Unranked Rangers Pitching Prospect is Player to Watch in Arizona Fall League

The Rangers are sending big names to the Arizona Fall League, but Joey Danielson is another name to keep in mind.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers boasted the best pitching staff in baseball. Jacob deGrom was back to form after injuries derailed the last have decade and Nathan Eovaldi was a Cy Young contender before getting injured.

However, they aren't in the playoffs becasue despite an elite rotation, the offense couldn't get it done. They've now missed the playoffs in a second straight year following their World Series win and will now have to hire a new manager.

In the meantime, the Arizona Fall League starts this weekend. In an offseason tournament filled with the best prospects in baseball, seven of the nine players the Rangers sent are in their Top 30. According to MLB Pipeline, one of those unranked prospects, Joey Danielson, is going under-the-radar.

Danielson Is New to Pitching

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The right-hander has had an interesting baseball career thus far. He began his college career at North Dakota State as a catcher, but only made nine plate appearances in his first two seasons.

He began pitching in his second season, throwing only 12 games. He steadily improved over his three years on the mound. In his final season, he threw 39 innings, struck out 39 and posted a 4.85 ERA.

After his fifth year at North Dakota State, he was drafted by the Rangers in the 17th round of the 2024 draft. He threw just 8.1 innings at Single-A after signing, allowing three earned runs and even saving a game.

This was his first full season in baseball, and he pitched 49 games between High-A and Double-A.

With High-A Hub City, Danielson looked good in his first 34 games. In 41.1 innings, he struck out 48 for a 10.5 K/9 while posting a 3.70 ERA and four saves. His performance earned him an end-of-season promotion to Double-A, where he spent his final 15 games.

It was an adjustment for Danielson. In 14.2 innings, the right-hander struck out 19, but posted a 6.14 ERA and struggled to throw strikes, walking 14 batters.

The ERA looks bad, but it was really only two blow up outings that hurt Danielson. In back-to-back appearances, he only recorded one out, and allowed three and four runs. Outside of that, nine of his outings were scoreless, with three of them seeing him allow one run.

Danielson was better than the numbers indicate in Double-A, but he did struggle with walks and allowed base runners all season, posting a 1.607 WHIP.

The 25-year-old throws a mid-90s fastball and slider. If he gets right in the AFL in terms of throwing strikes, Danielson could really put on a display against the best competition he has faced to date. He's still new to pitching, but relievers move quickly. If he pitches well, he could join the Rangers bullpen sooner rather than later.