Mock First Round Projects Prep Infielder to Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have gone with pitching in the first round each of the past two drafts, so infield would be a different direction.

© Michael Cuneo/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the Major League Baseball draft less than three weeks away, who the Texas Rangers might take in the first round is coming into clearer focus.

MLB.com recently released its newest mock draft, with a focus on the teams that are competing in the College World Series in Omaha.

With some of the best draft-eligible college players competing, MLB.com still projects the Rangers taking one of the best high school players in the draft — outfielder Walker Jenkins out of South Brunswick High School in Southport, N.C.

In this mock, the Rangers would end up taking the first high school player off the board. The mock had the Pittsburgh Pirates taking LSU outfielder Dylan Crews at No. 1 overall, followed by the Washington Nationals taking his teammate, pitcher Paul Skenes, at No. 2.

Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford went to the Detroit Tigers at No. 3.

As MLB explains, whether the Rangers take Jenkins may depend on whether someone unexpected drops out of the top three spots:

The Rangers could be the second-most likely home for Skenes, though their choice probably will come down to Langford, Jenkins and Clark — and that seems to be their pecking order.

Clark is outfielder Max Clark of Franklin (Ind.) Community High School. He went No. 5 to Minnesota.

Further fueling the idea that it could be a position players is that the Rangers have taken pitchers with their first-round pick each of the last two drafts — Jack Leiter in 2021 and Kumar Rocker in 2022. Plus, half of the Rangers’ Top 30 prospects, per MLB.com, are pitchers.

The first round of the MLB Draft will be on July 9 in Seattle, which is the start of All-Star Game weekend.  

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