Texas Rangers 2025 Mock Draft 1.0: College players dominate the draft board

With college regionals ending, there are only 16 teams with prospects are still playing in Division 1 baseball. This means that draft prep is ramping up and the rumors are swirling.

Major baseball writers are ranking prospects and getting ready for July 13th. This is sports Christmas to diehard fans of all levels of baseball.

There are tons of talent with varying skill sets that fit Chris Young's draft tendencies to a tee. The idea of selecting a player to fill needs isn't what Young looks for but rather for finding the best talent available.

Here's our Rangers' Mock Draft of Rounds 1-5

Round 1, Pick 12: Marek Houston, Wake Forest

The Rangers love to go after guys who have put up good numbers across multiple seasons in college in the first round. This follows the path of Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter, and Malcolm Moore.

Houston is an other worldly talented shortstop prospect that has solid to high value prospect grades across the board. He started off as a contact first shortstop with good defense before beefing up and finding some pop in his bat.

There are rumors around the industry that the Rangers will be looking for a high school prospect but I don't see a world where Young would pass on Houston. The only player I would see Young selecting over Houston would be Liam Doyle if he plummets down the board.

There is a lot to be excited for in Houston's game and he isn't stuck at shortstop. He flashes versatility to fill a need wherever one would be. I also view him as a fast riser similar to Angels shortstop Zach Neto.

Fans may view Houston as a waste of a pick because we have Seager but the calling card of MLB drafts is to always go best player available and not draft for need. Plus how can we pass up having a guy named Houston dominate the rival Houston Astros.

Round 2, Pick 52: Cam Cannarella, Clemson

This scenario seems unlikely at first glance but is not out of the realm of possibility. Cannarella is a surefire first-round pick talent wise, but there have been major question marks following his 2025 college season. The first-round compensation picks will be the hold your breath territory for Cannarella.

Cannarella was a superstar at Clemson, but following a labrum tear surgery in the 2024 offseason, he put up concerning numbers. His disappointing power numbers saw his homers fall from 11 to 5 while his stolen base numbers by season fell from 24, to 0, to 6 with 4 caught stealings.

Cannarella is certainly an "eye-test" prospect that has 70+ grade potential fielding and incredible bat to ball skills. His injury concerns are the only thing holding him back. Labrum tears can derail and even end careers so having one in college can immediately take him off boards.

Round 3, Pick 84: Chase Shores, LSU

If there is a player Chris Young can understand in this class it is Chase Shores, the six-foot-eight flame-throwing prospect that scouts can't seem to figure out.

He has every tool in the shed but can't put it together. He has a 65 grade fastball, 45 grade changeup and 55 grade slider but the issue his he cannot control any of them consistently.

This draft pick would look just like Alejandro Rosario. A college pitcher with disappointing numbers but electric stuff. This would be a sprint to the podium pick for Young if available and it would be a home run.

Round 4, Pick 115: Landon Schaefer, Fayettville (AR)

This pick is where Young has the most variation among the early picks. I expect this to be more towards the Brock Porter selection. Schaefer is a really intriguing high school product that has the build for power with solid defense.

Prying Schaefer from Arkansas would be a major question mark that Texas has been known to take a risk at. With Houston and Cannarella likely getting slot value, the back half of the draft would be full of less risks in this scenario.

If Schaefer is preferring the draft, it is likely he goes much higher than this. Without the knowledge of whether he plays college or not, this is his true range and if the Rangers can pry Schaefer from his college commitment, he could be a high level prospect.

Round 5, Pick 146: Bobby Boser, University of Florida

Boser is a senior that will go underslot when selected, which fits the mold for what the first four rounds have given Texas. He is a powerful bat at third base that could really play anywhere in the infield.

He is an extremely hard worker that pulled every stop to improve himself for this draft. No prospect is perfect in this range so he does have a swing and miss problem that makes him fall.

There is a lot of potential in his bat and defensive ability that warrants a discussion on where he would be most valuable and I see that as a first baseman. With a lack of first base prospects in our system, this could fix a prospect depth problem while adding an experienced and ready bat to the organization.