MLB- Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers Draft Profile: Ike Irish

In 2025 the junior slashed .364/.469/.710 with 78 hits, 13 doubles, 19 home runs, 58 RBI, 11 stolen bases, giving him a 1.179 OPS.

Bennie Bullock

07 Jul 2025 — 3 min read

The first time I thought about the possibility of the Rangers selecting Ike Irish in the first round of the 2025 draft was about 7 months ago. I wasn’t even sure at the time which pick the Rangers would have in the first round. I did know I liked what I had read about Ike Irish. I knew he was a catcher, and I knew he hit very well in college. I have been wanting a very good hitting catcher for the Rangers ever since Pudge left after the 2002 season.

At this point, it is up in the air whether Ike Irish will be a big-league catcher or not. He was hit by a pitch early this past season and suffered a broken shoulder blade. After returning from that injury, he played mostly RF. There are still some who think he could be a big league catcher, but he would have some work to do.

One area that he needed to work on before this past season was in throwing out base stealers. He seemed to have improved in that area in a big way before his injury as he had thrown out 6 of 8 would-be base stealers. Irish also improved in his mechanics and receiving skills. So, there is a glimmer of hope that he can remain at catcher. Even if he has to move to 1B or RF, his bat still makes him a very good selection with pick number 12.

I Like Ike

Ike Irish takes an old-school approach to hitting by using the whole field. In 2025 the lefty hit 50 percent more balls to left field than he did to right field. He did pull the ball a little more toward the end of this season. Most of his power is to his pull side so that part of his game could be made better if he pulled the ball a little more often. He has quick hands and he has done well against high velocity pitches. He had an 84 percent contact rate on pitches thrown 92 mph or higher.

Irish went to high school with Ranger prospect Brock Porter. They attended St. Mary’s Prep in Orchard Lake, Michigan. Irish wasn’t drafted out of high school, but he was ranked the 39^th best prospect by Perfect Game at the time.

He has improved his OPS each year with the Auburn Tigers. In 2023 he slashed .361/.429/.546 with 86 hits, 24 doubles, 6 home runs, 50 RBI, and a .975 OPS. He played in all 58 games as a freshman.

In 2024, the sophomore slashed .319/.403/.627 with 58 hits, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs, 59 RBI, and a 1.030 OPS, in 47 games.

In 2025 the junior slashed .364/.469/.710 with 78 hits, 13 doubles, 19 home runs, 58 RBI, 11 stolen bases, giving him a 1.179 OPS. He played in 55 games despite suffering a broken shoulder blade.

Ike Irish is 6’2” and weighs 200 lbs. He has a smooth and effortless swing. He keeps his strikeouts limited because of his strong contact skills. He has been a late riser as we get closer to the draft. Hopefully, he will still be available when the Rangers pick. Keith Law has him ranked as the 5^th best draft prospect.

MLB Pipeline mentions that Irish improved his swing decisions as a junior. His profile on their top draft picks board says, “he made hard contact to all fields while handling all types of pitches and lefties as well as righties.” Prospects Live says, “Irish has firmly established himself as one of the best hitters in the SEC over the past two seasons.”