Rangers Boss Acknowledges Organization’s Inability to Develop MLB Catchers

The Texas Rangers have veteran coverage at catcher, but they are having trouble developing catchers of their own.

A view of the Texas Rangers logo on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers in game three of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have leaned into the free-agent and trade market to snag reliable catchers the past several years.

This offseason, the Rangers already had Kyle Higashioka on the second year of a two-year deal. They signed Willie MacIver as a free agent from the Athletics, signed Jose Herrera to a minor league deal and, notably, signed veteran Danny Jansen to a two-year contract.

On the surface they’re set for 2026. But Jansen’s two-year deal is notable because it gives Texas coverage for 2027, and it may need it. Because, as president of baseball operations Chris Young acknowledged, the franchise is having trouble getting their own catchers to the Majors.

“So, it’s just an area of need in our organization,” Young said recently. “We developmentally just haven't gotten the players to the big leagues at this position.”

What’s Happening at Catcher?

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The Rangers are the organization of Jim Sundberg and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. The former is a beloved Rangers Hall of Famer. The latter is a beloved Baseball Hall of Famer. Both were Rangers developmental success stories. But, great catching isn’t easy to find and, at times, even harder to develop. Finding one that can contribute offensively as well as defensively is like threading a narrow needle.

Texas’s latest catcher in the pipeline is Malcolm Moore, a Stanford product who was their first-round pick in 2024. But, offensively, his development has been slow by injuries. He has a career slash of .199/.300/.304 with six home runs and 39 RBI. He hasn’t played above High-A baseball. Texas sent him to the Arizona Fall League to get him more at-bats. He got off to a good start offensively, but the numbers tapered off as he finished with a slash of .213/.275/.328 with one home run and eight RBI.

Moore is the organization’s only Top 30 prospect at catcher.

Talent development in baseball isn’t linear. In many cases, it’s fits and starts. Jonah Heim had only played 13 MLB games when the Rangers acquired him in 2021 from the Athletics. But he developed into an All-Star and Gold Glove catcher. He was already in the Majors when he was acquired, and it was hoped he would be a complement to Sam Huff.

Huff was the Rangers’ seventh-round pick in 2016 out of Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Ariz. He eventually grew into a prodigious power hitter in the minors. He hit at least 13 home runs in six straight minor league seasons. He had the sort of power that would play in the Majors and in 2020 the Rangers called him up for the first time.

In limited playing time the power never translated. He hit 10 home runs in parts of four seasons for the Rangers and Texas eventually released him. He landed in San Francisco but only played 20 MLB games there in 2025. It’s not an easy position at which to develop talent. Finding players that can blend offense and defense like Sundberg and Rodriguez is nearly impossible.

So, the Rangers keep signing veteran catchers and keep biding their time to see if Moore, or another organizational catcher, can develop into the job. For now, the Rangers have the coverage they need — just not the success they really want behind the plate when it comes to developing talent.