Top 5 candidates for the Texas Rangers’ 2022 first round draft pick

The Texas Rangers have floored the gas pedal in terms of the investment of their rebuild. It is not often that teams that lose 100+ games in a season immediately go out and spend $500 million in free agency – and counting. We got through the season knowing that brighter days were ahead, and I think we all knew the team would do SOMETHING in free agency. Boy, did they.

We’re still in lockout mode, however, and just trying to find the bright spots in moving forward from a dismal 2021 season.

Losing stinks in just about every capacity imaginable, but if you do it a lot, at least you are in the position to receive a solid draft pick slot as a result. The Rangers’ 102-loss campaign last year secured them the third overall pick in this year’s draft, which is chock full of guys who could be impact players for the future of the franchise.

After selecting Jack Leiter second overall in last year’s draft, the Rangers can now churn out two top-three selections hopefully by the 2024 MLB season, as both guys will likely be pivotal pieces in getting this franchise back into championship contention.

Today, we’re going to take a look at five players who the Texas Rangers might be interested in selecting with that third pick. Keep in mind two things as you read this article: firstly, prospect rankings move around – quite a lot, actually, so this list could look totally different in June, and secondly, there are way more than five players to choose from!

This draft is full of talented players that could be integral parts of the Rangers’ rebuild, but today I’m going to introduce you to five of them who might fit the immediate needs come draft day. These are not in any order based on talent or personal preference. All this is is a list of five players who might be fun Texas Rangers at some point, and at least three of the names I mention will be available for the team to draft this summer!

5 candidates for the Texas Rangers’ first round selection in 2022

#5: Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech University (TX)

The younger brother of minor-league Rangers darling Josh Jung (who is primed for his own much-anticipated debut in 2022), Jace Jung is just as capable of bringing the Texas Rangers a formidable bat within their infield. Although the Rangers have recently invested hundreds of millions of dollars in their middle infield for the future, there are plenty of reasons to consider Jung as a top-three worthy pick in June. Even ignoring the connection and mentorship he would have with Josh, he is an in-state talent, he comes from a program that has produced a plethora of Major League draft picks,

PROS: Power hitting, plate discipline, strength

Whatever the Jung family is feeding their children… well, it’s working. Josh and Jace have both produced elite-level bats during their short semi-professional careers, and the latter shows no signs of straying from the former’s footsteps. Jace led the Red Raiders in walks and finished second in home runs and third in runs batted in during the team’s shortened 2020 season, earning many honors – including Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and Collegiate Baseball Newcomer Freshman All-American.

His unorthodox batting stance only seems to give him more juice at the plate, where he excels at putting drive into the ball and utilizing all areas of the field. Jung became a markedly better hitter in his sophomore season, turning good numbers into great ones. He raised his season batting average from .264 to .337, season OBP from .438 to .462, and well more than tripled his hitting and run production totals, finishing his 2021 campaign with 70 hits and 49 walks in 208 at-bats (with only 45 strikeouts), as well as 21 home runs and 67 runs batted in.

CONS: Fielding

The reigning Big 12 player of the year, much like his brother, has received plenty of praise for his hitting abilities, but he has drawn some criticism for having an unreliable arm. Although Jace initially entered the program as a third baseman, Texas Tech slotted him into second base during the 2021 season, where he saw improvement. He has also publicly acknowledged that his fielding is the area he wants to improve in the most, and both brothers are noted for their mental tenacity and work ethic. He’s not a bad fielder by any stretch, but it’s definitely the area where he can realistically improve the most before he makes his big-league debut.

5 candidates for the Texas Rangers’ first round selection in 2022

#4: Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison University (VA)

James Madison has never produced a true first-round draft selection, and Chase DeLauter is about to put that statistic in the rear-view mirror. He is one of the best players to ever emerge from the program, excelling at getting on base and putting a loud bang into his swings.

PROS: Plate discipline, size

DeLauter only just turned 20 in October of 2021, and he is listed at 6’4″ and 250 lbs on Baseball Reference’s page for him. Guys with that build, at that age, with his level of production…. they don’t exactly grow on trees. Although his resume is a little brief for some people’s taste, DeLauter has made the most of his time at James Madison, slashing .386/.508/.723 during his sophomore season there in 2021, and .298/.397/.589 in the ’21 summer Cape Cod League season.

