Drafted in the 4th round (137th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 1997.
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The Rangers moved Elder into the Double-A rotation last season to get him some badly needed innings. He missed the 1998 season because of Tommy John elbow surgery and worked a total of just 83 innings in his first three professional seasons. Like many recent Tommy John survivors, Elder has thrown harder since returning from the surgery, and he now can touch the mid-90s. While the added velocity is a plus, he must become more consistent with the command of his fastball. When Elder is effective with his fastball, he can dominate. When he gets overly excited and loses the strike zone, he's in trouble. He also needs to improve his slider. His future probably is in the bullpen, but he must throw more strikes to reach the majors. His height, less than the listed 6 feet, works against him.
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