Former Rangers 1988 draft pick, first baseman dies unexpectedly at 59

Rob Maurer, the Texas Rangers' sixth-round pick in the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft, has passed away suddenly on Janaury 21 at his home at the age of 59.

The first baseman from Evansville, Indiana, played his college ball at University of Evansville after starring at the well-known Mater Dei High School. Though his pro career was short, he came through the system at the same time as Rangers Hall of Famers Pudge Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers and Juan Gonzalez.

Maurer was a left-handed hitting first baseman

Maurer made his debut in Arlington in as a September call-up in 1991 after two solid seasons at Tulsa and Oklahoma City, where he hit at least 20 HRs and maintained a .300 batting average.

Unfortunately, Maurer's minor league success didn't materialize at the major league level as he was just 3-for-25 over 21 games played in 1991 and 1992.

The towering 6-foot-3, 200-pound power-hitting first baseman was named one of the organization's top 20 prospects three times but was never able to secure the position as Rafael Palmeiro had it locked it down.

Knee injuries forced Maurer to retire early

After his major league cup of coffee, Maurer suffered a knee injury requiring surgery and missed all of 1993. He returned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the 1994 season and played 61 games before reinjuring the same knee.

After the 1995 season, he was released by the Rangers, and then decided that it was time to retire at the age of 27. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn, three children, two grandchildren and four siblings.