SURPRISE, Ariz. — In late January, after the Texas Rangers swung a deal that sent significant prospect capital east to improve the major league roster, general manager Ross Fenstermaker rationalized the club’s moves as “the price we pay in order to compete.”
Oh, yeah, they’ve paid a price.
The Rangers have dealt eight top 30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline’s evaluations, since last summer’s trade deadline. They shipped three to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly to bolster their rotation midseason and another five to the Washington Nationals for MacKenzie Gore last month to do the same thing. That’s the cost of big league improvement.
It’ll also ding the depth of a farm system. The Rangers have the No. 22 farm system per ESPN, the No. 24 farm system per Baseball America and the No. 25 farm system per USA TODAY. The success of the farm system, much like the major league roster, will be predicated on how a number of position player prospects respond to down seasons.
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Baseball America, which hasn’t ranked the club’s system this low since the 2021 season, said it “needs major rebounds from its near-proximity prospects to supplement the big league roster.”
Their collective progression will determine where the farm stands this time next year. Until then, we continue our daily countdown of The Dallas Morning News’ top 30 prospects.
No. 3: RHP AJ Russell
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-6, 223
B/T: R/R
Who he is: The Rangers selected Russell in the second round (52nd overall) of last summer’s draft and gave him an over-slot $2.6 million bonus. He missed the bulk of his final season at Tennessee after elbow surgery and didn’t pitch professionally last season after he signed. There’s reason to believe that Russell would’ve been drafted higher than where he eventually was if he played a full campaign for the Volunteers last season.
Why he’s here: Russell’s “unicorn fastball,” as MLB Pipeline described it, is already considered one of the best pitches in the system. It’s reached 98 mph, carries through the zone and, per Baseball America’s evaluations, is considered a plus-plus weapon. Even experienced big league hitters who’ve faced it have been impressed. Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo likened it to right-hander Jacob deGrom’s fastball and called it “electric” earlier this camp.
That’s a decent review from a decent evaluator. The Franklin, Tenn. native had a 0.89 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings pitched almost exclusively out of the Volunteers’ bullpen in his freshman season. Last year, when he was named a preseason All-American, he struck out 36 batters in 25 1/3 innings of limited action once he returned from the elbow surgery.
What’s his future: Russell’s fastball should have him on a relatively quick path to the major leagues so long as he remains healthy. It’s only a matter of whether it’s in the rotation or bullpen. He’ll need to develop better breaking balls and further refine his changeup to have a starter-caliber arsenal. If he doesn’t, his lethal fastball could play exceptionally well in a high-leverage relief role, but his prospect capital is staked on starter upside.
Where he’ll start; MLB ETA; High-A Hub City; 2028
Rangers’ top 30 prospects
No. 30: RHP Mason McConnaughey
No. 29: OF Braylin Morel
No. 28: RHP Frandel Pineda
No. 27: LHP Josh Trentadue
No. 26: RHP Paul Bonzagni
No. 25: OF Maxton Martin
No. 24: LHP Ben Abeldt
No. 23: OF Paulino Santana
No. 22: LHP Dalton Pence
No. 21: RHP Izack Tiger
No. 20: OF Anthony Gutierrez
No. 19: RHP Jacob Johnson
No. 18: OF Paxton Kling
No. 17: RHP Emiliano Teodo
No. 16: 3B Jack Wheeler
No. 15: C Malcolm Moore
No. 14: UTIL Cam Cauley
No. 13: RHP Leandro Lopez
No. 12: IF Elian Rosario
No. 11: OF Dylan Dreiling
No. 10: SS/RHP Seong-Jun Kim
No. 9: 2B Elorky Rodriguez
No. 8: RHP Winston Santos
No. 7: RHP David Davalillo
No. 6: RHP Jose Corniell
No. 5: SS Yolfran Castillo
No. 4: RHP/SS Josh Owens
No. 3: RHP AJ Russell
Nos. 2-1: Coming soon…
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