Grading the Rangers Day One MLB Draft picks

The Rangers did what they needed to do on the first day of the 2026 MLB draft Saturday by loading up on talented young arms to replenish a farm system that is lacking top pitching prospects. They spent three of their four day-one picks on hurlers that will shore up the ranks on the mound in Gio Rojas, Brody Bromila, and Hudson Calhoun. They also nabbed a very talented young infielder in Texas-native Connor Comeau, who has a ton of upside.

It was no surprise that the organization focused on lively arms in the first round with the dearth of promising talent already inside on the farm. Outside of uber-talented right-hander Caden Scarborough, the team doesn't have any pitching prospects that they are realistically projecting as major league contributors, so they replenished the ranks on day one with three new arms that will give them a boost on the hill and hope for the future once Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi retire.

The Rangers focused on young arm talent on Day One of the 2026 MLB Draft. Here are our grades:

Gio Rojas, LHP, Round 1, Pick 16 Stoneman Douglas HS (Florida)

By all accounts, the Rangers were thrilled to land Baseball Pipeline's #8 overall prospect with the 16th pick of the first round. Standing 6'4" and weighing 190 pounds, the left-handed high school talent has an organic and easy delivery. At 19, he is already clocking a mid-90s fastball and has reached up to 98 on the gun. His four-seamer has a high spin rate, which makes it even more difficult to barrel with any frequency. He also throws with unusual command for a young pitcher, and his ability to throw within the strike zone with plus velocity makes him a high-ceiling pick. He will need to work on his slider and changing speeds to play off his dominant heat. He struck out 124 hitters against just 17 walks in 72.1 innings pitched.

Rojas is old for a high school prospect, but he comes from a program in Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Georgia that has produced a solid line of MLB stars, including Jesus Luzardo, Anthony Rizzo, Coby Mayo, and rookie phenom Roman Anthony. The pedigree is there, and the organization is viewing Rojas as a steal after passing on Liam Peterson, the college hurler who had been mocked to the Rangers the most over the weeks leading up to the draft. He has potential for days and a reasonably high floor for a teenager.

Grade - A+

Connor Comeau, SS Round 2, Pick 54 LC Anderson High School (Texas)

The Rangers stayed within the Lone Star State with their Round 2 selection of Texas A&M commit Connor Comeau out of Austin with the 54th overall pick. Like Rojas, Comeau is tall, standing 6'4". He weighs just 180 pounds, but has a lean frame that can easily add a good 20-25 pounds to give his effortless left-handed swing a little more pop as a professional. He is a high-average contact hitter who will only get bigger to improve his SLUG. Scouts project him as a 20-25 homer guy as he develops physically.

Defensively, he is listed as a shortstop/third baseman, but there has been a lot of debate about where he will land as a pro. He has taken a lot of reps at both corner infield positions, so listing him as a shortstop may be a little optimistic. He could alsoshift over to third and eventually be Josh Jung's successor. His bat is what made him Baseball Pipelines' 53rd overall prospect, and he will find a spot on the field eventually. The uncertainty about his defense is the only thing keeping this grade below an A.

Grade - B+

Brody Bumila Round 3, Pick 89 Bishop Feehan High School (Mass.)

Bumila is a high-risk, high-reward prospect who is ranked #23 overall by Baseball Pipeline. The reason he fell into Round 2 is that he missed all of 2026, already needing surgery to repair a torn UCL suffered in early July 2025. He had internal brace surgery, which rightfully scared many teams off. But if he can make a full recovery, and at just 18, there's every reason to believe he can, he has overwhelming stuff. Bumila is a Randy Johnson starter kit with electric tools.

Bumila is a massive left-hander at 6"9" and 255 pounds. As a teenager, he was clocked at over 100 mph with his fastball; like deGrom, he has a late, low arm release with more than a foot of inverted vertical movement. It gets on hitters even faster than it looks like. He is a bruiser who can overpower hitters with his pure physicality and intimidation. The Rangers are betting that Bumila comes out the other end of his UCL-repaired elbow and becomes one of the biggest steals of this draft. The injury concern, however, drops his grade a full letter.

Grade B-

Hudson Calhoun, RHP Round 4, Pick 117 (Ole Miss)

The Rangers definitely took what could be called a "flyer" with Hudson Calhoun, who is MLB.com's 235th-ranked prospect. He wasn't even a starter at Ole Miss, but scouts loved his steely demeanor and clutch gene in high-leverage relief situations during the Rebels' Men's College World Series team this spring. The Rangers will likely give him a shot to start as a pro, as they wouldn't have drafted him this high as a projected reliever.

Calhoun, who will turn 22 in August, is the eldest of the Day 1 picks and is much more developed physically at 6'4" and 215 pounds. He boasts a 93-95 mph heater that he can dial up to 97 when the adrenaline is pumping. When he's locating the fastball, he can then throw an assortment of off-speed pitches, including an upper-80s cutter and a late-breaking low-80s slider. The questions surrounding Calhoun center on whether he can transition into a starter role and handle the heavier workload.

Grade: B

Day Two is scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM EST Sunday, so tune into MLB Network to see who else Chris Young and the Rangers bring into the fold in the 2026 MLB draft.

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