Texas Rangers: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018

We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the Texas Rangers!

Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Texas Rangers.

This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.

The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!

Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.

System overview

Last year’s list

The Texas Rangers have been able to remain competitive for almost 15 years at this point, utilizing a strong Latin program in their farm system and quality trades to have just season since 2004 with a win-loss percentage of under .450. The Rangers have averaged nearly 85 wins per season over that 14-year span and look to once again be at least better than a .500 team in 2018.

Changes in the international system have changed the way the Rangers farm system acquires talent now, relying more on quality drafting late in the draft rather than dumping loads of money into the Latin market and letting the cream rise to the top like they had for years.

That has started to manifest on the look of the Texas Rangers top prospect list as the system now has more players acquired via draft than any other mode (international free agent, trade) this season. The system is in the bottom half of the league, but not near the bottom systems in the game at this point, so there is plenty for Rangers fans to look forward to!

Let’s take a look at that system….

Next: #9 and #10

10. Michael Matuella, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/3/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hickory Crawdads
2017 Stats: 21 G, 20 GS, 75 IP, 4.20 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 7% BB, 18.2% K

Info: Coming into his draft year with Duke, Matuella was considered one of the top arms in the entire nation, then he was injured and found to need Tommy John surgery, plummeting his draft stock.

The Texas Rangers took the risk and drafted Matuella in the third round in 2015. He spent nearly the entire 2016 season rehabbing, throwing just 3 innings in one appearance for his entire workload on the season.

The top end projection for Matuella is a front of the rotation type of pitcher

Matuella has a diagnosed back condition on top of his return from Tommy John that has certainly led to many questioning his future path, but he showed very well once he was on the hill this season.

The top end projection for Matuella is a front of the rotation type of pitcher with a fastball that can touch upper 90s and sits mid-90s. He has a power curve and a slider that both get a ton of weak contact and swing and miss. His fastball’s incredible life was starting to find its way into his change this season as well.

Getting back on the hill after TJS usually brings back velocity in the first year and better feel in the second year, and the feel on his pitches was certainly not quite there for Matuella in 2017, as his control was solid, evidenced by his low walk rate, but he was often missing his spots with pitches, leaving them too much in the heart of the plate or up in the zone from where he would like.

Matuella will open in high-A in 2018 most likely with an opportunity to jump up the system in a hurry once his feel returns on his pitches.

9. Yanio Perez, 1B/3B/OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/10/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hickory Crawdads, high-A Down East Wood Ducks
2017 Stats: .280/.343/.434, 516 PA, 14 HR, 6 SB, 38/100 BB/K

Info: The Texas Rangers signed Perez after the 2016 season out of Cuba. The Rangers have had good luck in Cuba to this point, though they’ve typically not been finding “elite” players in that market.

Perez likely will fall short of that mark, though he’s already shown himself to be much more than many thought of him coming over to the states. Known as a first baseman in Cuba, Perez was expected to offer solid power and a good eye at the plate.

Instead, the Texas Rangers got a very good athlete out of Perez. While Perez won’t likely win any stolen base crowns, he has excellent top end speed and very good hands, which allowed him to play well at third base and both outfield corners this season in the Rangers system.

He also showed much more over-the-fence power than he was expected to offer, and he flashed his top-end speed in racking up extra base hits. Perez even impressed many scouts at the Arizona Fall League with his work around the bag at third base.

Where Perez will fit long-term is still to be determined, but at this point, he’s certainly added to his future options and shown that he can handle the transition to hitting in pro ball. He’ll likely open with AA Frisco in 2018, and he could push forward quickly if he continues his impressive performances.

Next: #7 and #8

8. Kyle Cody, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/9/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hickory Crawdads, high-A Down East Wood Ducks
2017 Stats: 23 GS, 126 IP, 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8.2% BB, 26.1% K

Info: A three-time draftee, Cody was picked by the Phillies out of high school, but the towering righty wanted to head to Kentucky, where the Minnesota Twins made him a 2nd round selection in 2015, but he chose to return for one more season. He fell to the 6th round to the Texas Rangers in 2016, and some thought he could have taken a step back in his last year of college in control and overall stuff.

Cody pounded the zone last season over 47 1/3 innings once he was drafted, and hitters made him pay for it, to the tune of a 5.13 ERA. He found sledding much more tenable in 2017.

