Texas Rangers Top Prospects: #18, Jonathan Ornelas

The Texas Rangers future is made up of the prospects currently in the organization. Which prospect continues the rankings at #18?

As we continue this offseason into Spring Training, we’re looking at the Top 25 prospects in the Texas Rangers organization. These are the players that have performed through the 2018 season and offer the most for the club moving forward.

#18: INF, Jonathan Ornelas

Jonathan Ornelas cracks our Nolan Writin’ Top 25 rankings in the number 18 spot. The 18-year old infielder was the Texas Rangers 3rd round draft pick in the 2018 draft out of Kellis High School in Glendale, Arizona. Ornelas might not have grabbed the high-profile headlines of other players coming out of high school, but Texas feels it got a very solid player with plenty of room to develop.

Ornelas spent most of his high school career playing shortstop but has spent most of his professional time at the hot corner. Defensively, he features a great arm which should give him the ability to stick at third moving forward. His range is fairly average which is why he probably won’t get much work at short but it’s more than enough to cover ground at third and even second base if need be.

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At the plate is where Ornelas has shown brightest in 2018. In 48 games, the right-handed hitter posted a very impressive .302 average. His .389 OBP paired with a slugging percentage of .459 gave him a stellar .848 OPS. Despite being just 6’1″ and 178 pounds, Ornelas showed some quality power racking up 17 extra-base hits including 10 doubles.

Unfortunately for fans, Ornelas won’t be a player making his mark in Arlington for quite awhile. At only 18 and fresh out of high school, he still will need considerable time to develop into a Major Leaguer. That being said, he has the makings of a player who can effectively fill a spot defensively and in the lineup. Expect Ornelas to start 2019 either in Short-Season Spokane or Low-A Hickory. Either way, this is a name for fans to keep an eye on in 2019.