How Rangers are Building Pitching Arsenal to Reckon with in Minor Leagues

While the Texas Rangers are fighting for a playoff berth this season, they’re also looking ahead to what could happen in the next couple of years.

One thing stands out — the starting rotation is bound to change after the 2027 season.

Jacob deGrom will be in the final year of his contract, though there is a $20 million team option for 2028. Nathan Eovaldi will be a free agent. So will MacKenzie Gore. That’s three-fifths of the rotation.

Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are the only two starters under team control or contract beyond next season. The Rangers may have to get a free agent or two to bridge from their veterans to a new group of starters that they have cooking in the minor leagues. And what they have looks pretty good.

MLB Pipeline recently ranked the Rangers as the No. 9 farm system for pitching. It’s easy to see why once one examines the team’s Top 30 prospects.

Rangers Top 30 Pitching Prospects

American League pitcher Caden Scarborough throws a baseball to a hitter during a game. — American League pitcher Caden Scarborough. Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The list starts with two pitchers that are among the Top 100 in baseball and among the Rangers’ Top 3 prospects per MLB Pipeline. That’s right-hander Caden Scarborough, who is No. 2 and is at High-A Hub City, and 2026 first-round pick Gio Rojas, a left-hander.

From there, the list grows. Right-hander AJ Russell, last year’s second-round pick out of Tennessee, is No. 3. A pair of two-way prospects, Seong-Jun Kim and Josh Owens — who were just promoted to Class-A Hickory — are No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. Former North Carolina star Dalton Pence, a lefty who was just promoted to Triple-A Round Rock, is No. 10.

Outside the Top 10 is another 2026 draft pick, left-hander Brody Bumila (No. 11), right-hander David Davalillo (No. 15), right-hander Winston Santos (No. 16) and right-hander Jacob Johnson (No. 17). Davalillo and Santos are on the MLB roster, and Santos made his debut earlier this year.

Among the remaining Top 30 prospects are right-hander Jose Corniell (No. 24), right-hander Emiliano Teodo (No. 25), right-hander Izack Tiger (No. 26), right-hander Leandro Lopez (No. 27) and right-hander Mason McConnaughey (No. 30). Corniell and Teodo have pitched in the Majors and Corniell is on the injured list.

Pence, Davalillo, Santos and Corniell are all close enough to help the Rangers as starters by 2028. Teodo could help as a reliever. Lopez, who is at Double-A, could get there, too. That’s six options.

It backs up what MLB Pipeline wrote about the system.

“They have 13 total arms on their top 30 with an average overall [scouting] grade of 45, tying them with the Giants for eighth-best among all 30 systems,” the site’s analysts wrote.

Texas has invested heavily in pitching the past few years, whether it be the draft or through international signings. Those efforts could pay off in the next couple of years when the Rangers need it the most.

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