Rangers settle on first-round pick after Astros steal preferred selection

The Houston Astros decided to get revenge on the Texas Rangers for winning two out of three games this weekend. They took the player the Rangers wanted with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

As always, the Astros keep finding ways to annoy Rangers fans, and it happened Sunday night. Before we get to what happened in the first round, let's look at what happened earlier that afternoon. Josh Smith led the Rangers to a 4-2 victory behind his two home runs to clinch a season-defining series before the All-Star Break.

Now, fast forward to the first round of the draft. The Rangers were watching to see if their preferred catcher would fall to the 30th pick in the draft. Sam Houston State catcher Walker Janek was rated the No. 1 catcher overall, even with his poor performance at the combine. It looked like the Rangers were about to draft Janek ... but the Astros took him with the 28th pick. It felt like a huge gut punch to the Rangers because Janek could be compared to a young Jonah Heim.

Janek was a stellar catcher at Sam Houston State University for the last three years. He won the 2024 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award. He also won the Buster Posey Award for top catcher in college baseball. He finished the season with a .364 batting average and 58 RBI as a junior. If the Rangers drafted Janek, it would be like winning the World Series and drafting a future gem like Wyatt Langford. Rangers catching coach Bobby Wilson would have loved to develop Janek.

However, not all was lost for the Rangers at pick No. 30. They were able to draft another high-caliber college catcher. They selected Malcolm Moore from Stanford University with their first-round pick.

While his catching ability behind the plate is still developing, his hitting ability is why the Rangers made the pick. He finished last season with a .255 batting average, 16 home runs, and 36 RBI. His .414 on-base percentage was third in the PAC-12 last year.

Most draft scouts expect Moore won't remain a catcher since his defensive abilities aren't top notch. As fans know about the MLB Draft, it's all about selecting the best player available and not chasing needs.

However, according to Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young, Moore will remain behind the plate as long as he's with the Rangers. While the Astros think they might have gotten the last laugh with their division rival, Texas responded with an advanced bat that could be just as impactful.