The Rangers pick 12th, 52nd and 84th today. Among experts of the amateur game, the consensus is there’s no consensus, even among the top few picks. Safer college-aged hitters are wanting, while college arms and prep hitters are more prominent. Many recent mocks have the Rangers selecting a high school hitter, which would break from the recent trend. Texas hasn’t selected a high school player in the first round since 2018 or a high school hitter in this range since Jake Skole in 2010.
Players are ordered by most recent appearance in a mock from Baseball America, MLB.com, ESPN, The Athletic, or CBS.
RHP Kyson Witherspoon (Age 20, Oklahoma)
Baseball America draft 7.0 (today), BA 6.0 (9 Jul) BA 5.0 (30 Jun)
Witherspoon’s fastball sits comfortably in the mid-90s, augmented by a cutter, slider, curve and a change that was functional if seldom used. His control improved substantially in 2025, reducing some of the reliever risk.
With the essential caveats that I am not even remotely the expert on the draft and didn’t even spend as much time as usual writing this preview: More than anyone else I’ve studied in writing this piece, Witherspoon makes me feel things.
SS Daniel Pierce (19, Hoschton, GA)
MLB.com final draft (12 July), CBS (11 Jul), MLB.com draft 3.0 (10 Jul), MLB.com 2.0 (3 July)
Apparently a lock to stick at short, and speedy as well, Pierce climbed the rankings with an improved bat this spring. Ideally, he’ll make ample contact and add some power. He’s committed to Georgia.
SS Kayson Cunningham (Age 19, San Antonio, TX)
The Athletic (12 Jul), BA Staff 1.0 (31 Mar), BA 1.0 (10 Mar)
Arguably the best pure bat coming out of high school. Arguably the best bat, period. On the downside, he’s already 19, his listed height of 5’10” might be generous, and he’s already filled out physically. Defensive reviews aren’t bad but question his likelihood of sticking at short. He’s committed to the Longhorns.
SS Steele Hall (Age 17, Trussville AL)
ESPN 3.0 (11 Jul), BA 3.0 (12 May), ESPN 2.0 (18 Jun), BA 1.0 (28 May), BA Staff 2.0 (12 Apr)
13 months younger than Cunningham, Hall is much more likely to remain at short and has far better speed. While he’s shown promise at the plate, his whiff tendencies will present a challenge for developmental staff. He’s committed to Tennessee.
RHP Gage Wood (Age 21, U of Arkansas)
Baseball America Staff Draft 3.0 (7 Jul)
Even if you ignore college ball, you’ve probably heard of him, as he threw the 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series. A shoulder impingement limited him to only 37.2 innings in 2025, but he fanned 46% of opposing batters. He deals an upper-90s fastball, hard curve, hard slider and very occasional change.
OF/C Ike Irish (Age 21, Auburn)
ESPN Expert Draft (30 Jun)
Potentially the second college bat off the board after Aiva Arquette and first available to the Rangers. My bias* is for positional certainty from catchers, but Irish doesn’t provide it. Still, Irish might have the bat to cover an outfield corner or first base. Every recent mock I’ve seen has him off the board before Texas picks.
* I haven’t performed any research or analysis, but when I read a player “might” stick at a position, I assume he won’t, so I assess the bat based on the fallback position.
SS Joseph “Jojo” Parker, (Age 18, Purvis, MS)
CBS draft (28 June), BA 4.0 (9 Jun), MLB.com 1.0 (6 May)
Here’s the reason for the “arguably” qualifiers on Kayson Cunningham’s bat, as Parker can make a strong case for superiority. His contact ability rivals Cunningham, and his build could offer more power. Parker is also on the older side (19 in August) and likely to move to third or second in the long run. Like Irish, Parker appears unlikely to drop to Texas.
LHP/1B Kruz Schoolcraft (Age 18, Portland, OR)
BA 2.0 (14 Apr)
The outlier in the group, a high school pitcher. Schoolcraft is 6’8” with a monster fastball, but his secondaries lag, and he comes across as more of a project than anyone I’ve covered. Several recent mocks attach him to the Royals at #23.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 5, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 8-7, 2 GB, 42-48 overall
SP Josh Sborz: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 26 P / 15 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Michael Plassmeyer: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 4.45 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
3B Josh Jung: 1-3, 2B, BB, .217/.250/.304
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, HR (15), .300/.385/.530
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, HR (8), .260/.347/.405
In his first rehab outing, Josh Sborz recorded two outs and a first strike to Zac Veen, but 2B Cody Freeman couldn’t quite corral Veen’s grounder to his deep left (justly ruled a single). Keston Hiura followed with an eight-pitch double, and Sterlin Thompson walked on six pitches, ending Sborz’s night. Sborz’s fastball topped at 92.7 and averaged 91, well below his standard. He mixed it with an 80-ish curve and 84 slider. He missed four bats.
Cole Winn’s unearned run streak in AAA reached 28.2 innings. As I covered when he was first recalled, there’s more than a little luck built into that streak. Regardless what matters is becoming a bullpen fixture in 2025, since Texas’s understandable reliance on short-term free agents this season will result in another full-scale rebuild this winter.
AA: Frisco 3, at Amarillo (ARI) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 6-11, 4 GB, 44-41 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 86 P / 61 S, 2.73 ERA
Eight hits is a season high off Mitch Bratt. Bratt isn’t strong at squelching power. He leans toward fly-prone and owns a slightly-below-average .392 oppo slugging percentage, courtesy of 28 extra-base hits including eight homers. His skill is keeping the bases clear in front of those harder hits. The gap between his walk rate (4%) and strikeout rate (30%) is elite.
Amarillo walked off with a walk and homer against Josh Mollerus, who began his AA adventure with three scoreless outings but has struggled in two appearances in a city that has no analog in the Sally League.
Hi-A: Hub City 0, @ Rome (ATL) 10
Hub City: 2 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 12-8, 1 G up, 43-42 overall
SP Mason Molina: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 0 SO, 45 P / 26 S, 4.11 ERA
An ugly outcome, but I appreciate Hub City easing my burden on Draft Day.
Lo-A: Hickory 4, at Lynchburg (CLE) 0
Hickory: 11 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 16-4, 1.5 G up, 49-36 overall
SP Caden Scarborough: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 5 SO, 72 P / 44 S, 3.50 ERA
RP Jake Jakeielek: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.52 ERA
RP Kyle Larsen: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 2-4, BB, .270/.409/.336
RF Hector Osorio: 3-5, 3B, .266/.404/.379
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .204/.282/.313
Another strong outing by Caden Scarborough, who pulled on his leash enough to finally reach five innings. I hadn’t given any thought to him finishing the season in high-A until now but I suppose it’s possible. That said, assuming similar results down the stretch, I wouldn’t consider 2025 to be any less of a resounding success if he stayed put. He’s one of the system’s highlights.
Hickory owns the leagues best record and run differential. Honestly, I saw an average squad on paper in early April, and it was until about three weeks ago, but I’m not complaining.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD (Jon Gray)
AA: Supak
Hi-A: Gonzalez
Lo-A: Hagaman