Rangers Select SS Ti’quan Forbes in the Second Round 2014 MLB Draft

With their 59th, second round pick, the Texas Rangers selected shortstop Ti’quan Forbes out of Columbia High School, Columbia, Mississippi. Forbes is ranked 50th on MLB.com’s 2014 Prospect Watch: Top 200 Draft. In his senior year he batted .427 with 3 homers and 32 RBI.

The video provided by MLB.com shows the athleticism and speed of Forbes.

Evidently the Texas Rangers were not the only club interested in Ti’quan Forbes. Jason Burke, an editor for Oakland Athletics’ FanSided site swinginas.com, wrote an article about the young right-handed shortstop being on the Oakland Athletics radar which you can read here.

Although Ti’quan Forbes was drafted 59th, I still like the idea of him being with the Texas Rangers. Per the MLB.com scouting report, he is an above-average runner, can steal bases and cover shortstop well. The report also states that “he could outgrow the shortstop position, but with his arm strength, he would be a good fit at third and his offensive skills could improve over time.”

…projects as a solid hitter down the road. His bat speed could lend itself to plenty of pop, especially once he adds strength to his frame.

Obviously the Texas Rangers have an influx of infielders; however, with the rumored trade talks of Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre it is easy to see what Jon Daniels and the Rangers were thinking when they made this pick, especially since they used their first round 2014 MLB Draft pick for RHP Luis Ortiz, which our own David Cash wrote about here. And, if Andrus and Beltre don’t get traded (which I don’t believe they will) the good thing about the MLB Draft is that players don’t get drafted straight into the big leagues. Which, in my opinion, is for the best. It gives the young players time to develop and the club time to see where that player will be the best fit.

The Texas Rangers have the 95th pick of the third round tomorrow.