Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Cole Winn

The 2018 first-round pick took a step back in 2022 and likely kept him from making his debut with the Rangers.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the Texas Rangers’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2022 season.

No. 10: P Cole Winn, Round Rock Express (Triple-A)

Statistics for 2022: Winn went 9-8 with a 6.51 ERA in 28 games (all starts). He pitched 121 2/3 innings. He gave up 125 hits, 94 runs (88 earned), 13 home runs and 87 walks. He struck out 123. He allowed batters to hit .265 and he had a 1.74 WHIP.

Season Transactions: Winn was assigned to Round Rock and remained there the entire 2022 season.

Season Summary: There’s no way around it — 2022 was a rough season for Winn, a player some anticipated might make his Rangers debut in 2022. It never materialized. While he had a winning record as a starter for the second straight season, everything else seemed out of alignment. His ERA jumped four points from 2021, when it was 2.41. He gave up 70 more runs than a season ago. Perhaps most worrisome is that his opponent batting average leapt by more than 100 points. It was .146 last season. He just wasn’t able to make the next step.

Journey Through the Organization: The Rangers paid Winn $3.15 million when they made the high-schooler the No. 15 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. By that point he was already named the Gatorade Player of the Year in two different states. He didn’t pitch professionally until 2019 and he earned his league’s pitcher of the year honors while with Frisco in 2021.

What’s next: At this point, it’s time for Winn to show he can contribute at the Major League level. First, he’ll have to prove in spring training that whatever issues led to his ERA and opponent batting average surge are under control. If the Rangers spend on pitching the way they say they will, there may not be an open spot for him in the rotation next season. That could give him more time to develop. If turns it around, he could compete for a No. 5 starter role or even a bullpen spot.

2022 Texas Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30: Josh Stephan | No. 29: Mason Englert | No. 28: Marc Church | No. 27: Danyer Cueva | No. 26: Alejandro Osuna | No. 25: Zak Kent | No. 24: Dane Acker | No. 23: Avery Weems | No. 22: Emiliano Teodo | No. 21: Jonathan Ornelas | No. 20: Gleider Figuereo | No. 19: Thomas Saggese | No. 18: Maximo Acosta | No. 17: Mitch Bratt | No. 16: Ricky Vanasco | No. 15: Yeison Morrobel | No. 14: Tekoah Roby | No. 13: Antoine Kelly | No. 12: Anthony Gutierrez | No. 11: Aaron Zavala

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