Rangers Early Draft Pick Draws Some Comparisons to Braves Superstar Pitcher

A Texas Rangers early draft pick has some similarities to an Atlanta Braves All-Star pitcher.

Jun 20, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Texas Rangers baseball hat and Wilson glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Park in Arlington. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There was a lot of speculation about the direction the Texas Rangers would head in during the 2025 MLB draft.

Despite seemingly being in win-now mode at the Major League level, there were some analysts who thought they could start building with an eye toward the future, potentially targeting one of the many shortstop products in this year’s draft as a long-term replacement for Corey Seager.

That is exactly what the Rangers did with their first pick, using it on Gavin Fien out of Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif.

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After that, the one pick that intrigued R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports the most was pitcher AJ Russell out of the University of Tennessee.

Selected with the No. 52 overall pick, it is easy to see why Texas was willing to take a risk on him, garnering some similarities to Chris Sale with how he delivers the ball to home plate.

“... but the Rangers are betting on his stuff and the deception carved out by his operation. Although he's listed at 6-foot-6, he employs a Chris Sale-like arm action to deliver the ball from a sidearm slot,” Anderson wrote.

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Of course, it is going to take more than just a similar arm-slot for Russell to get anywhere close to the production that Sale has provided throughout his career as a nine-time All-Star and 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner.

Unfortunately, there is another similarity the Tennessee product has with the talented lefty; a lengthy injury history.

“Russell will need more refinement to reach his upside and he threw just 70 innings across three seasons with the Volunteers, but it's easy to understand why the Rangers were willing to take the risk with their second pick of the draft,” added Anderson.

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Taking a relief pitcher that early in the draft isn’t something some analysts love, but when a team can get their hands on a player as talented as Russell, sometimes it is worth the risk.

There is a lot to like with his makeup.

If Texas can find a way to keep him healthy, they could have a long-term foundational piece for their bullpen to build around in the near future.

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It is an underrated need for the team, especially if they are going to make anything of the current core, which has fallen woefully short of expectations after winning the World Series in 2023.

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