When all is working well, Cody has an impressive fastball that can touch 97 and works 93-95 with a ton of life from his 6’7″ downward plane. He pairs that with a wicked slider that some scouts graded as the best they saw all season, with incredible late snap.

Cody has a well-developed frame, so he’s not likely to add more velocity, but he could develop a change that would allow him to be able to add to his current mid-rotation projection. He could push himself to a frontline starter with work on that change.

Cody really worked on his control and command in 2017, and his currently profile should play well as a mid-rotation inning eater type. While he had just 5 starts at high-A, he could force his way up to AA with a strong spring.

7. Bubba Thompson, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/9/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Rangers
2017 Stats: .257/.317/.434, 123 PA, 3 HR, 5 SB, 6/28 BB/K

Info: Arguably the best athlete in the first round of the draft, Thompson had options to play both football and baseball for a few colleges, which was one reason that he wasn’t a top 15 pick in the draft. The Texas Rangers were overjoyed to get his high-level talent with the 26th overall pick.

He played just 30 games in the Arizona Rookie League, and while he showed some of the raw issues that come with his focus on two sports, he also flashed the extreme athleticism that had scouts drooling all spring, hitting 12 extra base hits and stole 5 bases.

Thompson is a double-plus runner with a monster arm that can handle center field very well

The Texas Rangers specialize in drafting premium athletes, so it was no surprise that Thompson was their selection. While he was one of the older players in the first round of the draft, he will likely take some time to develop.

Thompson is a double-plus runner with a monster arm that can handle center field very well. His incredible bat speed will eventually allow his raw power to play up beyond average, but he will need to work on his plate discipline as both his pitch recognition and zone recognition were lacking in his pro debut.

With Thompson needing some time to develop, he may start the spring at extended spring, but his likely destination will eventually be low-A Hickory in 2018.

Next: #5 and #6

6. Yohander Mendez, LHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 1/17/1995 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Frisco RoughRiders, MLB Texas Rangers
2017 Stats: Minors: 24 GS, 137 2/3 IP, 3.79 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 7.7% BB, 22.3% K; Majors: 7 G, 12 1/3 IP, 5.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 5.8% BB, 13.5% K

Info: Mendez was signed out of Venezuela by the Texas Rangers in 2011. At 6’5″, he’s filled into his frame and shows what has become trademark of Venezuelan lefties, a plus changeup.

Mendez has worked his way up the Rangers system step-by-step, reaching AAA in 2016 and even making his major league debut. Working on refining his command and control in 2017, Mendez spent the majority of the season at AA Frisco before a major league call up in September.

Mendez improved his command on his fastball and change tremendously, though he’s working still on his slider and curve to both get consistent break and location on the breaking pitches. The Rangers hope he can push this forward to challenge for a rotation spot during the 2018 season.

The Rangers were pleased to see Mendez’s low-90s fastball play up with additional movement as he focused on pounding the zone. He had his usual elite changeup, and even saw his fringe-average slider and curve play up better with better location.

Mendez will likely compete for the 5th spot in the rotation, especially with Martin Perez likely going to miss the start of the season. He’ll be at AAA providing depth insurance for the rotation if he isn’t with the big club out of Arizona.

5. Cole Ragans, LHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/12/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: short-season A-ball Spokane Indians
2017 Stats: 13 GS, 57 1/3 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 14% BB, 34.8% K

Info: Ragans was one of the elite prep lefties in the 2016 draft, and the Texas Rangers were very pleased to snag him with the 30th overall selection out of high school in Florida.

While Ragans is not a guy with elite velocity from the left side, he utilizes excellent life and spin rate on his low-90s fastball to see hitters flail at his fastball. His change plays off of that fastball very well and is his best graded pitch, commonly rated as a 65 pitch, some even putting a 70 future grade on the change.

The biggest concern currently with Ragans is consistency with his delivery

The fastball/changeup mix along with a curve that has slipped some since his high school days throws off hitters in such a way that Ragans totals up excellent strikeout rates.

The biggest concern currently with Ragans is consistency with his delivery, and that was evidenced in his struggles with throwing strikes as he routinely struggled to be consistent with his landing in his delivery, often over-extending his lead leg, causing the rest of his body to drag behind and have little support for location or the final snap of movement.

Ragans will likely open 2018 with low-A Hickory for his first taste of full-season ball.

