Texas Rangers Add More Pitching on Day Two of MLB Draft

The Texas Rangers spent the majority of their eight selections on Day 2 on college pitchers.

Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7) and Casey Cook (16) celebrate a home run against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. / Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers continued bolstering their farm system as they made several more picks on the second day of the Major League Draft on Monday.

Four of their eight selections happened to be pitchers, and all were from four-year colleges.

The Rangers added to their outfield with their third-round pick by selecting North Carolina outfielder Casey Cook at No. 103 overall.

Cook overcame a shoulder injury his freshman year to become of the best outfielders in the ACC last season. He was First-Team All-ACC and batted .341/.431/.605. He led the Tar Heels with 88 hits, 78 RBI, 28 multi-hit games and 24 multi-RBI games.

Texas selected West Virginia pitcher David Hagaman in the fourth round. He was supposed to be a closer but ended up as a part-time starter in 2024, as he had a 5.91 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 19 walks. He needed elbow surgery late in the season.

The Rangers dipped into the high school ranks in the fifth round, selecting shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

Three of Texas’ next five picks were college pitchers, starting with Liberty’s Garrett Horn in the sixth round. After the Rangers picked Lehigh third baseman Rafe Perich in the seventh round, Texas selected Arizona pitcher Anthony Susac in the eighth round.

In the ninth round the Rangers picked New Mexico State outfielder Keith Jones II and then wrapped up Day 2 by selecting Northwood University’s Jake Jekielek in the 10th round. Northwood is a Division II school In Michigan.

The Rangers made two selections on Sunday. Texas took Stanford catcher Malcolm Moore in the first round at No. 30 overall, a selection designed to add to the organization’s catching depth and a pick that Texas GM Chris Young said hit just about every metric the organization values.

Texas snagged Tennessee slugger and College World Series Most Outstanding Player Dylan Dreiling. He slashed .342/.459/.715 in his sophomore season and launched a career-high 23 homers last season. In Omaha he slugged three two-run homers in the championship series with Texas A&M, all of which came in the seventh inning.

Dreiling hit .511 with 11 RBI in six games in the CWS.