Why the Rangers Can't Afford to Miss on Another First-Round Pick

The Texas Rangers do not have a scouting problem.

Over the years, they have proven that they are one of baseball’s better organizations at finding and identifying first-round talent in the MLB Draft.

As the draft is quickly approaching, we took a look back at some of their moves.

Wyatt Langford has already established himself for the organization. Josh Jung is an All-Star. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker have taken their place on the major league roster. Evan Carter helped get the team a World Series championship in 2023.

All of that success is exactly why the Rangers can’t afford to miss on their first round selection this year.

The first pick for Houston will occur at No. 16.

Success Comes at a Cost

Winning is the greatest feeling in the world, and it also has consequences.

The Rangers’ farm system doesn’t have the depth it had just a few years ago. That’s because many of its best prospects are, well, no longer prospects.

Langford, Carter, Leiter, Rocker, they have all graduated out of the system. Other prospects have been moved in trades to strengthen the major league roster in an effort to win now.

As a result, FanGraphs now ranks the Texas farm system at No. 18.

Could be worse. Could be better. But, it’s not bad.

It’s also a gentle reminder, though, that sustained contenders must constantly be looking to replenish their pipeline.

Rangers Have Stellar Track Record

If you take a look back over the Rangers draft history, it inspires confidence in the current situation.

Recent first round draft picks have developed into major league contributors or elite prospects.

Even though Sebastian Walcott has battled injuries, he is still the top prospect. As we said earlier, Carter, Leiter and Rocker have all made the big leagues and Langford is looking like a bright young outfielder.

This points to the organization being successful in its scouting and analytics on first-round draft picks. There are very few organizations that can boast the success the Rangers have had with their selections in the draft.

No. 16 Reflects the Future

The draft is where future championship windows begin and for Texas that all starts with the No. 16 pick in the draft. It will be the first selection for the Arlington team, and they need to select the best player available.

For Texas, it might not matter what position it is, just one with All-Star potential.

The future requires more than one wave of talent. The funnel has to stay full and keep a steady flow of prospects working their way to the MLB field. When one graduates, there is another right there waiting to take his place.

That’s the philosophy of championship teams. The Rangers are in the position to make the playoffs this year, so every decision is an important one.

If they want to keep the window open, they need to hit on this first-round pick.

Add us as a preferred source on Google