Texas Rangers Finish Pitching-Heavy Draft With Day 3 Picks

The Texas Rangers made 18 selections in the 2023 MLB Draft, including 13 pitchers.

The Texas Rangers concluded the three-day MLB Draft by selecting 10 players on Tuesday, which covered rounds 11-20. The Rangers made a priority of stockpiling arms after the organization's first pick.

Texas drafted Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, who was compared to three-time MVP Mike Trout by a rival SEC coach, on Sunday with the fourth overall pick. The Rangers took an additional seven players on Tuesday. Overall, Texas made 18 total selections, including 13 pitchers and five position players.

The Rangers forfeited their picks in the second and third rounds due to the offseason signings of free agents Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.

Day 3 Draft Picks

The Rangers selected 10 players on Day 3 of the MLB Draft.

OF MAXTON MARTIN

(11th round, 321st overall)

Martin, 18, batted .471 (32-68) with five home runs and 21 RBI in his senior season at Southridge High School in Kennewick, Wash., where he also played quarterback on the school’s varsity football team. The left-handed batter and right-handed thrower has appeared in 14 games this summer with the Walla Walla Sweets of the West Coast League, batting .275 with one home run, two triples and nine RBI. Martin, a University of Oregon commit, is the younger brother of Mason Martin, who is a first baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

RHP PAUL BONZAGNI

(12th round, 351st overall)

Bonzagni was named an All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention this spring as a redshirt sophomore at the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale after recording an MVC-high eight wins and 4.94 ERA (32 ER/58.1 IP) in 24 appearances/4 starts. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander started a quartet of games for the Salukis as a sophomore before transitioning to a bullpen role, going on to lead the team with three saves. Bonzagni, 21, spent his first two collegiate seasons at Weatherford College, combining to go 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA (15 ER/23.1 IP) in 17 appearances/five starts. The Grapevine, Texas native is a graduate of Southlake Carroll High School.

RHP WILLIAM PRIVETTE

(13th round, 381st overall)

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Privette went 2-2, with 10 saves, a 2.36 ERA (11 ER/42.0 IP), 64 strikeouts, and zero home runs allowed across 24 relief appearances as a junior this spring at College of Charleston (S.C.), earning First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors. He has compiled a lifetime 6-6 record, 22 saves, 2.15 ERA (35 ER/146.1 IP), and 180 strikeouts over 63 games/6 starts spanning three seasons with the Cougars, ranking among the program’s all-time leaders in ERA (2nd), WHIP (3rd, 0.99), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3rd, 11.0), and saves (4th). The 21-year-old right-hander was named CAA Pitcher of the Year and was a finalist for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s “Stopper of the Year” award as a sophomore in 2022, as he posted a single-season conference record-low 0.91 ERA (6 ER/59.1 IP) across 25 relief outings.

LHP JOSH TRENTADUE

(14th round, 411st overall)

Trentadue, 21, was named Region 18 Pitcher of the Year selected to the NJCAA All-American Second Team as a junior the College of Southern Idaho after leading the country with a 16.01 strikeouts per 9 innings figure. The southpaw went 8-3 with a 2.04 ERA (15 ER/66.1 IP) and set the single-season strikeouts record for the Golden Eagles with 118, which also ranked sixth in the nation. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound left-hander began the year with a career-long 14.1-inning scoreless streak and led Southern Idaho to a 32-19 record. A Richmond, Va. native, Trentadue spent his sophomore campaign in 2021 with Southern Virginia University before returning to CSI this year. He is currently committed to continue his collegiate playing career at Virginia Commonwealth University.

LHP MICHAEL TRAUSCH

(15th round, 441st overall)

Trausch, 19, registered a 1-0 record, 2 saves, a 2.08 ERA (5 ER/21.2 IP), and 42 strikeouts across 16 games/one start last season as a freshman at Central Arizona College, the same program where Rangers Hall of Famer Ian Kinsler spent his sophomore collegiate campaign in 2001. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-hander produced a 2.14 ERA (5 ER/21.0 IP) and 11.6 strikeouts per 9.0 innings figure this summer over a seven-game stint with the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League. A Phoenix native, Trausch was a three-year letter winner at Desert Vista High School where he struck out 37 batters over 25.1 innings as a senior in 2022.

LHP JAKE BROWN

16th round, 471st overall

Brown, 18, was named Gatorade Louisiana Baseball Player of the Year in 2023 after guiding Sulphur (La.) High School to a 34-5 record and a Division 1 Non-Select semifinals appearance. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound left-handed pitcher and outfielder paired a 10-2 record with a 1.71 ERA and 118 strikeouts on the mound while hitting .336 with seven home runs, 26 RBI and 20 stolen bases as a senior last season. The two-time District MVP was selected as a Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Third Team All-American and a First Team All-State honoree. He is committed to Louisiana State University and was a member of the USA Baseball 18U National Team that won a gold medal at the WBSC Baseball World Cup last summer. MLB Pipeline rated Brown as the No. 93 prospect in the 2023 class.

RHP KAMDYN PERRY

(17th round, 501st overall)

Perry, 17, went 9-1 with a 2.14 ERA and 69 strikeouts in his senior campaign at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev., the same program that produced Texas’ first-round selection in the 2012 MLB Draft, outfielder Joey Gallo. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander was a First Team All-Southern Nevada selection and honored as the Class 5A Mountain League Pitcher of the Year after powering the Gaels to a state title and 36-2 record in 2023. The Las Vegas native was rated by Perfect Game as the second-best right-handed pitcher and fourth-best overall prospect in Nevada for the class of 2023. He is committed to Saint Mary’s College.

RHP BRENDAN MORSE

(18th round, 531st overall)

Morse, 19, finished his freshman season with Niagara County (N.Y.) Community College posting a 3.15 ERA (14 ER/40.0 IP) across 9 appearances/7 starts. The Getzville, N.Y. native struck out a career-high 17 batters in a complete game shutout on April 29 vs. Jamestown Community College, one of his 3 complete game efforts in 2023. He led his team to a 44-7 record and an NJCAA DIII World Series appearance, where the squad reached the final four. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander prepped at Williamsville North (N.Y.) High School, tossing a pair of no-hitters and earning ECIC First Team honors in his junior year.

SS ELIJAH ICKES

(19th round, 561st overall)

The 2023 Gatorade Hawaii Baseball Player of the Year, Ickes batted .448 with 26 stolen bases as a senior at Kapālama High School this spring, leading the Warriors to a Division 1 state championship. The 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop was named the 2023 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Player of the Year, and is ranked by Perfect Game as the fifth-best prospect in the state of Hawaii. He is committed to play collegiately at the University of Hawaii.

RHP LAIF PALMER

(20th round, 591st overall)

Palmer, 18, went undefeated (9-0) with a 1.86 ERA (19 ER/71.2 IP) and 128 strikeouts over 12 starts this spring as a senior at Golden (Col.) High School. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander led the Demons to a Class 4A Jeffco League title and second-place finish in the Class 4A state championship. He entered this year’s draft rated as the No. 4 overall prospect and second-best right-handed pitcher in the state of Colorado according to Perfect Game. Palmer is committed to play collegiately at Oregon State University.

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