Next: #3 and #4

4. Ronald Guzman, 1B

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/20/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Round Rock Express
2017 Stats: .298/.372/.434, 527 PA, 12 HR, 4 SB, 47/85 BB/K

Info: Guzman was a big signing in 2011 when the Texas Rangers plucked him out of the Dominican Republic. He’s always had the body to make scouts drool, and he finally started to hit with the power many saw in his 6’5″, 220-230 pound frame in 2017.

Even with improvements in his power, Guzman is still a guy who is more of a contact guy than a power guy. He has an excellent swing for a guy with arms as long as he has, able to make solid contact throughout the strike zone.

Even with improvements in his power, Guzman is still a guy who is more of a contact guy than a power guy

Better evaluation of the strike zone was a big part of the improvement seen in Guzman in 2017. He had one of his best walk rates in his pro career, and he was able to cut down his strikeouts at the same time.

While he has shown more doubles power and 15-20 home run power as a minor leaguer, many have seen that turn into much more at the major league level in recent years, and Guzman could certainly be the next to do just that.

He should open in AAA in 2018, but if Joey Gallo struggles at first base, or the DH spot is not hitting in the Texas Rangers lineup, do not be surprised to see Guzman get his shot at the big league club.

3. Hans Crouse, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/15/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Rangers
2017 Stats: 10 G, 6 GS, 20 IP, 0.45 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 9.5% BB, 40.5% K

Info: Crouse was one of the biggest names of the summer showcase season in 2016, with his raw stuff and bulldog mentality on the mound. The California prep righty did have some concerns due to his delivery, and that allowed the Texas Rangers to snag him in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft.

Crouse has a delivery that does not look like you’d teach to a young pitcher, but he repeats it, and when broken down, the impact points on his joints are quite minimal within the delivery. It may not be pretty, but his delivery is not likely to be the reason that Crouse will be struggling down the road.

Working with a fastball that can touch 99, Crouse has big velocity, but it’s the wicket spin on the fastball that makes it tough on hitters. Add in his hard, sharp slider, and hitters really had little chance in high school. His change has elite movement, but he has not used it a lot to this point.

Crouse could be the next dominant starter for the Rangers, but they will need to handle him with intentionality, not pushing him beyond where he is ready. He will likely open in full-season ball in 2018.

Next: #1 and #2

2. Leody Taveras, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/8/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hickory Crawdads
2017 Stats: .249/.312/.360, 577 PA, 8 HR, 20 SB, 47/92 BB/K

Info: It’s hard to decide between Crouse and Taveras for 2/3, but on pure ceiling, Taveras could make an argument for #1, and that gives him this spot.

Taveras was signed out of the Dominican in 2015, and in 2017 he was already playing full-season ball, which was a big push on the young center fielder. He struggled, but there were certainly flashes that allowed his bright future to be seen.

With a frame and natural strength that would portend future power output that would be average to above-average, Taveras has certain ability to flash 5 above-average tools.

Certainly, Taveras’ defense and speed are going to give him plenty of opportunities as both could be argued in the 65-70 grade range on the 20 to 80 scouting scale. His defensive play in center field is quite smooth and quite enjoyable to watch as he is so instinctual and takes such easy routes to balls.

While he did struggle some with low-A in 2017, Taveras should move up to high-A Down East in 2018.

1. Willie Calhoun, 2B/OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018):
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers, AAA Round Rock Express, MLB Texas Rangers
2017 Stats: Minors: .300/.355/.572, 534 PA, 31 HR, 4 SB, 42/61 BB/K; Majors: .265/.324/.353, 37 PA, 1 HR, 2/7 BB/K

Info: When the Dodgers drafted Calhoun in the 4th round of the 2015 draft, his short height and stocky build already had many worried about his future defensive home.

As he has matured as a professional, Calhoun has thickened in his lower half, and while he’s unlikely to play as a second baseman in the major leagues, his bat has also matured along with his body, and he has shown an incredible bat.

Calhoun’s stance and swing are compact and maximized for force against the baseball

Calhoun’s stance and swing are compact and maximized for force against the baseball. He keeps his swing on the plane for an extended period of his swing path, quickly getting into the zone and finishing up with a loft-oriented swing.

Calhoun has incredible power in his quick swing, but he does not expand the zone in order to reach for balls out of his zone, rarely striking out, with a contact-oriented approach. The Texas Rangers acquired him in their summer deal that sent Yu Darvish to the Dodgers.

The Rangers got a taste of Calhoun’s bat in 2017 and will want to see him full-time in 2018, whether that’s at DH or in left field.

Next: Newcomers to watch