Rangers Top Prospect On Opening-Day Roster? Decision Time

There is a lot of excitement surrounding top prospect Josh Jung, but you may have to wait until he makes his major league debut.

Chris Halicke | Feb 21, 2021

Full squad workouts begin on Monday in Texas Rangers camp. As the team inches closer to Cactus League play, we have more information coming out of Surprise - including a “Prospect Progress” update on Josh Jung ...

Visa Delays

José Leclerc and Joely Rodríguez have gone through the COVID-19 intake testing and are now working out in camp.
Hyeon-Jong Yang arrived in camp on Sunday and will now undergo COVID-19 intake testing.
Yonny Hernandez is delayed in the Dominican Republic and is expected to arrive by the end of the week.

Rangers Bullpens

As pitchers and catchers continue to work ahead of full squad workouts on Monday, here is a list of the pitchers throwing bullpens on Sunday:

Drew Anderson
Kohei Arihara
Jason Bahr
Hans Crouse
Brett de Geus
Joe Gatto
Sam Gaviglio
Kyle Gibson
Jordan Lyles
Brett Martin
Luis Ortiz
Joe Palumbo
Tyler Phillips
Nick Vincent
Cole Winn
Hunter Wood

Josh Jung Unlikely to Make Opening Day Roster

Josh Jung, the Rangers' No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, is participating in his first big league camp. As a prospect with such pedigree, there is obvious excitement among the club and fans alike of when Jung will make his major league debut.

In addition, the Rangers need a third baseman this season, and it just so happens that Jung plays third base.

So, is it possible Jung has a shot at making the Opening Day roster?

"I don't want to say it out loud, like, what it would take for that to happen," Woodward said with a chuckle. "No. I would say probably not.

"I would obviously love to have him on our team at some point. He's gotta earn that. But if he does everything we anticipate, there's a good chance he might be with us at some point. He has to earn that."

Jung, 23, was the first of two first-round selections by the Rangers (No. 8 overall) in the 2019 MLB Draft. He has carried over his exceptional bat-to-ball skills from his collegiate career at Texas Tech to the professional ranks.

The Rangers did all they could with Jung last season with the minor league season canceled. He worked out at the alternate training site last season, where he began to tap more into his raw power. Given where he is in his development, he'll likely begin 2021 at Triple-A Round Rock.

The Rangers do highly anticipate his eventual debut in Arlington, and believe he personifies the type of culture the team is trying to establish.

"Obviously this guy's has never played a game in the major leagues," Woodward said. "Just from an attitude [standpoint], who he is as a person, his behavior, everything, he resembles exactly what we're looking for."

Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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Published Feb 21, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE