Early Texas Rangers 2022 Mock Draft: Who could they select at No. 3?

With the MLB Draft only a couple months away and all eyes are set on the future here in Arlington, it seems right to take a peak at who the Texas Rangers could be eyeing with the 3rd overall selection on July 17th.

Last year, the Rangers selected the highly touted Jack Leiter, who in his early action looks every bit as special as he was advertised to be. While the Rangers are excited about Jack, this year’s draft has a bit less room for error, as Texas does not have a round two or three pick this year due to the off-season signings they made, and the expectation of contending sooner rather than later, adding pressure on the Rangers front office to get this pick correct.

With that being said, who do the Texas Rangers pick this year with their first round selection?

First off, let’s take a look at what the national media thinks the Texas Rangers are going to do:

A mock draft from MLB.com has the Rangers just missing out on Druw Jones, the son of the five- time All-Star and 10 time Gold Glove award winner Andruw Jones, who goes 2nd in this draft and is ranked as the number one ranked draft prospect on MLB.com’s rankings.

Instead, the draft has the Rangers taking the 2nd ranked player on that list 3rd overall, the high school outfielder out of IMG Academy in Miami Florida, Elijah Green. Green stands at 6′ 3″ and weighs in at 225 lbs. While not MLB pedigree, Green is the son of former NFL tight end Eric Green, and while his father had a very respectable NFL career, Elijah looks to have the tools to have a phenomenal career on the diamond. Green’s tools are graded as follows:

Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60.

Combining elite speed, a plus arm, plus graded power and excellent fielding ability, Green looks to man center field for a team for many years to come. While Green has many elite traits that teams would be foolish to not take a flyer on, he does come with things he needs to improve on. The right-handed Green has had some questions come up about the amount of swing-and-miss in his game, especially with elevated velocity and his adjustments to breaking balls however he has calmed some of those fears with how he’s performed this year. To further explain the confidence scouts have in him, many say Green has the highest ceiling in the entire draft. So, with where the Rangers currently stand would they take a flyer on the high school outfielder with a ton of potential or would they prefer to go in a different direction?

Other options for the Texas Rangers at Pick 3

Jace Jung:

MLB.com Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 60

Another option could be to keep it local and draft the brother of the Rangers number-two overall prospect Josh Jung. Jace followed in his brother footsteps, also winning the Big 12 Conference player of the year at Texas Tech. While he’s not quite as refined as Josh, he has more power, and while he is a bit position strapped when it comes to flexibility, if the Rangers were to figure out how to put him in a future lineup it would be fun to see two brothers who have .300 average and 30 home run potential in the same lineup. Here is how MLB.com profiles Jung:

“Jung’s upright setup at the plate is unorthodox but doesn’t prevent him from destroying all types of pitches and pitchers. The left-handed hitter has no discernible weakness at the plate, drawing more walks than strikeouts in each of his first two college seasons while making repeated hard contact to all fields. His hitting ability, strength and bat speed produce home runs from foul pole to foul pole and he makes two-strike adjustments without sacrificing much power. Most of Jung’s value will come from his bat, which is fine because he may hit .300 with 30 homers on an annual basis. His aggressive nature helps him play better than his below-average speed on the bases but his defensive home remains in question. He has fringy arm strength, was erratic at third base and may not be more than adequate at second base.”

Dylan Lesko:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

While this could be considered a reach based on his pre-draft rankings, the Texas Rangers could select the best pitcher available in high school pitcher Dylan Lesko. The right-handed pitcher needs a bit of refining to his game, but many think he has ace potential. Combining that with Leiter and Winn could potentially build a 3 headed monster in the rotation at some point in the future. Listed below is how MLB.com profiles Lesko:

“Lesko already works at 92-95 mph and tops out at 97 with his fastball, which features good carry up in the strike zone and armside run and sink when he keeps it down, and he should add more velocity as he gets stronger. He has the best changeup in the Draft, a dastardly low-80s offering that scoots sideways and also has some depth. His curveball is his least reliable pitch, but his upper-70s bender has high spin rates and the potential to become a plus weapon. Lesko generates premium stuff with ease and locates it well thanks to his ability to repeat a sound delivery with little effort. He gets good extension, making him even tougher on hitters, and draws praise for his intelligence and maturity. He has ace potential and may need little more than a return to health and innings against pro competition to finish refining his stuff and reach his lofty ceiling.”

Who gets my vote?

If he falls to us, I would have the Texas Rangers select Elijah Green. While I understand some of his flaws scare people away, the natural tools he has are all phenomenal and he could turn into a perennial superstar center fielder, even if it would take him a few years to reach the show since he’s coming straight out of high school. Especially since the Rangers as it stands currently lack many quality outfield prospects, as the only outfielders in their top ten prospects are Dustin Harris, who while he is crushing the ball in AA, is limited to 3B and both corner outfield positions. While that type of position flexibility is still valuable, the natural athletic ability doesn’t match up to Green.

Below Harris on the list at nine is Evan Carter, who everyone is excited about, as the 18-year-old five-tool Carter is performing incredibly well at high A ball and could very well become a premier player in the future, he is still also a ways away from making an impact and has a bit more proving to do before the Rangers hitch their wagons to him. Regardless, even if Carter pans out to be a superstar does it hurt to have two super star caliber players who can both play center field? I’ll answer that for you, no it does not.

So, there’s my pick if I were in the Texas Rangers front office. In fact, if Green fell to us I wouldn’t even hesitate on banking on his potential eventually panning out. What do you think? Who Would you pick? Let us know in the comments.