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

#3: Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan High School (GA)

Son of former Texas Ranger Andruw Jones, Druw currently (at the time of writing this post on January 25, 2022) sits at number one on many top draft prospects lists for this year. His dad was a five-time All-Star and ten-time Gold Glove winner, but much like with Jace Jung, life is not about living up to your relatives – it’s about carving your own path and creating your own success, and Druw is certainly well on his way to doing just that in the Majors.

PROS: Defense, speed, five-tool potential

What pops out from Druw’s talent the most is his skill in the field – he may very well be the best defensive prospect in this entire class. He has a quick first step that gives him a lot of range as a center fielder, and he’s even been profiled as a possible future shortstop thanks to his versatility, but his arm and speed combination showcase him as a potential defensive star down the line.

It’s not just his glove that stands out, however. Druw Jones could very possibly be the best five-tool talent to emerge from this draft pool. His bat speed and extension in his swing are both very advanced for a hitter his age. He’s capable of beating out slow grounders thanks to his flashy speed. Scouts have raved about his raw power and athleticism. He can run, he can hit, he can field, and he has all five tools as high-ceiling aspects of his game.

CONS: A LOT of hype to live up to

Seriously, I think the only drawback to a player as talented as Jones is that he has massive, MASSIVE shoes to fill. Shaq size shoes. And I don’t just mean amounting to or eclipsing the resume of his father. Baseball Factory scouts have said that Druw is “instinctive and fast” and “[has] one of the highest ceiling[s] in the country”. Prospectslive.com describes him as having “superstar potential”. They say too much of anything will kill you, and hopefully, Jones can manage to temper expectations and develop into the five-tool player he’s capable of becoming. Look, if this is the worst thing to take away from a scouting profile as a player, that’s a pretty good spot to be in if you ask me.

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.