Biggest Winners and Losers From the Texas Rangers 2026 MLB Draft

Now that there have been a couple of days to ponder the selections, here are the winners and the losers from the Texas Rangers’ 2026 MLB Draft.

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young. | USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers had goals going into the 2026 MLB draft. Did they achieve them? That won’t be known for some time.

In a sport that has a notoriously long development window, the Rangers leaned hard into prep talent, spent considerable capital on pitching and nearly ignored organizational depth at one position. Here are the winners and losers from the Rangers’ 2026 MLB draft.

Winners

Bishop Feehan's Brody Bumila. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Early Draft Value

If one believes MLB Pipeline rankings, the Rangers did a great job of getting value of their first three selections.

Left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas, who pitched at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, was No. 8 on MLB Pipeline’s board and dropped to No. 16 in the first round. In the second round, the Rangers landed shortstop Connor Comeau out of Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, with the No. 54 overall pick. He was ranked No. 55 overall.

But the value on left-handed pitcher Brody Bumila out of Bishop Feehan High School in Massachusetts could be incredible. He fell to the third round, No. 89 overall, and was No. 23 on MLB Pipeline’s board.

Two-Way Players

The Rangers have developed a fascination with the two-way player. Last year it was prep star Josh Owens, who is playing rookie league ball and is being allowed to be used as both a position player and a pitcher as Texas assesses his trajectory. Owens was a third-round pick.

In the fifth round the Rangers selected Penn State’s Michael Anderson Jr. He was first-team All-Big Ten after he batted .358 with 11 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 53 RBI and 43 runs. But he only appeared in two games as a pitcher. So, does Texas see him as a two-way player? Maybe, maybe not. But it got his foot in the door. For the second straight year, versatility helped a player earn a Rangers selection early in the draft. 

Losers

Texas Rangers designated hitter Wyatt Langford. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Immediate Impact

Most prospects don't rise like Wyatt Langford, who was the Rangers No. 4 overall pick in 2023 and by opening day in 2024 he was the starter in left field. He was an experienced college hitter who caught fire in the minor league system.

The Rangers didn't get that kind of value in the first three rounds. All are prep players, ones that typically need at least four years of development. Two are pitchers and those development timelines can be long.

Their highest college player was pitcher Hudson Calhoun out of Ole Miss in the fourth round. College pitchers tend to need a couple of years to be ready for the Majors. He could also be a reliever or a starter, depending on how the Rangers see his trajectory.

Texas didn’t land a quick fix in this draft.

Catching Depth

For a position the Rangers needed to address with more depth they selected just one catcher — Wichita State’s Max Kaufer in the 18th round. He’s a fourth-year senior so he’s likely to sign. He played at three different college and was having his best season as he was batting .440 with the Shockers before he was sidelined with an injury in mid-March.

The Rangers don't have much organizational depth beyond 2024 first-round pick Malcolm Moore, who is finally picking up steam toward the majors. Perhaps the Rangers feel confident more can be an answer in the next 18 months? For now, the cupboard at the position remains relatively bare, with Kaufer the only addition.