Between two seasons at James Madison in the Colonial League and one in the CCBL, DeLauter has accumulated 184 total bases through 293 at-bats. He tied for the lead in home runs on his CCBL team and was well clear of first place in total bases, and he has 55 walks to 42 strikeouts in his short semi-pro career. DeLauter has serviceable wheels, especially considering his size frame, and can fire around 90 mph on his throws. I would not be surprised at all if this guy goes first overall in the draft – I hope he does not, or this whole article is kind of moot – and he definitely has the potential to be a powerful threat from the outfield in the Majors very quickly. And boy, could the Texas Rangers use outfield help.

CONS: Position shifting

Because of his frame, DeLauter has a good bit of versatility in terms of where he’ll end up fielding. His arm is solid, he has reliable fundamentals, he’s even adequately speedy for his size, but some scouts forsee him eventually moving to corner infield at some point. You don’t really see 250 lb. center fielders in baseball, and although a lot of his weight is pure power and strength, his arm is good enough to play pretty much anywhere; so, it’s not really a drawback (or con) to his profile as much as it is an unknown. Which could be a good thing!

5 candidates for the Texas Rangers’ first round selection in 2022

#2: Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford High School (GA)

Possibly the first pitcher to be drafted in 2022, Lesko is a Vanderbilt commit who has won over scouts with his superb pitching abilities for his age. He has developed into a very well-rounded pitcher for his age and will probably not need very long at the semi-professional level to fine-tune his craft and be ready to deal in the Majors.

PROS: Elite resume, pitch location and command, baseball IQ

Lesko is fresh off all-but a flawless junior season at Buford HS, where he notched an 11-0 record, 112 strikeouts, and a 0.35 ERA in 60 innings. I don’t really know how you could put forth a better baseball card than that. Scouts have marveled at his maturity and pitch command. His go-to secondary pitch is his changeup, which has superb motion that will continue to fool hitters, and his fastball has topped out at 99 mph, which is excellent for any pitcher at any age, let alone a 17-year-old. He’s also got excellent spin rates and movement on his curveball and slider that will open the door for a healthy pitch arsenal.

Vanderbilt is notorious for pumping out Major League level talent at a rapid pace – particularly pitchers. Walker Buehler, Sonny Gray, Mike Minor, David Price, and that’s only naming a few. The Rangers just entrusted their second overall pick in 2021 in Jack Leiter, a Vanderbilt product.

Should the Texas Rangers necessarily consider drafting pitchers in back-to-back top-3 selections? No, not really, especially considering the hitting in the organization’s minor league clubs in 2021 was pretty dismal, outside of Josh Jung and Sam Huff. The team is most likely better off drafting a hitter, but if they choose to go the alternative route and select a pitcher – who would almost certainly boil down to Lesko – this guy is likely not going to be a miss.

CONS: Shelf life

This purely boils down to hypotheticals, because Lesko can very realistically have a long and healthy Major League career as a pitcher. The only caveat here is that pitchers who succeed as much as he has, as early as he has… well, it can bode not so well for arm durability. The positive counterpoint is that he still has a ways to go in terms of athleticism and strength, so as long as he continues to develop into his career and his skills improve along with it, there’s no reason for concern.

5 candidates for the Texas Rangers’ first round selection in 2022

#1: Termarr Johnson, SS, Benjamin E. Mays High School (GA)

Goodness me, what a loaded draft pool Georgia has presented this year.

PROS: Well-rounded hitter

Johnson has one of the most coveted bats in the entire draft pool. Some scouts have even said he has some of the highest hitting potential of any draft pick in decades. His power hitting has scouts ravishing at his hitting abilities, and he has elevated plate discipline combined with a vigorous swing. Johnson can hit to all areas of the field, and is probably going to be the most sought-after hitter in the entire draft.

He may not be the greatest all-around player available to draft this year, but if Druw Jones isn’t the safest bat selection, it’s Johnson. The interesting case for drafting players like Jones or DeLauter above Johnson is that you want to take the best all-around player available with a pick as high as Texas’s. I think Termarr Johnson will be a really, really good MLB hitter one day, but that leads us to…

CONS: Size, position shifting

Johnson is currently a shortstop, but it is widely accepted that that won’t be his position long-term. His arm is good, but not great, and his small frame at 5’10” and 175 lbs. probably better lends him as a second baseman.

That is certainly not to say that his size is a negative takeaway of his game. Plenty of smaller players have done a lot more with a lot less. The trick with Johnson will be finding out where he best fits defensively, but his bat is more than enough to validate an investment in his future.