Ranking the top 30 Texas Rangers prospects in 2022

The Texas Rangers currently have their best farm system since the beginning of the 2016 season, thanks in part to the depth of the system. They’ve struck gold (so far) in their recent drafts and bolstered it even further with trades. Depth isn’t the only factor when considering the improvement the farm systems has undergone, as they currently have five top 100 prospects according to MLB.com.

That number doesn’t include rising prospect Evan Carter, third-ranked  prospect Dustin Harris or one time top-100 prospect Sam Huff. This certainly makes this undertaking difficult, as frankly there is no surefire correct ranking, but I’ll do my best to get as close as possible.

Ranking the top 30 Texas Rangers prospects in 2022

1. Jack Leiter, SP

• Acquired: 1st round draft selection 2021
• ETA: Late 2023/2024
• Age: 22
• Current Level: AA, Frisco

No surprise here, every list you see will feature Jack Leiter as the top prospect in the Texas Rangers system.  He currently sports a 5.90 ERA which may not seem inspiring but through 29 innings (eight games) he’s racked up 36 strikeouts and only allowed 1 home run. Once he gets comfortable with the strike zone and ball placement, he’ll be ready for the big leagues.

2. Josh Jung, 3B

• Acquired: 1st round draft selection 2019
• ETA: 2023
• Age: 24
• Current Level: AAA-IL

Josh Jung was supposed to be the everyday third baseman for the Texas Rangers before a spring training injury lead to surgery. With his season all but gone, he’ll likely have to wait for 2023 to play in Arlington. He’s expected to be back to baseball activities in October and should be ready to join Seager, Semien, and the rest of the crew.

3. Cole Winn, SP

• Acquired: 1st round draft selection 2018
• ETA: Late 2022/2023
• Age: 22
• Current Level: AAA, Round Rock

Winn had a break-out year in 2021 after missing his minor league sophomore year due to the cancellation of the minor league season.  He was rewarded with a promotion to AAA and started the year off well, looking like a sure-fire late-season call-up. He has since cooled off considerably and carries a 5.31 ERA through 42.1 innings in 9 games. His K/9 rate has dropped to 7.01 and WHIP has increased to 1.51 so those will need correcting before he wears a Rangers uniform.

4. Evan Carter, OF

• Acquired: 2nd round draft selection 2020
• ETA: Late 2024/2025
• Age:19
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

The Texas Rangers surprised many with the selection of Evan Carter in the second round of the 2020 draft. However, Carter is quickly becoming one of the biggest steals. Lightly scouted due to the epidemic, Carter wasn’t necessarily off the radar as the Rangers believe the Royals would’ve taken him.  Standing at 6’4″ and 190lbs, Carter is still growing into his frame and developing power. He is looked to be a 5 tool player and could be an elite athlete,

5. Ezequiel Duran, INF

• Acquired: Trade via New York Yankees for Joey Gallo
• ETA: 2023/Early 2024
• Age: 23
• Current Level: AA, Frisco

There wasn’t a consensus top name in the return for Joey Gallo, but Duran was one of the top two guys targeted. Fitting the recent profile of targeted prospects, Duran was considered a riser in all prospect rankings. He skyrocketed up to 76th overall in the MLB.com top 100 and looks to continue his ascent as he leads all of baseball with 24 doubles while slashing .317/.362/.578/.940.

6. Josh H. Smith, INF

• Acquired: Trade via New York Yankees for Joey Gallo
• ETA: 2022
• Age: 24
• Current Level: MLB

As prior mentioned Duran was one of the two top guys in the Gallo deal, leaving Smith as the other.  Having been seen as a more polished bat coming out of college, the 2019 second-round draft pick just recently made his MLB debut. Originally a shortstop, he’s been moved all over the field to find a spot for what the Rangers view as a long-term bat. Following a Michael Young-esque approach, his long-term outlook is likely to see time at SS, 2B, 3B, LF, and DH most likely based on other injuries or rest days, but he’ll be a consistent name in the line-up.

7. Justin Foscue, 2B

• Acquired: 1st round draft selection in 2020
• ETA: 2023
• Age: 23
• Current Level: AA, Frisco

Foscue comes in at #7 due to no fault of his own. The first-round selection put on a power display in A+ ball hitting 14 home runs through 33 games in 2021. The power hasn’t been as prominent in AA this year with only 3 home runs, but his bat remains consistent as he’s slashed .288/.400/.519/.919 while working 19 walks in 28 games.

8. Sam Huff

• Acquired: 7th round draft selection 2016
• ETA: 2022
• Age: 24
• Current Level: MLB

Sam Huff *technically* is no longer considered a prospect given his MLB service time, but it’s close so I’ll still rank him here. The Rangers’ top catching prospect broke out in 2019 with 28 home runs in 127 games, breaking into the top 100 prospects. He was called up for a cup of coffee into shortened 2020 season where he hit 3 homers in 10 games. He suffered a knee injury limiting his catching duties for 2021 dropping him in most rankings. Known for obliterating baseballs, he’s likely up to stay this time.

9. Dustin Harris, 1B

• Acquired: Trade via Oakland A’s for Mike Minor
• ETA: 2024
• Age: 22
• Current Level: AA, Frisco

Originally the second half of a PTBNL deal that sent Mike Minor to the Bay Area, Harris shocked many with his 2021 performance. An 11th-round draft pick in 2019 who wasn’t listed in the A’s top 30, Harris burst onto the scene in 2021 slashing .327/.401/.542/.943 with 20 home runs in 110 games across A and A+ ball. After a slow start to the year in his advance to AA, He now has 9 home runs in 41 games for Frisco. Harris has one of the best swings in the organization and has the potential to be an impact bat.

