SURPRISE, Ariz. — In late January, after the Texas Rangers swung a deal that sent significant prospect capital east in order 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.
Texas Rangers minor league pitcher Jacob Johnson throws in the outfield during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
No. 19: RHP Jacob Johnson
Age: 19
Height/weight: 6-3, 165
B/T: R/R
Who he is: The Rangers drafted Johnson in the 11th round (325th overall) out of Pearl River Community College (Miss.) last year. He planned to transfer to Auburn before the Rangers gave him an over-slot $300,000 bonus. He missed the majority of his senior high school season at Pearl River Central (Miss.) because of an internal brace surgery, but had a 2.28 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 70 innings in his lone collegiate season.
Why he’s here: Johnson is considered one of the most exciting young pitchers on the farm outside the system’s upper crust. The junior college signee has a fastball with sink that runs in the low-to-mid-90s and has gotten up to 96 mph. He has a low-80s slider which MLB Pipeline considers average-to-above average and a tertiary changeup.
His prospect stock is not built on what he can do now, though, but rather on what he could potentially do later. Johnson, who doesn’t turn 20 until May and is closer to a high school prospect than a college one, has a loose frame and a projectable body that suggests he can add weight and velocity under the direction of the club’s strength and conditioning team and pitching department.
What’s his future: The Rangers have hit on a number of junior college pitchers in recent years. Left-hander Josh Trentadue (No. 27 prospect out of Southern Idaho CC) and right-hander Izack Tiger (No. 21 prospect out of Butler CC) are two of the system’s top arms. They traded left-hander Kohl Drake, a Sachse and Walters State CC alum, to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the deal that garnered starter Merrill Kelly last summer.
Johnson did not pitch after last year’s draft and has yet to make his professional debut. His first test against hitters this spring and summer will determine how much his arsenal needs to be rounded out.
Where he’ll start; MLB ETA: Arizona Complex League; 2029
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
Nos. 18-1: Coming soon …
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