13 Rangers Prospects To Watch Beyond The Top 30

The Rangers Top 30 prospects rankings are up now for Baseball America subscribers, with full scouting reports, BA grades and tools grade projections for all 30 players.

Through the process of narrowing the list down to a Top 30, there are other intriguing names who didn’t make the cut but are worth monitoring, with the potential to jump into the Top 30 in the future. Some of those are players who might be in the upper levels and could see big league time this year, though likely in a limited role, while others are lower-level players still in the complex leagues with more upside but plenty of risk.

Beyond the Top 30, these are 10 prospects to watch in Texas’ farm system.

Dane Acker, RHP. Acker came over from the A’s with Jonah Heim and Khris Davis in the Elvis Andrus trade but missed most of the last two years recovering from Tommy John surgery. His fastball was down a bit in his regular season return, but at his best he’s been in the mid 90s with feel for a changeup and curveball.

Marc Church, RHP. Church is a relief prospect—though there were discussions about seeing how he took to a starter’s role—and arguably the best in the Rangers’ system. He pairs a mid-90s fastball with a dastardly mid-80s slider that some scouts grade as high as a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Church actually throws his slider with more arm speed than his fastball, which gives the pitch a bit of extra deception. He got hit hard in his first upper-level test, a product of both the hitter-friendly environs of the Texas League and the overall need for improved command. 

Pablo Guerrero, OF: The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero and the brother of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pablo Guerrero is an outfielder who was signed in the beginning of the most recent international period. He’s only a fair athlete who will likely never be more than average in the outfield and will likely slide to a corner at some point. His carrying tool is his bat, which combines a patient approach with a knack for making loud contact. 

Geisel Cepeda, OF: Cepeda is a Cuban defector who is already 25 years old but brings an extremely high-contact approach to the minor leagues. In five seasons in Cuba, Cepeda struck out just 67 times in 988 plate appearances—good for a rate of 6.8%. He doesn’t boast big-time power or speed, but he could hold down center field adequately and profile at the top or bottom of a lineup.

 

Larson Kindreich, LHP. Kindreich is a tall lefthander who cut through Low-A hitters on the strength of his pitchability but ran into trouble with control and command at High-A. He took steps forward with his changeup but was inconsistent enough with his curveball that the Rangers attempted to install a harder, cutter-slider hybrid in its place. If that takes, he could be an interesting piece.

Winston Santos, RHP. Santos is one of the more intriguing arms in the Texas system. His fastball is among the best in the system and his changeup is decent as well. Now, he needs something else. He and the Rangers have continued to toy with different breaking pitches and grips to get him a feel for spin without sacrificing the delivery characteristics that help his fastball play so well. 

Ricky Vanasco, RHP. A couple years ago, Vanasco was one of the bigger up-arrow prospects in Texas’ system. He had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2021 season and was rusty—especially in terms of control and command—during his return last year. His future is likely in relief, where he can let his fastball and slurve combination play up.

Maximo Acosta, SS. Though he improved as the season went on, Acosta’s full-season debut was a bit disappointing. He struggled with plate discipline—especially against spin—and showed little impact. He’s got the ability to stick at shortstop, where his agility and above-average arm strength should play just fine. If the bat doesn’t improve, however, he’ll likely be more of an up-and-down player. 

Alejandro Osuna, OF. Osuna’s numbers were some of the best in the Rangers’ lower minors, and team officials believe in his bat. There are concerns about his bad body, however, and a below-average arm that will likely limit him to left field or DH and put more pressure on his bat. Scouts also expressed concerns about his aggressive approach and vulnerability against offspeed pitches. 

Leandro Calderon, RHP. Lopez might be the 2023 version of Emiliano Teodo, whose dynamic stuff helped him shoot into the Top 30. Lopez repeated the DSL in 2022 and started the league’s all-star game. He is a likely reliever in the long run, but his combination of a mid-90s fastball with hard vertical movement and a powerful, high-70s curveball with spin rates above 3,000 rpm makes him especially intriguing. 

Jesus Lopez, C. Lopez was part of Texas’ 2021-2022 international class and spent his first season in the DSL, where he racked up more walks (22) than strikeouts (17). He’s a strong receiver with an above-average arm who moves quickly in small spaces. His offensive approach and defensive skills make him one of the system’s more interesting catchers in the lower minors.

Daniel Mateo, OF. Mateo struggled early at Low-A Down East and still needs to improve his plate discipline but quieted his mechanics at the plate and saw some offensive gains as a result. He can stick in center field but will need to continue to make big-time strides—especially in terms of plate discipline—in order to play his way to the big leagues. 

JoJo Blackmon, OF. Blackmon, whom the Rangers chose in the 11th round of the 2021 draft out of high school in Pensacola, Fla., has huge upside. To reach it, there’s a lot of development left ahead. A high school wide receiver, Blackmon has plus speed and takes excellent routes in center field. He also hits the ball quite hard. His average exit velocity was 89.7 mph—the same as Jordan Westburg, Will Benson and Dermis Garcia—in 2022. He hits the ball in the air and doesn’t chase too often, but his rate of in-zone miss will need to come down if he is to reach his peak.