What Texas Rangers First-Round Pick Says About Their Long-Term Vision

The Texas Rangers have been down this road before. But what does their first-round selection say about the team’s goals for the future?

A view of the Texas Rangers logo. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Like every team in the MLB draft, the Texas Rangers had a plan. In fact, they had multiple plans.

The draft can be unpredictable. In the NFL Draft, players come out of college. The MLB draft pool includes high school graduates, first-year junior college players and four-year college players at least three years removed from high school. Teams also widely different things.

The Rangers landed left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. After his selection, Rangers director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg told MLB.com that Texas was “ecstatic” that Rojas fell to them at No. 16. The organization expected him to be selected by then. Per MLB Pipeline, he was considered both the best high school pitcher and the best left-handed pitcher in this year’s class.

Texas clearly pounced on a talented player that unexpectedly fell to them. But, what does Rojas mean to their long-term vision?

Gio Rojas and the Rangers’ Future

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

Rojas is the first high school pitcher the Rangers selected in the first round since 2018 when they took Cole Winn. The right-hander is now in the Rangers, bullpen, but it took him six years to get to the majors, which included losing a development year due to COVID-19’s cancellation of the 2020 minor league season.

In 2016, Texas made left-hander Cole Ragans their first-round pick out of high school. He also needed six years to reach the Majors, which included losing 2020 and requiring two Tommy John procedures.

None of this is to say that Rojas will get hurt. It reflects that the development timeline for a high school pitcher is usually longer than a college pitcher. If Rojas throws in the system this year it will likely be in the rookie leagues and the Rangers will treat him with care. Texas' philosophy with player development is that the player's performance tells them when it’s time for a promotion.

So how does Rojas fit into the future? First, the Rangers needed left-handed pitching. Texas traded several left-handed prospects last year at the deadline and needed to restock. Rojas has electric stuff, according to MLB Pipeline, including a fastball that's been hitting 98 mph. His off-speed stuff is more mature than most high school pitchers. He turned 19 in June, so he’s physically more mature than other high school graduates.

Next, Texas will be without three current starting pitchers after 2027 — Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore. All can hit free agency. The Rangers hope to build around Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, along with prospects like Caden Scarbrough. Rojas won’t be ready in 2028. But the hope is there will be a spot for him in 2029 or 2030 when he’s ready.

The Rangers also had an evaluative “in.” Manager Skip Schumaker’s son, Brody, played with Rojas in the WBSC U-18 World Cup. Schumaker said the Rangers “lucked” into that pick.

Lucky or not, the Rangers have a fit with Rojas, one they feel is worth waiting on.