10. Luisangel Acuna, SS

• Acquired: International signing in 2018
• ETA: Late 2024/2025
• Age: 20
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

The younger brother of perennial all-star Ronald Acuna, Jose as he likes to go by, is following in his brothers’ footsteps. After flying under the radar in the international signings nearly four years ago, He has grabbed the attention of all other ranking sources. His bat has played at all levels thus far advancing from rookie to A+ ball in 3 consecutive playing years (no 2020 minor league season). He is currently batting .288/.417/.610/.1.027 with 5 home runs in 17 games for the Crawdads. He needs to work on his K/BB ratio as he has 20 strikeouts to 13 walks through 72 plate appearances.

11. Owen White, SP

• Acquired: 2nd round draft selection in 2018
• ETA: 2024
• Age: 22
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

Considered the third of the top three pitching prospects, White has as high of a ceiling as any of them. Hindered by Tommy John surgery following the “de-loading program” after being drafted, White was met with nothing but adversity. The 2020 season was canceled so he had to wait for 2021…where he promptly broke his pinky on his throwing hand and missed most of the season. Due to the low workload, he played in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League where he went 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA, being named the league’s Pitcher of the year. He continues to carry a high stike-out rate with 51Ks in 39.1 innings but the command will need to be his focus in order to make up ground for the time missed.

12. Aaron Zavala, OF

• Acquired: 2nd round draft selection in 2021
• ETA: 2024
• Age: 21
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

The Texas Rangers continued their approach of drafting polished college bats, after taking Leiter. His approach has been a bit of an anomaly this year. In 41 games he has 40 hits, 38 walks, and 36 strikeouts. His polished approach is shining through but he’ll need to come into more power as he only has 4 home runs in 63 career games. He also only has 9 extra-base hits this year. The potential is there for him to succeed but he’ll do best to cut some of the strikeouts and continue to make contact.

13. Ricky Vanasco, SP

• Acquired: 15th round draft selection in 2017
• ETA: Late 2024
• Age: 2023
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

Vanasco, like many other Rangers pitching prospects over the years, is coming off of Tommy John surgery. He was dominant in 2019 across 2 lower levels. In 49.1 innings he had a 1.81 ERA with a staggering 75 strikeouts. Unfortunately, at the very end of the instructional camp in 2020, he blew out his elbow. Finally able to play in organized ball, he is still searching for consistency. He has a 6.04 ERA in 28.1 innings with 36 K’s. If he can harness the 99mph speed he had before the injury, he’ll be a key name to keep an eye on.

14. Yeison Morrobel, OF

• Acquired: International signing 2021
• ETA: 2026
• Age: 18
• Current Level: DSL Rookie

Morrobel is relatively flying under the radar at this point but could become a more common name in the coming years. He fits the mold of a ranging, athletic outfielder with a strong arm. He’s started his pro career off strong batting .270 with 30 walks to 25 strikeouts in 51 games. Standing 6’2″ but only weighing 170lbs, he has plenty of frames to grow into to develop some power.

15. Tekoah Roby

• Acquired: 3rd round draft pick in 2020
• ETA: 2025
• Age: 20
• Current Level: High-A, Hickory

Another example of the Texas Rangers trusting their scouting department. Roby was originally looked at as a reach. He quickly shut down the nay-sayers with a 6-game run where he put up a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings with 35 strikeouts, holding opponents’ bats to a .177 average. His run was cut short due to an elbow strain but he was able to avoid Tommy John surgery. 2022 hasn’t been as kind to his ERA as he carries a 6.21 ERA in his inaugural High A season. Still considered young for the league, he has still shown his potential with 38 K’s in 37.2 innings. He, like Vanasco, has enough potential to be an important name moving forward.

The rest of the Texas Rangers prospect field

This is where the separation between prospects becomes quite fluid. and many can/will be interchanged based on performance, projection, health, and adaptability. This will also showcase the pure depth of the Texas Rangers farm system.

16. Maximo Acosta

17. Bubba Thompson

18. AJ Alexy

19. Cole Ragans

20. Mitch Bratt

21. Davis Wendzel

22. Blaine Crim

23. Trevor Hauver

24. Larson Kindreich

25. Cody Bradford

26. Zak Kent

27. Dane Acker

28. Cameron Cauley

29. Thomas Saggese

30. Yosy Galan

To gloss over a few names and why they may be ranked there: Maximo Acosta remains an exciting player with potential. He’s a little lower than you might see on other rankings due to his high strikeout rate, but he’s young enough to improve to the point that those won’t matter.

Bubba Thompson, the former first-round draft selection is finally staying healthy and making a name for himself in AAA. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the major leagues this year.

Cole Ragans, like Thompson, is a former first-round draft selection having the best year of his career.

Blaine Crim is someone who often gets overlooked but has done nothing but hit his whole college and professional career. He had 29 home runs in 121 games in 2021 and already has 10 through 46 games this year.

Larson Kindreich is looking to be a big riser this year. The 2021 draft selection has a 2.06 ERA for Low-A Down East with 53 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Dane Acker was the other prospect piece that also landed Jonah Heim. He, unfortunately, fell to the Ranger curse after making 2 great starts and had Tommy John surgery. His return will be highly anticipated after striking out 11 in 6.1 innings.

Yosy Galan standing 6’4″ and 200lb at 21 years old is already rounding into a solid hitter. He strikes out a ton but he carries 30 home run potential.