Dustin May went to high school in Justin. LA Dodgers, not Texas Rangers, drafted him.
As luck would have it, or so it would seem, the Texas Rangers were selecting two picks ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft.
Their draft philosophy then is the same as it was now — take the best player available.
Hindsight being what it is, perfect, it’s hard to imagine that the player the Rangers took was better than the one the Dodgers quickly selected when they were on the clock.
Furthermore, it’s hard to imagine that the Rangers wouldn’t have at least considered selecting the Dodgers’ choice because he went to high school 30.7 miles away, give or take a tenth.
Their mistake, though, hasn’t rubbed Dustin May the wrong way.
The big right-hander with the long, curly red hair and the 100-mph sinker worked two scoreless innings Tuesday night and was the winning pitcher for the Dodgers as they opened the National League Division Series with a 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres.
He did so in front of his parents and girlfriend, who were allowed to attend the first postseason game in Globe Life Field history. Being selected by the Dodgers out of Justin Northwest has been a blessing, May said, while representing another local draft miss by the Rangers.
“With the way my agent portrayed the draft, you can really go anywhere no matter what the scenario is,” May said Wednesday. “That’s the way I looked at it. I definitely got blessed.”
The Rangers used their first-round pick (30th overall) in 2016 on left-hander Cole Ragans, who has endured two Tommy John surgeries and is wrapping up rehab from the second. Right-hander Alex Speas was selected in the second round (63rd overall), and he is throwing 102 mph after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018.
The New York Mets took first baseman Pete Alonso at No. 64, and the Toronto Blue Jays took Bo Bichette at No. 66. The New York Yankees selected second baseman Nick Solak at No. 62.
The Rangers held the 99th pick, which fell toward the end of the third round, and used it on a third straight prep player, third baseman Kole Enright. A switch-hitter, Enright batted .417 as a high school senior with four homers, 13 doubles and a triple.
He kept on hitting that year, batting .313 in 42 games in the Arizona League.
Enright batted only .233 in 2017 at Spokane, the Rangers’ Short-Season A affiliate, then and played in 2018 and 2019 at Low A Hickory. Injuries have slowed his development, though he hit 10 home runs and batted .258 in 62 games in 2019.
The Rangers, though, did not include him on their initial roster for the instructional league, which started last week.
May said that he participated in a few pre-draft workouts for the Rangers but never heard much from them. When the draft rolled around, he was told by his agent that he was likely to go to one of two teams, and the Rangers weren’t one of them.
The Rangers said he was on their draft board, but they were hoping he would get to them later in the draft.
“We really hadn’t been in much contact with the Rangers pre-draft,” May said. “Nothing really serious. It was between the Dodgers and the Angels. I’m definitely blessed to be where I am.”
May was a full-time pitcher only in his senior season at Northwest. That’s where he thought his baseball future was headed, and he wanted to give another player a chance to play shortstop and potentially earn a college scholarship.
The Dodgers paid May a $1 million signing bonus to forgo his commitment to Texas Tech. He’s been worth the money.
May made 10 starts for the Dodgers in their 60-game season, going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA. One of those starts was Aug. 28 at Globe Life Field against the Rangers, who won the game 6-2. May took a no-decision after allowing two runs in six innings.
The Rangers started Mike Minor that night, and the left-hander was traded three days later as part of the beginning of another rebuild. Kyle Cody replaced Minor in the rotation and pitched well in the final month.
The Rangers haven’t turned a blind eye to Texas. Top prospect Josh Jung, a San Antonio native who played at Texas Tech, was their first-round pick in 2019, and they picked left-hander Cody Bradford from Aledo (via Baylor) in the sixth round. Mason Englert of Forney was their fourth-rounder in 2018.
Righty Blake Beavan from Irving was a first-rounder in the 2007 draft, and the Rangers used him to acquire Cliff Lee in 2010. They passed on Noah Syndergaard in the 2010 draft, when they were strapped for cash and selected outfielder Jake Skole and catcher Kellin Deglan in the first round.
Both are out of baseball.
Maybe May would have been derailed somewhere had the Rangers selected him when they had the chance in 2016.
It would have been nice to at least find out.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:42 PM.
