Who Will The Rangers Select In Tonight’s Draft?

With the first and sandwich rounds going tonight, most final mock drafts are being posted around the interwebs and I figured I would take a look and see the possibilities the Rangers might have at pick 29.

These should be taken with a very big grain of salt because it’s hard enough to pick what one team will do in a mock draft, let alone the 28 teams that select before Texas. The Rangers are in a situation where they can gamble on upside. They already have one of the best farm systems in the league and they have very little needs on the immediate side of things as well but we all know the MLB draft is not a draft-for-current-need draft like the NFL or NBA drafts are. Most players selected today are at least two-to-three years away with certain exceptions of course.

Robbie Knopf – Seedlings to Stars

The selection: D.J. Davis, OF, Stone High School, MS

The reason:  “I see the Rangers taking the risk on Davis. Power is something the Rangers have plenty of while Davis’ speed is something you don’t find too often.”

Kevin Goldstein – Baseball Prospectus

The selection: Matt Smoral, LHP, Solon HS (OH)

The reason: “Nobody has gotten a good look at him this year, which has scared many teams off, but six-foot-seven lefties who can touch 95 mph don’t exactly grow on trees.”

Jim Callis – Baseball America

The selection: Matt Smoral, LHP, Solon HS (OH)

The reason: “Texas has been mentioned as much as anyone on Ohio high school lefthander Matt Smoral, a likely mid-first-rounder before he broke a bone in his foot and missed most of the year.”

Jonathan Mayo – MLB.com

The selection: Lucas Sims, RHP, Brookwood HS (Ga.)

The reason: “Signs seem to point to a high schooler, with a hitter like Stryker Trahan being a possibility. But with Sims still on the board, they may not let him pass by.”

Matt Garrioch – Minor League Ball

The selection: Corey Seager, 3B, North Carolina HS

The reason: “Another wild card but Seager is a big potential bat that could fit.”

John Sickels – Minor League Ball

The selection: J.O. Berrios, RHP, Puerto Rico HS

The reason: “The Rangers do some unconventional things at times. Adding some high-upside pitching seems like a good plan, and [Berrios] has as much upside as any of the more-heralded high school arms still on the board.”

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Those are the rumblings around the Rangers at #29. We will know closer to 9 CST who the Rangers will select and you can expect a full scouting report shortly after the pick is named.