3 former Rangers prospects who are thriving in their new homes

Remembering what could've been sometimes can cause pain, other times it brings up sweet memories.

As we revisit these former Texas Rangers prospects, they bring a combination of both. I guess you can call it bittersweet. We can rest easy with the passage of time or winning of championships (foreshadowing) but these names for good or bad will always be known as ones who got away.

3 former Rangers prospects thriving in their new homes

Luisangel Acuna

The little brother of Ronal Acuna Jr., the 23-year-old is truly coming into his own as a multi-faceted tool for the New York Mets this season.

New York got the speedy infielder in 2023 when they sent Max Scherzer to Texas in July of that year. Acuna struggled in Triple-A Syracuse to start but quickly turned his fortunes around and ended the year with a strong .243 with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in just 37 games.

The 2024 season is where he made his strides, starting the year back in Syracuse batted .258/.299/.355 with 7 home runs and 50 RBI before eventually getting the call to Queens for his MLB Debut.

This season, he's appeared in 38 games for the Mets and makes his living playing above-average defense throughout the infield, being a contact hitter galore and racking up stolen bases. He was even named the National League Rookie of the Month for May.

Emmanuel Clase

I know, I know. This one hurts. Not to relive painful memories but he's probably the biggest Rangers' prospect as of late to find success in the big leagues, as a non-Ranger.

Probably don't need to remind Rangers' fans of how he got to Cleveland but for a quick summary... he was traded for one inning of former Cy Young right-hander Corey Kluber back in 2020. Remember the "warning to the west" era, yeah, me neither.

To play devil's advocate for a minute, when Clase got traded it was not known that he'd be as good as he ended up being. At that time he was a mid-reliever talent in the minors at best, in fact he got suspended that 2020 season due to PED's. He did however, turn into the best closer in baseball for a handful of years.

From 2022-24, he was led Major League Baseball in saves (42, 44, and 47). He was an All-Star all three seasons, finished third in the 2024 AL Cy Young voting and received AL MVP votes as well.

Thomas Saggese

Like Acuna, Saggese was traded during the Rangers' 2023 World Series season at the deadline. Which is something that hurts Rangers' fans but would still make that trade 10 out 10 times if it meant a World Series title.

The infielder was sent to St. Louis alongside Tekoah Roby and John King for reliever Chris Stratton and 2nd half hero Jordan Montgomery.

Saggese made his MLB Debut in September 2024 and struggled in his first taste of the big leagues only hitting .204 in just 18 games. This season, after being recalled due to an injury to Nolan Gorman, he slashed .341/.364/.512 with an .876 OPS, a homer and 7 RBIs before being sent back down to Triple-A Memphis.

While he might not currently be in the majors, I am sure the Cardinals were excited about the progress he made in his brief return earlier this year. However, he did strike out 11 times and only drew 2 walks in 41 at-bats. That will be something he needs to dial back if he wants to be successful in MLB.