spokane.
4-115: SS Cody Freeman (Etiwanda HS [CA], unranked)
Indians prospect Tyler Freeman is slashing .315/.393/.436 in A ball this year, and now the Rangers have drafted his younger brother. Cody Freeman isn't a standout in any aspect of the game, but he's a very competent player with an all-around skill set, somewhat of a break from the typical toolsy, unrefined Rangers prospects you usually hear about. He has a smooth swing from the right side and even though he's a skinny 5'10", there is some power projection in there because he does a good job of creating leverage with his bat. Couple that with his good plate discipline, and you can see a potential high on-base percentage guy with 10-15 home runs per season and some speed. Defensively, he has a shot to stick at shortstop due to his feel for the game, though he would probably be a cleaner fit at second base. Committed to Baylor (more Texas!), Freeman signed for $900,000, which was $397,700 above slot, and he's slashing .245/.355/.302 with an 8/8 strikeout to walk ratio through 14 games in the Arizona League.
5-145: OF Kellen Strahm (San Jose State, unranked)
Kellen Strahm is a college outfielder, but he's still somewhat of a similar player to Freeman. Known more as a slap hitter over his first two years at San Jose State, but be broke out this year with a .382/.487/.546 slash line, six home runs, and a 21/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 43 games. The Eugene, Oregon native has a line drive swing and great feel for the barrel that enables him to drive the ball around the field, and his advanced approach will help that hit tool play up. He's 6'1", but he ultimately doesn't project for much more power and should remain more of an on-base type, and should hit 5-10 home runs annually in the majors with solid on-base percentages. Defensively, he is a smart player who should stick in center field, and ultimately he projects as a solid fourth outfielder. His ceiling is fairly limited due to his age, as he's a senior who turned 22 in April, but his competency for the game makes him a low-risk player. Strahm signed for $205,000, which was $170,200 below slot, and he's slashing .300/.385/.378 with two home runs, nine stolen bases, and a 19/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 23 games, mostly with Spokane.
6-175: LHP Cody Bradford (Baylor, unranked)
Another pick, another Texan. Wendzel's teammate over at Baylor is a pitchability type who could have gone three rounds higher if he stayed healthy and pitched well this spring, though Cody Bradford instead missed most of the season with shoulder surgery. Bradford comes from Aledo, Texas, just passed where the Fort Worth suburbs end, and he posted a 4.91 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a 9/4 strikeout to walk ratio over seven innings before his surgery this season. His sophomore year was a better showcase of his ability where he had a 2.51 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and an 87/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 96.2 innings for the Bears. The 6'3" lefty uses his clean delivery to sit around 90 with his fastball when healthy, adding a decent curveball and a good changeup with plenty of fade. He commands everything well, and as a lefty with some height, the Rangers might be able to get a little more velocity out of him and turn him into a #4 starter. Of course, shoulder surgery (in this case for thoracic outlet syndrome) is anything but a smooth ride, so the very first thing on Bradford's docket will be getting and staying healthy, something that isn't a guarantee with these injuries. He signed for $700,000, which was $415,800 above slot, so the Rangers are clearly confident that he will recover.
12-355: RHP Gavin Collyer (Mountain View HS [GA], unranked)
My rankings went 140 deep this year, and Gavin Collyer was unfortunately the last guy out. Collyer is a 6'1" righty from the Atlanta area, showing plenty of arm strength and skills to work with but a long way to go one the mound. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and his slider can have really good shape at times, but it can also flatten out and become hittable. Collyer also throws with a lot of effort, leading to injury and relief concerns, but he's very skinny and has plenty of room to add good weight, so his quick arm should enable him to sit in that velocity range with less effort in the future if he takes well to the Rangers development program. It's a very high risk pick, but he has upside and joins a lot of similar arms in the Texas system. Committed to Clemson, he signed for $585,000, which counted for $460,000 against the Rangers' bonus pool.
27-805: RHP Mason Cole (Texas A&M, unranked)
I had to get one more Texan in here because why not. The A&M righty grew up in Round Rock, in the Austin area, but he has barely pitched upon getting to College Station due to multiple injuries. Mason Cole has actually only thrown 17.1 innings in three years for the Aggies, this year posting a 5.40 ERA, a 1.68 WHIP, and a 9/4 strikeout to walk ratio over eight innings. When healthy, which isn't often, he can sit in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and show a good splitter, and at 6'6", he generates good plane on the ball. Given his injury history that includes both his elbow and shoulder, he's probably strictly a reliever for the Rangers, but the fastball/splitter combination could be a great find if he stays healthy. He signed for $85,000.
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