Rangers give farm system a huge jolt by landing the best LHP in the MLB Draft

Chris Young has one job today, and that's to prepare the Texas Rangers for the future. Owners of the 16th overall pick in the first round, the Rangers have taken the next step towards the future, handing in their draft card and drafting the top left-handed pitcher in the class, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School product Gio Rojas.

At six-foot-four, 195 pounds, Rojas has ideal size for a starting pitcher. The teenage phenom ranked No. 8 on MLB Pipeline's big board, and hits 98 miles per hour on the radar gun. He pairs that with a wicked, sweeping slider that sits in the low-80s. His changeup has been used very sparingly to this point, but scouts believe that he can develop it to be a credible third weapon and a primary method to attack right-handed pitching.

Gio Rojas is the kind of ceiling-raiser the Rangers desperately need

Rojas wasn't on many radars for the Rangers because he was ranked much higher than the 16th overall pick. UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora was the consensus No. 1 pitcher in the draft, but Rojas was most commonly ranked as the class's No. 2 arm.

The Rangers' farm system started the year as one of the lowest-ranked in the league and got downgraded by Baseball America in its midseason update, sliding from No. 24 to No. 27. High-end talent was desperately needed.

There's always risk with a high school prospect, and the road to the majors is longer than a polished college arm, but Rojas has significantly more upside than a player like Liam Peterson, who was often connected to the Rangers but had not found success at the University of Florida despite starting for three seasons.

Some strange decisions by some other clubs earlier in the first round presented Texas with this opportunity, and you have to give Chris Young credit for pouncing and not overthinking the pick.

The Rangers come on the clock again at pick 54 and will continue their quest to add both impact depth and quality depth to the farm system in order to secure a brighter future after years of attrition at the hands of the trade market.

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