Texas Rangers 40 Man Roster Finalized

Texas Rangers 40 man roster was finalized Friday with the addition of 5 players. Friday was a big roster day, because players on the 40 man roster are protected from the Rule-5 Draft that occurs during the MLB Winter Meetings.

Nomar Mazara, Yohander Mendez, Connor Sadzeck and Jose Leclerc to the Texas Rangers 40 man roster to bring it up to a total of 38 players. It was at at 35 to start the day, but RHP Spencer Patton was traded to the Cubs.  The Rangers could have maxed out the roster at 40, but they left 2 spots open.  One reason they did that was because that makes them eligible to participate in the Rule 5 draft.  Teams who’s rosters are at 40 players cannot participate in the draft.

The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are on December 7 -10 in Nashville, Tennessee.  There General Managers will meet and discuss various issues.  Sometimes trades are made during the meetings.  One thing for certain is the Rule 5 draft.  You might think that it’s no big deal, but last year the Texas Rangers drafted an amazing outfielder from the Houston Astros.  Since the Astros didn’t protect Delino DeShields by placing him on their 40-man roster the Texas Rangers were able to acquire him.  He ended up being a key piece of the organization that helped them reach the playoffs.

So what is the Rule-5 draft?  It’s a rule that was created to keep teams from holding on to players in their minor league system who could be placed a a major league roster with another team. That’s th e basic reason for it.  A team could have a very talented player in the minors, but they might have a long term contract with a big league player that could keep them from player for years.  On example that comes to mind is Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.  He is signed through the 2023 season.  That means a player such as Jurickson Profar might not get a chance for a long time to fill a full-time position.

So who is eligible for the Rule 5 draft?   Here is the criteria from MLB.Com

"“Players who were signed when they were 19 or older and have played in professional baseball for four years are eligible, as are players who were signed at 18 and have played for five years.  All players on a Major League Baseball team’s 40-man roster, regardless of other eligibility factors, are “protected” and ineligible for the Rule 5 Draft.” – MLB.com"

The moves made sure the Rangers would protect one of their top outfielder prospects Nomar Mazara.   The Rangers picked him up when he was just 16 years old back in 2011 from the Dominican Republic.

That’s a pretty large sum to sign a prospect and especially large at the age.  During the 2015 season he worked on learning to play left-field.  He had a batting line of .284/.357/.443/.800 with 22 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs and 52 RBI with the Frisco Rough Riders.  He’s only 20 years old and I my opinion is still a little rough around the edges.  Mainly because he doesn’t have enough defensive skills yet to be a legitimate threat to throw out base runners.

Also, another player added to the 40 man roster was Connor Sadzeck.  He just finished up playing in the Arizona Fall League where posted a 9.00 ERA.  That shouldn’t be too alarming because he’s coming off Tommy John surgery.  The main thing everyone liked about Connor was his ability to light up the radar gun.  During the Arizona Fall League his fastball had an average of 98.1 MPH.  That ranks 4th in the AFL.  He still has consistency issues, but that can be worked.  Once he figures that out he’ll be a great guy to bring out of the pen to shutdown an opponent.

Watch: 8/20/15: Frisco’s Connor Sadzeck gets Tulsa’s Peter Lavin to fly out to end six no-hit innings

Next: Texas Rangers 40 Man Roster Finalized

The Rangers other 2 additions are both top pitching prospects.  Both Yohander Mendez and Jose Leclerc are very good up and coming starters.  Hopefully that means that Texas Rangers 40 man roster will have plenty of pitching options going into Spring Training.  In my opinion I doubt either will start the season with the Rangers, but it will be exciting to watch them play next spring.