Rangers Sign Another Draft Pick

Texas has now agreed to terms with 13 of its 18 MLB Draft selections with the deadline today to wrap up negotiations with the other five.

The Texas Rangers officially announced the signing of 16th-round draft pick Nick Bautista III, as the club tries to agree to terms with its remaining draft picks before Monday’s deadline.

Bautista is the 13th draft pick the Rangers have officially signed. The remaining five are: RHP Caden Marcum (13th round), SS Jack Goodman (15th), LHP Carson Dorsey (17th), RHP Grayson Saunier (19th) and RHP Matt Scott (20th).

Bautista pitched two seasons at Cypress (Calif.) College, where he went 4-4 with a 4.80 ERA in 80 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 95 (10.6 strikeouts per nine innings) in 24 games, 13 of which were starts. The right-hander is a Los Angeles native.

The Rangers’ first official round of signings included their first-round pick, Kumar Rocker. He reportedly agreed to a $5.2 million deal.

The Rangers announced six other signings that day — RHP Matt Brosky (eighth) SS Griffin Cheney (ninth), OF Josh Hatcher (10th), LHP Kohl Drake (11th), RHP Jackson Kelley (12th) and LHP Justin Sanchez (18th).

After that, the Rangers announced the signing of fourth-round pick Brock Porter.

Porter, a right-hander out of St. Mary's Prep in Orchard Lake, Mich., was the 2022 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. MLB.com had Porter ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect and as the highest-ranked high-school arm in the draft. Porter went 9-0 with three no-hitters, a 0.41 ERA, and 115 strikeouts in 58 innings in 2022.

The Rangers announced the signings of shortstop Chandler Pollard, outfielder Tommy Specht, right-handed pitcher Luis Ramirez and right-handed pitcher Andrew Owen.

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