Grading the Rangers’ last 5 first-round picks ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft

With the draft just days away on July 11 and 12, we're looking back over the past five years and assigning the Rangers grades for each of their first-round draft picks. These grades are not measured entirely on what they have done or their current statistics, but also account for how they are developing and where they fit into the future of the team.

Some are already major contributors to the big league squad, while others are still working on achieving their dream of becoming an MLB player. With that in mind, here is the Ranger report card for the top picks dating back to 2021.

Rangers report card for their last 5 first-round draft picks, including Jack Leiter and Malcolm Moore

2025 - Gavin Fein SS ( selected No. 12 overall out of Great Oak (CA) High School)

Gavin Fein is the only one of the five no longer with the Rangers organization. He is tough to grade as he is no longer a part of the team's future plans, but his value as one of the key parts of getting MacKenzie Gore here in the massive trade before the 2026 season can be graded. Fein is adjusting to life in A-Ball for the Washington Nationals affiliate Fredericksburg. At just 19, he is hitting .240 with an OPS of .734.

Fair ot not, Fein's grade is inexorably tied to the performance of Gore. Gore is coming off his worst outing as a Ranger, giving up 7 earned runs in 5 innings in a 13-1 drubbing by the awful LA Angels. His ERA is now at a season-high 4.72, and his WHIP has ballooned to 1.30. Gore has not been worth what the team gave up for him so far in 2026, and Fein was a big part of that haul. So, with Fein just doing ok in the Nationals organization and Gore underperforming for the Rangers, it doesn't bode well.

Overall Grade: C-

2024 - Malcolm Moore - Catcher (selected No. 30 overall out of Stanford)

Still just 22, Moore got off to a rough start playing in both Low A and High A ball in 2024 and 2025. But after recovering from a broken finger suffered last season, he has really turned it on and looks like the first-round talent that the team's scouting department saw in college. In 2026, he performed well enough at Hi-A Hub City to get the call-up to Double-AA Frisco.

Moore has just 61 at-bats at Frisco and is still getting his footing after the promotion. Baseball America named Moore the biggest riser within the organization in their July update, jumping from No. 13 to No. 6 in their top 30 ranking. It is extremely encouraging to see his progress, and he has changed the narrative from a possible bust to potentially a major league-ready player in late 2027 or 2028.

Grade: B

2023 - Wyatt Langford OF (selected No. 4 overall out of the University of Florida)

Even after having seen Langford for most of three seasons in Arlington following his short stint in the minors, he is tough to grade due to the litany of injuries he has already suffered in his young career. When he's healthy, he has shown all-star, 30-30 potential with a rare combination of raw power and great speed. There is no denying that he is one of the most talented players under 25 in MLB.

Is it too soon to say that a 24-year-old player is injury-prone? He has already been on the IL four times since making his big-league debut in 2023. You tend to want to fall in love with the potential he has teased fans with - particularly before his most recent and current IL stint, where it appeared that the light had switched on at the plate. He looked primed to get the average above the .245 level he had established and was making huge strides as a hitter. The only thing keeping this from being an "A" is the injury concerns. Hopefully, Langford will be back before the break, ahead of schedule.

Grade: B+

2022 - Kumar Rocker SP (selected No. 3 overall out of the Tri-City ValleyCats and Vanderbilt)

Rocker is another guy who has shown flashes of the player that the Rangers used such a high pick on in 2022. As physically imposing as the big 6'5" 250-pound right-hander is on the mound, he hasn't pitched with the same type of dominance. He has performed well enough to barely hold onto the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation, but that is not what the team had envisioned for him, as he is now 26 and treading water.

Rocker has been extremely inconsistent over his first three seasons with the big club. Just when it looks like he's figured out that splitter strikeout pitch, he'll lose command of his four-seamer or slider. He can't seem to put everything together to pitch deep into games. His stamina has also been called into question as he typically has at least one inning per outing of 25-30 pitches, and it appears as if he's really laboring on the mound. Rocker's future with the Rangers is probably murkier than that of any 1st round pick still in the organization.

Grade: D

2021 Jack Leiter SP (selected No. 2 overall out of Vanderbilt)

If this report card had been issued heading into the 2026 season, it would likely have been in the B+ to A- range, as Leiter finished 2025 looking like he had figured some things out and was headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, 2026 has been a step back for the Vandy product. Before landing on IL, Leiter had a 3-7 record, 5.29 ERA, and 1.44 WHIP over 80 innings and 15 starts. That's a large enough sample size to make some clear conclusions.

Leiter still tries to be too perfect with his pitches. But what has plagued him this season is his lack of command of his best pitch, which is his blistering 98 mph four-seam fastball that he uses up in the zone as a strikeout pitch. Without command of that pitch, nothing else works, and he finds himself down in counts and limited in what he can throw. Leiter is far from broken, however, and what ails him can certainly be fixed. He has electric stuff, but needs to show he has the mentality to match the physical tools that are undeniable.

Grade: C

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