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Texas Rangers Acquire Outfielder in Rule 5 Draft

By Andrew Webb

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 05: President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers talks with the media after announcing the resignation of Manager Ron Washington at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 5, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Ron Washington informed the club that he has chosen to resign in order to turn his full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 05: President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers talks with the media after announcing the resignation of Manager Ron Washington at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 5, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Ron Washington informed the club that he has chosen to resign in order to turn his full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Rangers have been focused on improving their pitching rotation throughout most of the off-season. On Thursday, the Rangers added outfield depth when they acquired Carlos Tocci from the White Sox.

It was an interesting Rule 5 Draft for the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The organization decided to pass on their first round selection and instead made a trade with the Chicago White Sox. The South Siders selected outfielder Carlos Tocci, then traded him to Texas for cash considerations.

The 22-year-old Tocci played in the Philadelphia Phillies organization last season. He hit .294 with three home runs and 52 RBIs in 130 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Tocci has also managed to collect over 140 hits each of the last two seasons.

His bat isn’t the reason the Rangers decided to get him though. General manager Jon Daniels believes Tocci has plus defense and good baseball instincts. He doesn’t have much power, but the Rangers don’t need him to swing for the fences.

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He has a chance to make the Rangers roster out of Spring Training or be offered back to the Phillies organization. Texas believes he’s a great defender and he has a shot at making the team as an extra outfielder.

The Rule 5 draft is for teams to add players to help out their organization right away. Tocci won’t be a starter in Arlington, but he has a legit shot at making the roster. The Rangers are quite thin as far as depth goes right now.

The Rangers have Drew Robinson, Ryan Rua, and Tocci fighting for outfield spots on the roster. Both Robinson and Rua can play infield as well, which gives them extra versatility and possibly an edge in the race.

Regardless, the Rangers are going to give Tocci a chance to win a spot on the roster. He probably won’t make an enormous impact, but could help the Rangers in 2018.

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