10 Texas Rangers Prospects To Know Beyond The Top 30 in 2024
Baseball America’s Top 30 Texas Rangers Prospects entering 2024 are here exclusively for subscribers. The list includes updated scouting reports, BA grades and tool grade projections every player.
Inevitably, there are players every year who barely miss the cut when we narrow down the list. These players are all worth monitoring for various reasons and it’s likely some will either reach the big leagues in 2024 or enjoy breakout seasons lower in the minors.
Here are next 10 players to know in the Rangers system beyond their Top 30.
31. Jonathan Ornelas, SS/OF
Despite coming back to Earth a bit after a whizbang 2022 season, Ornelas produced enough in Triple-A to earn his first big league callup and—as a result—a World Series ring. Texas’ foundation in the big leagues and Ornelas’ lack of a carrying tool likely cements his future as a versatile utility player.
32. Carson Coleman, RHP
After missing the season with an injury, Coleman was selected from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. In 2022, the reliever worked with a tremendous, high-spin fastball and a short, sharp slider that helped him strike out 95 hitters in 63.1 innings.
33. Antoine Kelly, LHP
When everything is synced up, Kelly can be dastardly. The former Brewers farmhand has a nasty fastball-slider combo from a low slot and struck out more than 12 hitters per nine innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He was added to the 40-man roster after the 2023 season.
34. Dane Acker, RHP
Acker was part of the same trade package that brought catcher Jonah Heim from Oakland to Texas and has flashed potential but has been consistently stymied by injuries. He made some mechanical changes to stay closed longer and altered the grip on his changeup. Now, he needs to stay healthy and throw his breaking ball for strikes more frequently.
35. Marc Church, RHP
Church has one of the more dynamic two-pitch mixes in the organization and reached Triple-A in 2023. The righthander is a straight relief prospect who has a potentially plus fastball and slider but needs to find the strike zone more often.
36. Grant Anderson, RHP
Anderson reached the big leagues in 2023 and made it into 26 games in relief. The righthander operates with a slider he threw 50% of the time in the big leagues as well as a sinker, four-seamer and seldom-thrown changeup. He fits as a low-leverage reliever.
37. Jesus Lopez, C
Lopez missed a hunk of the season with an elbow injury but was interesting when healthy. He’s got the hands and arm strength to stick behind the plate and raw power to the pull side. His future is going to be determined by how his body develops as he matures. He needs to add strength to help him hold up over the course of a full season.
38. Blaine Crim, 1B
In four seasons in the minor leagues, Crim has done nothing but mash. He’s got 83 home runs in that time and is a dead-even .300 hitter. He’s blocked at first base by Nathaniel Lowe and was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft but could get his first taste of the big leagues in 2024.
39. Marcos Torres, 1B/OF
Torres didn’t have a standout season in the Arizona Complex League but has some believers among opposing scouts, who see a potentially average hitter if he can clean up some of his issues with his approach and whiff rates, which show up both in his chase and in-zone miss rates. He also may wind up at first base.
40. Daniel Mateo, OF
Mateo is one of the best ballhawks in the system but needs to get much better at the plate. His strikeout-to-walk ratio at High-A Hickory was nearly 10-to-1, but he showed power and speed when he did make contact. He’s hyper-aggressive at the plate, swinging at nearly 63% of pitches.
