Texas Rangers 2024 MLB Draft Report Card

Best Pure Hitter: Outfielder Casey Cook (3) is a natural hitter with great rhythm, a clean lefthanded swing and a solid batting eye. He has a hit-over-power offensive profile and makes a lot of contact, slashing .341/.431/.605 with North Carolina in 2024.

Best Power Hitter: Catcher Malcolm Moore (1) has had a strong offensive reputation since his high school days as a member of the 2022 class and pairs contact ability and power that could make him a middle-of-the-order bat. He backspins the ball well to all fields and hit 31 home runs in two seasons with Stanford.

Fastest Runner: Outfielder Dylan Dreiling (2) is an above-average runner but not a true burner. He wasn’t aggressive on the bases in two seasons with Tennessee, where he went 5-for-6 (83.3%). After playing left field for the Volunteers, he spent 19 of his 24 games with High-A Hickory in center.

Best Defensive Player: Cook (3) is a reliable defender in an outfield corner who might be stretched range wise for center, but he does have some experience as a second baseman in the past. The Rangers had him play 141 innings at the keystone in his pro debut, which creates some intriguing versatility potential. 

Best Fastball: Righthander Anthony Susac (8) has a fastball that averaged 93-94 mph last spring with Arizona and has touched 96-97 with solid riding life. It was more of a ground ball offering than a real swing-and-miss fastball in college.

Best Secondary Pitch: Susac (8) also pitches heavily on his mid-80s slider, which is a candidate for this category, as is righthander David Hagaman’s (4) upper-80s slider, which generated a 46% miss rate last spring with West Virginia. 

Best Pro Debut: Catcher Ben Hartl (14) led Rangers draftees with a .928 OPS in his debut, which was split between Low-A Down East and Triple-A Round Rock. He spent just two games at Round Rock but between both levels slashed .333/.474/.452 with one home run and a pair of doubles. Susac (8) struck out 12 batters and didn’t allow an earned run in 9.1 innings in his debut.

Best Athlete: Dreiling’s (2) speed and athleticism could allow him to slide to center field and be a solid defender at the position with more reps, and he also flashes pull-side power that turned into 23 home runs with Tennessee in 2024. 

Most Intriguing Background: Shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald (5) is the son of Stoneman Douglas High coach Todd Fitz-Gerald, who has turned the team into one of the most consistently strong baseball programs in the country and an annual producer of high-end talent. His older brother, Hunter Fitz-Gerald, played college baseball at Florida Southern and Old Dominion and is currently a first baseman in the Mariners organization.

Closest To The Majors: Hartl (14) having already played two games at the Triple-A level makes him a reasonable pick for this category, but each of the Rangers top three college hitters could move quickly as well.

Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): Lefthander Dalton Pence (11) signed for $350,000 in the 11th round and has a 92-95 mph fastball with impressive life that misses a lot of barrels at the top of the zone.