Who is the Texas Rangers Next Superstar?

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Jorge Alfaro against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers have a had a number of legitimate superstar’s over the forty plus years of their franchise. Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Josh Hamilton Mike Napoli and many others have been legitimate superstars. But over the last two seasons or so, the Rangers have had some serious turnover losing names like Josh Hamilton, C. J. Wilson, Cliff Lee, Mike Napoli, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and others who if not superstars were very popular athletes in the DFW area.

So who is next? Who is the next generation of Texas Rangers superstars? Are they currently on this team, will they come from the minors or will they come via trade? I suggest to you all three of those ways.

Some guys in the minors never come to fruition. Names like Jason Botts, Brandon Boggs, Justin Smoak, Joakim Aries and Travis Metcalf come to mind. They just never made it out of the minor system with any consistency with the Rangers. And that is the story for most minor league players. There are a couple of players in the minors right now to keep your eyes on when it comes to future stars for the Texas Rangers. One is Jorge Alfaro. Jorge is a premier catching prospect for the Texas Rangers that is thought of very highly around the league as a great catching prospect. But he is still quite a while from getting called up. There is also Brett Nicolas who was the Arizona Fall League MVP. Brett is a first baseman with some power, but once again he still has a ways to go. I don’t get a good feeling when it comes to Jim Adduci for some reason. I just think he is going to get passed up by players like Engel Beltre and Michael Choice. Speaking of Michael Choice, he is another name to watch out for.

As far as a trade goes, that list is endless. The Texas Rangers could bring in any number of superstars over the next year. They already traded both Ian Kinsler and Craig Gentry for a superstar (Prince Fielder) and a prospective solid outfielder (Michael Choice), and with Jon Daniels any trade is possible. He proved that with both the Texieria trade and the Cliff Lee trade. I have a feeling that he is not done yet for 2014.

As far as on the roster, I would say Adrian Beltre, Yu Darvish, Elvis Andrus and Prince Fielder are legit stars. I think Jurickson Profar may rise to that level this season as well. Who else will rise to superstardom in 2014? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out. Is it baseball season yet!