Rangers draft pitcher Dillon Tate with fourth overall pick

It doesn’t take long to see what the Texas Rangers see in right-hander Dillon Tate.

The junior from UC Santa Barbara sounds mature and wise beyond his 21 years.

The Rangers selected him with the fourth overall pick Monday night in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft, where he was considered by many to be the top pitching prospect. He’s slotted to earn a little over $5 million as the No. 4 pick.

It was the highest selection for the Rangers since they took right-hander Kevin Brown with the No. 4 pick in 1986.

With No. 45 overall pick, the Rangers selected Eric Jenkins, a high school outfielder. Jenkins (6-foot-2, 165 pounds) bats left and throws right. He stole 66 bases in his career at West Columbus High School in North Carolina.

Tate (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) has a fastball routinely clocked in the mid-90s, and mixes it well with a hard slider and changeup.

“This is a huge honor. Texas is a great organization and I’m really fortunate to be in this spot,” Tate said during a conference call. “A lot of kids don’t get this opportunity, and I’m just very blessed to be in this situation I am now.”

Tate’s stock began to rise between his freshman and sophomore seasons at UCSB. He joined MLB’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., in the summer of 2013. He also hit the gym, growing from 165 pounds as a freshman to 200 pounds.

During that summer, Tate said the repetitions on the field helped improve his command, and the weight training helped increase his power. In high school, he threw only in the mid-80s to low 90s.

He had 12 saves as a sophomore and moved to the rotation this season, going 8-5 with a 2.26 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings.

“I actually really liked [starting],” he said. “I have four pitches, and it was a great opportunity for me to develop them and bring them to the next level.

The Rangers were as impressed with Tate’s personality and character as they were his athletic ability.

“We feel really good about the kid, the work ethic, the talent,” Rangers amateur scouting director Kip Fagg said. “We think we’ve got a power pitcher — he’s a starter.

“He’s the top guy that we identified right there at that pick. We’re very excited about some of the intangibles he brings.”

For the first time ever, three shortstops were the top three picks, including Vanderbilt’s Dansby Swanson — who was taken No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Rangers draft pitcher Dillon Tate with fourth overall pick."