This Former First Round Draft Pick Is Off to Great Start in AFL

The Texas Rangers are seeing encouraging production from one of their recent first round picks.

Mar 15, 2024; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; General view of a Texas Rangers hat, glove, and glasses prior to a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Arizona Fall League offers a great opportunity for those whose regular seasons were plagued by injury, to gain more playing time before heading into next year. One player who’s seemed to benefit from this added time is Texas Rangers prospect Malcolm Moore. 

After back-to-back impressive seasons with Stanford, the Rangers selected Moore in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft. He looked good to start his 2025 season. In nine games played in April, Moore hit for a .930 OPS with four extra-base hits.

Moore would then be placed on the injured list after he suffered a broken finger on his right hand. Not an ideal situation for a catcher that throws with the right hand. The 22-year-old would miss more than two months of the regular season due to this injury.

Jul 24, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers first round draft pick Malcolm Moore throws out the first pitch before the game against the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Field. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Moore would be reinstated in late June after some time down in the Arizona Complex League, where he’d be sent back to High-A Hub City. He’d struggle to get going offensively, and finished the 2025 regular season with a .576 OPS, three home runs, and five stolen bases.

There may not have been a better candidate to send out to Arizona this fall for the Rangers. Their No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline clearly needed a change of scenery and an environment where he could focus on his own personal development.

That change of scenery and new environment has clearly worked for him so far. He undoubtedly looks healthier than he did back in the regular season, and the production has shown that. In four games played, he’s tied for his team's lead with five hits.

The Surprise Saguaros won 6-2 and move to 4-1.

Malcolm Moore finished 2-for-3 with 3 RBI.

Kolton Curtis: 1 IP // 0 R // 2 BB // 1 SO
— 19/10 strikes

Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP // 1 ER // 0 H // 3 BB // 1 SO // 2 WP — 26/11 strikes

— The Prospect Times (@ProspectTimes) October 16, 2025

Through his first 15 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros, Moore has slashed .333/.389/.467, with an .856 OPS. He’s currently tied for the team lead with two doubles, and five runs batted in. Moore has managed to come across to score two runs as well.

The one area of improvement Texas would likely want to see is plate discipline. While he walked at a near 10% rate throughout the entire 2025 season, he’s struck out eight times so far with no walks in the Arizona Fall League.

While it's only been four games, the start is very encouraging for the Rangers organization. For a prospect who struggled to get the bat going after an injury, the time in the desert is making Moore look like the first round pick Texas used for him. 

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