Texas Rangers Prospects: Where will Davis Wendzel play?

The Texas Rangers selected the Co-Big 12 Players of the Year in the first round of the 2019 draft. One has a clear path to the bigs, the other doesn’t.

The Texas Rangers selected to Big 12 third baseman in the first round of the 2019 draft, Josh Jung from Texas Tech and Davis Wendzel from Baylor.

Jung, as we know, is the highest rated prospect in the Texas Rangers system and has the clearest path to Arlington.

On the other hand, Davis Wendzel won’t be able to find that fast track to the big leagues as seamlessly.

Where will the Texas Rangers deploy Wendzel when it comes time to give him some at-bats at the big league level?

The organization drafted the former Baylor Bear because of his bat, but his glove will give him the chance to stay on the infield dirt.

With Jung and Sherten Apostel lining up at third for the foreseeable future, Wendzel will be forced to find at-bats elsewhere.

Primarily a third baseman in college, Wendzel also saw time at shortstop, second, first and left, but has limited range.

The team already loves his bat, but his versatility is what will help him rise further through the minors.

The Texas Rangers might have a Davis Wendzel dilemma.

No matter where on the diamond he plays, his bat will keep him in the lineup.

During his three year career at Baylor, Wendzel hit .326 over 154 games.

He added 48 doubles, 24 home runs and 121 RBIs to his resume, while also slugging .557.

Wendzel has good gap power to left and right, but could easily develop more pull power as he progresses through the minor leagues.

Unfortunately for the Texas Rangers, they did not get to see a full season of Wendzel after he suffered a thumb injury during the NCAA Tournament.

He was activated on August 22 and ended up only getting 19 at-bats between the Arizona Rookie League and Spokane.

Even in limited action, Wendzel had six hits and five walks over that time.

He is currently the team’s 12th best prospect, but could jump into the top 10 with a quality season in 2021.

I project Wendzel to be in Arlington by the end of the 2022 season as a plug-and-play player, much like Nick Solak has been.

Both have above-average bats and defensive versatility with limited range, but Wendzel has the better all-around glove.

Wendzel will consistently hit around .300 and could develop 20-25 home run power.

If the former Baylor Bear has a good year, I believe he will be the starting third baseman or shortstop with Double-A Frisco by the end of 2021.