4 Texas Rangers prospects that could help the team in 2024

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For the moment, the Texas Rangers' roster appears to be in really good shape in both the short-term as well as the long-term. They have key positions locked down by studs like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jacob deGrom (when healthy), and Nathan Eovaldi for the foreseeable future. While things haven't gone great for Texas the last week or so, there is still a lot of cause for optimism with this club.

As the 2023 season winds down, it is important to start looking to the future and specifically look at how the Rangers' prospects are doing. Free agency is going to inevitably result in the loss of some players and it is a mortal lock that the Rangers will be aggressive buyers once the offseason comes, but some help for the roster is going to have to come from within the organization. Fortunately, Texas does have some guys that should be able to help.

Here are 4 Texas Rangers prospects that could help the team in 2024

With the Rangers' position player core being pretty much set going into next season, most (but not all) of the attention of this list is going to be on the pitching side. Things could obviously change dramatically with a key injury or a guy falling off a cliff next season, but the pitching staff seems to be where most of opportunities in 2024 on the big league roster should be.

Also, the cutoff for consideration is minor leaguers at Double-A or higher. One of the guys at the lower levels could go wild and rocket to the big leagues, but no one stands out as super likely to do that other than Wyatt Langford and his strong start to his pro career still doesn't point to him debuting before 2025.

Let's take a look at 4 Texas Rangers prospects that could help the big league club in 2024.

Evan Carter

The one area on the Rangers' roster that seems like it could be a prime candidate for an upgrade is left field. Travis Jankowski hasn't been bad, but his upside is limited by an iffy track record with his hit tool and not hitting for much power to speak of basically ever. Thankfully, the top prospect in Texas' farm system could be the answer as Evan Carter is loaded with tools and could be on the verge of making his big league debut.

Carter looks like an absolute heist as a second round pick out of the 2020 draft as he is loaded with tools including a plus hit tool, the ability to hit for power, and he can really run. Through 94 games in the minor leagues this season, Carter has slashed .276/410/.448 with 13 homers and 22 stolen bases. Putting him in left field is kind of a waste as he is a strong defender at all three outfield positions, but Carter's bat and upside is too much to resist in the name of optimization. Texas could start him off at Triple next season and let him play his way into a promotion, but don't be surprised if he gets a long look as an option right out of spring training.

Jack Leiter

Okay, okay...it is definitely weird to include Leiter as he hasn't played in an official game since being placed on the development list in mid-July. However, Leiter's arm talent is too much too ignore here. Both his fastball and slider are plus pitches that get plenty of swing and miss and while his curve and changeup lag behind, they still can serve as at least change of pace pitches.

The issue, of course, is the command issues Leiter had in Double-A which is the likely reason why he got put on the development list so that he could work on his mechanics in a more controlled setting. Assuming those adjustments are made, Leiter already has some experience in the upper minors and with better command, he should be on the fast track to the big leagues where there should be opportunities for him to win a big league roster spot in 2024.

Owen White

While Owen White's two debut cameo appearances in the big leagues in 2023 didn't go super well, his should still be considered to be a part of the Rangers' future. White's varied arsenal of pitches is probably his best trait as he has a mid-90's fastball, a nasty slider, a curve ball that is a hammer when he is on, and a changeup that flashes plus even though it is the most inconsistent of his offerings.

One thing that has to get figured out is whether or not the tick of velocity on all of his pitches White has lost this season is just fatigue or a sign of a larger problem. The bet here is that he is just working through fatigue or something minor and with some rest this offseason, he will force himself yet again into the conversation for a spot in the Rangers' rotation.

Josh Stephan

Josh Stephan doesn't get a lot of press or notice outside of diehard Rangers fans and that makes some level of sense, His fastball generally sits in the low 90's and his slider doesn't feature the crazy movement you would expect from a top tier pitching prospect. His changeup is a good one, but is a pretty standard offering.

However, the combination of Stephan's command, consistent pitch tunneling, lower arm slot, and consistency makes all of his pitches play up as hitters have fits trying to pick up what he is throwing at them. The lower arm slot could make his matchup against opposing lefties tougher as they might get a better look than righties, but it is hard to argue with the results. In 13 appearances (12 starts), Stephan has posted a 2.30 ERA in 66.2 innings. The only wrinkle here is that Stephan has been on the injured list since early July. Assuming the injury is not too serious, we could see him in the big leagues sometime in 2024.

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