Texas Rangers Rising Outfield Prospect Must Seize Opportunity this Spring

The Texas Rangers have been waiting for this outfield prospect to mature and this spring training gives him a real chance to shine.

Sep 29, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Dustin Harris (38) celebrates with second baseman Marcus Semien (2) after hitting a home run, his first MLB home run, during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Late last year, the Texas Rangers finally called up outfielder Dustin Harris and responded well in a small sample size.

He batted .333 in two games and just six at-bats and also hit his first Major League home run.

Now, the next step is to find a way to stick with the Rangers coming out of spring training.

He’ll be in Surprise for the second straight year as a member of the 40-man roster. This time, he’s a true contender for an outfield spot. There are just five outfielders on the 40-man roster — Harris, Evan Carter, Adolis Garcia, Wyatt Langford and Leody Taveras.

Garcia and Langford are expected starters at right and left field, respectively. Carter and Taveras are expected to compete for the starting job in center field, and teams are reportedly inquiring about Taveras.

Harris isn’t in line ot start unless something dramatic happens. But, he enters this spring with a clear path to earn a fourth or fifth outfield role for the first time in his pro career. And it’s been a long-time coming for the long-time Top 30 prospect.

Last season with Triple-A Round Rock, his first full season there, he slashed .272/.358/.391/.749 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI. He’s never been considered a powerful bat, but he’s remained in the Rangers’ Top 30 prospects for much of the last three seasons thanks to his plus speed and glove, along with his versatility. It finally led to his call-up.

Harris was an intriguing prospect coming out of St. Petersburg (FL) Junior College in 2019, when the Athletics selected him in the 11th round of the MLB draft. He didn’t spend long with the Athletics. He became the player-to-be-named-later in the Mike Minor trade in 2020.

From there, he slowly, but surely progressed in the Rangers’ system. He shined at both Low Class-A Down East and High Class-A Hickory in 2021 after he batted .327/.401/.542 with 20 homers and 25 steals in 110 games.

In 2022, Harris batted .257/.346/.471/.817 in 85 games at Double-A Frisco. He scored 58 runs with 16 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 66 RBI. He walked 42 times and struck out 74 times. He stole 19 bases and was caught stealing five times. A wrist injury probably stopped a potential promotion to Triple-A Round Rock.

In 2023 he split his time between Frisco and Round Rock and finished with a slash line of .259/.378/.431/.809 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI. The Rangers thought enough of him to move him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

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