After the first 5 to 7 picks this year’s MLB draft could move in a whole lot of different directions. Joe Doyle tweeted this morning, “I’ve been covering the Draft for upwards of a decade and I have never seen this many names bandied about as potential first rounders with 24 hours to go. Feels as though this draft is ripe for surprises.” That sums it up very well. Of course, that means the next couple of rounds could be full of surprises as well.
That makes coming up with names that the Rangers could draft in the first few rounds a much more difficult task, but that also makes it a lot more fun to follow and guess at. No one is going to get many of these picks right, outside of the first 5 to 10 picks, but we can have fun trying. Add to all that the history of the Rangers making some surprising picks early in the last few drafts, and it becomes a wild exercise.
This year, unlike many of the recent years, I have several draft prospects that I would be happy for the Rangers to select in the first round. I even have several names to hope for in the second round and couple names for each of the third and fourth rounds. Below are the guys I would feel very good about the Rangers drafting in the first round. I have them in the order that I like them, but in many cases, there is very little difference in how I feel about one guy and the guy four slots above him or four slots below him. I do have the first three in a tier above the rest, though.
Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal (SC)
Mason Edwards, LHP, USC
Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M
Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas (FL)
Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
A J Gracia, OF, Virginia
Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah, Georgia
Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
Carson Boleman, LHP, Southside Christian, (SC)
In the second round the Rangers should be able to select a very good prospect. There are several players who I am particularly interested in the Rangers selecting, but then some teams could surprise everyone and take some of these names prior to the second round. Here are the draft prospects who I think would make a great selection for the Rangers at #54.
Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers High School (TN)
Chase Brunson, OF, TCU
Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech
Kaden Waechter, RHP, Jesuit High School, (FL)
Cole Koeninger, Keller High School (TX)
Cooper Harris, RHP, Flower Mound High School (TX)
Mulivai Levu, 1B, UCLA
Caden Ferraro, OF, Texas Tech
I like the following draft prospects for the Rangers in the third round at pick #89.
Tyson LeBlanc, SS, Kansas
Jack Slightom, RHP, Lyons High School (IL)
In the fourth round I like these two prospects for the Rangers at pick #117.
Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers
Grant Govel, RHP, Southern California
I do need to admit that I still like Will Brick a whole lot. If the Rangers reached for him in the first round, I would not be disappointed in the least.
