What Texas Rangers prospects can make MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 in 2021?

After landing just two players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list entering 2020, are there prospects that could crack the list come next year?

In MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list for the 2020 season, the Texas Rangers landed just two players, Josh Jung and Sam Huff. Both players are highly thought of within the organization and having those two as the top prospects in the Rangers organization makes sense. However, the club that features plenty of minor league depth, but not much elite talent, is looking to improve their prospect stock and has been for several years. With plenty of talented players in the minors, which three could make a push to be in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 come 2021?

OF Leody Taveras

Leody Taveras is a logical guess as to which Rangers’ prospects could find themselves in the Pipeline Top 100 over the next year. The defensive wizard has been in the Top 100 before peaking at #28 at the end of the 2017 rankings. He dropped to #54 in 2018 and completely out of the Top 100 in 2019 due to his bat continuing to struggle as he progresses through the minors. For context, Taveras’ hit tools in 2017, at his prospect peak, were graded at slightly above average and average for hit tool and power respectively. In 2018, his hit tool actually bumped up from 55 to 60 on the 20-80 scale. However, in 2019, Pipeline knocked Taveras’ hit tool back to 55 and his power grade all the way down to 40, a below average rating.

For Taveras, having lower grades on his bat is to be slightly expected. His value comes from his elite defensive ability in center field where he should wind up a perennial Gold Glove candidate thanks to his plus speed, above average arm and stout glove. However, in today’s offense driven game, he will have to produce more at the plate to climb his way back into elite prospect status.

In 2019, Taveras started to rebound some at the plate hitting .279 across High-A and Double-A in 131 games. In his time with Frisco, he finished with a .695 OPS in 65 games which leaves plenty to be desired though. He won’t ever be a power guy, but double digit home runs should be the goal for the switch-hitter as should racking up plenty of doubles. If his OPS is closer to the .750 mark with Frisco this season, that could signal a big step forward for the outfielder. A strong showing at the plate in 2020, plus his already stellar defensive tools could see him climb back into the discussion as one of the better outfield prospects in baseball. It also could go along way in securing the center field job for the Texas Rangers come 2021 which is when he could hit the big leagues full time.

3B Sherten Apostel

Texas already has one third base prospect in the Pipeline Top 100 in Josh Jung, but Sherten Apostel could pass the Rangers’ top prospect in terms of upside. Originally joining the Rangers as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Keone Kela to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Apostel has climbed quickly through the prospect ranks and finished 2019 as the #10 prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline.

He spent 2019 split between Single-A and High-A playing 121 total games. He hit .251 with a combined .779 OPS and 19 home runs. Unlike Josh Jung, Apostel lacks polish and won’t feature above average tools across the board but his plus power and arm could help carry him. He could very well end up a 30-plus homer a year player in the big leagues which is almost a requirement these days to be a corner infielder. As of now, he is sticking at third base although there is a chance he moves over to first as he continues to move up the minor league ladder. In the ZiPS projections run by Dan Szymborski and published by FanGraphs, Apostel was already tabbed as a 20 home run player if he were in the big leagues today and projected as a replacement level player. Considering he still has yet to get to Double-A, that warrants note as it actually projects him above Ronald Guzman, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jose Trevino and Jeff Mathis in terms of MLB value in 2020.

If Apostel can continue to unlock his power and show development defensively at third, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him climb quickly in Pipeline’s rankings. He should stick inside the Top 10 organizationally once those rankings release and could find himself knocking on the top five by seasons end.