Here’s who the Texas Rangers selected with their first pick in the MLB draft
The Texas Rangers stayed in the college ranks with their first-round pick in a second straight MLB draft, taking Mississippi State second baseman Justin Foscue with the 14th overall selection.
The Rangers selected third baseman Josh Jung from Texas Tech last year at No. 8, and grabbed infielder Davis Wendzel with the 41st overall pick in the supplement round. They have a deep pool of middle infielders in the organization.
Foscue, 21, batted .321 with a .509 slugging percentage in 16 games as a junior this season before the NCAA canceled spring sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We truly believe in this kid’s bat,” Rangers amateur scouting director Kip Fagg said. “He’s been a big performer in a big conference. He’s always hit, impacted the baseball. He’s some kind of competitor and some kind of kid.”
He started for the U.S. collegiate national team last summer after transitioning from a light-hitting third baseman as a freshman to a second baseman with pop as a sophomore. Defensively, he was part of one of the top double-play combinations in college baseball, but has some footwork to clean up.
The Rangers, though, believe he will be average at worst defensively, and his ability to play multiple positions could also be a reason they selected him here. The high leg kick he uses at the plate might also need to be tweaked.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had that knack to hit,” Foscue said. “When I was in my freshman year, I never felt overchallenged. It just felt like I was missing those pitches I could hit out of the stadium.”
Foscue checked all the boxes with his make-up, from work ethic to the desire to compete. He was undrafted from Virgil Grissom High School in Huntsville, Ala. Also, he could be a player who signs below the assigned slot value of $4,036,800 and give the Rangers some flexibility later in the draft.
“I think most kids, when they come from high school to a program like that, there’s some adjustments to be made,” Fagg said. “Is he going to have to make some adjustments? Possibly, yeah, but I believe this kid’s bat-to-ball is elite.”
The draft is only five rounds this year, down from the usual 40 as owners used the draft as a means to cut debt in a year in which they stand to lose money. The most a player can receive of his bonus is $100,000, with the rest to be paid the next two years.
Rounds 2 through 5 will be held Thursday (4 p.m., ESPN).
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 7:47 PM.
