The Texas Rangers lost four prospects in the 2022 Rule-5 Draft: RHP Mason Englert, Catcher Randy Florentino, OF Josh Stowers and RHP Seth Nordlin.
The Rangers did not select any players. They didn’t have room on their 40-man roster to select a player in the Major-League portion. In total, teams selected 82 players (4 from the Rangers) in this Rule-5 Draft.
First, here are a couple of things to keep in mind in regards to the Rule-5 Draft.
- Any player that was 18 and under at the time of their original signing and hasn’t been added to their clubs 40-man after 5 seasons is eligible to be selected.
- Any player 19 or older when signed and not added to their club 40-man roster after 4 seasons is eligible to be selected.
- The selecting team will pay $100,000 to the team they select a player from.
- The selected player is added onto the teams 26-man active roster and in order to be removed the player must be placed on outright waivers. If the player clears they have to be offered back to their original team for $50,000.
Tigers select RHP Mason Englert
Mason Englert highlights the list of the prospects selected by new clubs. Englert was selected by the Tigers in the Major League portion of the Rule-5 Draft.
The Texas Rangers selected Mason in the 4th round of the 2018 draft (119th overall).
The Tigers must keep him on their 26-man roster the entire season or he would need to be offered back to the Rangers for $50,000.
Englert had a special 2022 season. He won pitcher of the month and was named pitcher of the week in back-to-back weeks in August.
He was part of two combined no-hitters with the High-A Hickory Crawdads in back-to-back starts, August 11th ( 7 IP, 2 BB, 6 SO) and August 18th (6 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO).
He was promoted to Double-A Frisco where he pitched in 3 games with a 4.11 ERA. Between High-A and Double-A he had a 8-6 win-loss record with a 3.64 ERA, with 31 walks and 136 strikeouts.
According to MLB.com Mason Englert slots in as the Tigers number 26 prospect.
Players Selected in the Minor-League portion
Orioles select C Randy Florentino
Randy Florentino signed with the Rangers in 2017. He played in the Dominican Summer League in 2018 hitting .308/.454/.550/1.004 with 6 home runs and 35 RBI. Something that always gets my attention….he worked more walks (53) than he struckout (51).
Unfortunately, once he reached the States, things didn’t go as well at the plate. In 2022, he hit .242/.331/.353/.684 with 4 home runs, 25 RBI, 21 walks and 44 strikeouts with High-A Hickory, the highest level he reached.
Dodgers select OF Josh Stowers
We will no longer see Stowers make it rain home runs in Frisco. He hit 20 of them for Frisco in 2021, becoming the first player in RoughRiders history to hit 20 home runs and steal 21 bases.
We’ll also miss some defensive highlight reels in the outfield.
In 2022 he slashed a line of 222 .331 .374 .705 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI.
He was part of the Rangers return from New York in the Rougned Odor trade.
Twins select RHP Seth Nordlin
Seth Nordlin appeared in 30 games (5 starts) where he had a 2-2 win-loss record with a 3.44 earned run average in 73.1 innings.
He made two separate appearances in Triple-A Round Rock and had a 6.75 earned run average.
Surprised Cody Bradford and Antoine Kelly weren’t selected
I’m a little shocked that Cody Bradford wasn’t selected with his strong end to the season. In his last seven games he went 4-1 with a 2.63 earned run average, 6 walks and 48 strikeouts. Opposing batters hit for a .170 average against him.
Antoine Kelly was one that didn’t surprise me as much. He’s definitely a hard throwing lefty but he’s had some command issues and it seems that made teams reluctant.
The fact they weren’t selected is good news for the Rangers though.
It’s a bittersweet moment seeing some of our favorite prospects move on. Losing Mason Englert really stings- but the farm is still in good shape. We’re excited at what lies ahead for each of these players and wish them the best of luck with their new teams.
