Rangers' Last 'Joey Gallo' Prospect Playing Well in Hickory
The Texas Rangers received four prospects from the New York Yankees for Joey Gallo last July.
Three of them — pitcher Glenn Otto, infielder Josh Smith and infielder Ezequiel Duran — have already played Major League games.
That doesn’t mean the fourth is a failure.
That would be Trevor Hauver, an infielder at High Class-A Hickory. He was the furthest away from the Majors when the Rangers took him in last year.
Entering this week, Hauver is a top 30 prospect for Texas and playing like someone that wants a promotion.
Hauver had a terrific month of May for the Crawdads. He hit .309 with a .995 OPS, four home runs and 17 RBI.
But he was coming off a slow start in his second minor league season, so his overall numbers entering this week aren’t nearly as impressive — a hitting slash of .232/.406/.428/.834 with seven home runs and 34 RBI.
That’s because he hit just .140 in April.
But of the four prospects the Rangers acquired for Gallo, Hauver was the one the Rangers knew would need more time. The Yankees drafted him out of Arizona State in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Of course, due to COVID-19, Hauver wasn’t able to play professionally that season.
He didn’t get the chance to play until 2021, when he started the season at Tampa, the Yankees’ Florida State League affiliate and then played for Hickory after the trade. He hit .274 overall, with 15 home runs and 70 RBI.
MLB.com seems him as a potential power outfielder, probably in left field due to less-than-ideal arm strength. His path might also be easier in the outfield, as he also plays second base and the Rangers have Marcus Semien locked up for seven years and $175 million.
The Rangers like to let prospects develop at their own pace. With steady progression, Hauver could be in Double-A in 2023 and Triple-A in 2024. MLB.com sees Hauver’s potential arrival time in the Majors in 2023.
Based on his May, he could be closer to joining his Gallo-trade teammates than he realizes.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.
