2018 Texas Rangers Top 10 Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: THANK YOU guys for all the Prospect Handbook orders that have come in already! If you haven’t yet, pick up a copy or two or 10 at our store: https://store.baseballamerica.com/products/2018-baseball-america-prospect-handbook

Ben Badler: All right, let’s get started!

Kyle (Houston, TX): Your input on Tyreque Reed? Is he likely to be a first baseman or outfielder?

Ben Badler: Very intriguing player. Raw power grades of 60 to 70, but with a short stroke, good plate coverage and the ability to drive the ball the opposite way in games. I like the patient approach too. He’s a 1B who’s going to have to mash, but he has a lot of attributes I like to see in a young hitter. Nice pick for an eighth-round guy.

Paul (Denver, CO): How close was it between Calhoun and Taveras for the top spot? Is Calhoun likely to become a DH in the next few years and if so, how did he get the nod over a potential 5-tooler?

Ben Badler: It was close. We were a split camp internally on which order to put them in. I think either way is defensible, they’re close together on my personal Top 100, and I would say it’s more a matter of Calhoun’s stock rising as opposed to any changing opinions on Taveras. There’s more risk with Taveras, whereas Calhoun is one of the best offensive prospects in baseball, a big time bat/power combo, and is ready to contribute right away.

Anderson Tejeda (Home): Can I stick at short, or do you see me settling in at the keystone? Was I in your top 30?

Ben Badler: In the 30. Chance to stick at short but I think the highest probability is he ends up at 3B or 2B.

Steven (Grapevine): How good can Kyle Cody be? He seemed to jump onto the scene last year from being a 6th round pick.

Ben Badler: One of the better development stories in the system last year. Very good fastball/slider combination, and like I wrote about in his scouting report with some of the pitch usage restrictions the Rangers had him on, the results were overpowering in the second half. As a college guy I’d like to see him do it above the Low-A level, but the stuff and overall skill set should translate there.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): Thanks for chatting, Ben. What is Ariel Jurado's future role likely to be in the coming years, and was he close to making the top 10?

Ben Badler: Not close to the top 10. Coming into the year, his strengths were his durability and his ability to throw strikes with a super heavy two-seamer that was difficult for hitters to lift. In 2017, the sink on his two-seamer disappeared. He had trouble with his arm slot and his lower half in his delivery, then he tinkered with his grip and his hand position. Nothing worked. Jurado was still durable. He still threw strikes. But his best pitch just wasn’t working for him, and he doesn’t have an 50+ secondary pitch, so the results weren’t pretty. He has to get that sinker working again if he’s going to become a back-end starter.

Connor (Dallas): Who has the highest ceiling in the Rangers system?

Ben Badler: Leody Taveras.

Grant (NYC): From 1 to 10, how optimistic are you that Joey Gallo can significantly cut his K rate going forward?

Ben Badler: 8. He’s shown progress of that throughout his career including in the second half last year. He’s always going to be a high strikeout guy but there’s more bat-to-ball potential in there, which is scary for a guy who was just a 3-win player with 41 homers as a 23-year-old.

Karl of Delaware (Georgetown, Delaware): Looks like five of the top 10 Ranger prospects will be landing in Hickory - Hickory will be the most prospect laden minor league team in all the minors! Agree?

Ben Badler: Disagree. Lack of Top 100 prospects on that team. But it will be an important one for the organization to see which guys break through as they try to recharge the system at the lower levels.

Prospect Dude (My desk): What's the scoop or Jairo Beras the pitcher? Heard he was upper 90s with a funky delivery.

Ben Badler: That’s him. He had a huge arm in the outfield and that carries over to the mound, but he’s just learning the basic ABCs of how to pitch. Reliever if it all clicks but obviously a lot of risk to get there.

Michael Stern (Rochester NY): Yanio Perez looked liked an All Star in the Sally League, then slowed some when promoted, but still I was surprised to not see him in the top 10. What are your reports on him and what is his ceiling? Thanks for the chat!

Ben Badler: I’m more in the skeptical camp on Perez, because I do there are some scouts out there who saw him in Hickory and liked him more. Plus power, middle-oppo approach, but I think it’s more power than pure hit and I wonder how that’s going to play at higher levels. The reports on his swing in the second half weren’t as good (maybe some fatigue in the longest season of his life, which would be understandable), and the most likely scenario defensively is corner OF or first base, although I think he’ll continue to get some reps at third base.

DR (SALLY Land): One of my favorite comparisons to track throughout 2017 in the SAL was Pache vs. Leody. Is it fair to say that Leody has the edge with the bat, and Pache with the glove? Is there a strong likelihood they end up as more or less similar players?

Ben Badler: I would take Pache defensively, but that’s because I think Leody will be a 60 defender and Pache can be a truly special, 70+ type defender. Offensively, Pache has very good hand-eye coordination, but unless he overhauls his swing he’s going to be primarily a singles hitter, whereas Taveras has the swing plane, approach and strength projection to be a much more dynamic offensive threat.

Sam (Arlington): Do you see Joe Palumbo continuing to move up the ladder in 2018--as he was prior to getting injured last year?

Ben Badler: He was flying up this list until he got hurt. Hard to predict what his path is going to look like coming back from TJ, but before he went down he was looking like a potential midrotation arm.

Frank (Indianapolis IN): How many of these guys are likely to make the BA 100?

Ben Badler: I’ll tell you that three of them made my personal Top 100. I’m probably one of the high guys at BA on Hans Crouse, but I don’t think it’s any secret that Calhoun and Taveras will be BA Top 100 guys.

Leody Taveras (Five Tool Prospect): Thank you for chatting with us. I was one of the youngest players in LoA in 2017. Is my mediocre stat line concerning or are scouts confident that I'm the same top 50 prospect league wide that I was heading into 2017? Are my tools still projected to be above average to plus across the board?

Ben Badler: Keep in mind he was 18 in Low-A. Most of his peers were high school seniors or international prospects in the GCL/AZL. If Taveras had been in one of those leagues, he probably would have had some of the best numbers in the league. What someone like Vladdy Jr did in Low-A (and High-A!) as an 18-year-old is way out of the ordinary. The reports from scouts were all still very encouraging and exciting. If you want a comparison, Mickey Moniak, another teenage CF and the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, didn’t perform well and the reports from scouts on him were much more pessimistic and concerning.

Casey (Morgantown): Surprised to see Crouse listed as a potential future frontline starter. That's very high praise! How did he fall into the second round? Where does he stack up in terms of upside compared to the rest of the 2017 draft class at this moment? Thanks for the chat.

Ben Badler: I think a lot of it was delivery concerns. TBD on the durability but his stuff looked filthy in pro ball and he was able to throw strikes there. I like him a lot more than some of the pitchers who went ahead of him, and if you re-did the draft today, I don’t think he lasts until the second round.

Nolan (Georgia): Do you think Crousse and Thompson are ready for Low A ?

Ben Badler: Crouse is. He’s nasty enough that it wouldn’t stun me if he even pushed his way to High-A by the end of the year. Thompson is more raw, but he also turns 20 in June, so if he’s not ready for Low-A in 2018, that would be troubling.

Alan (Orange County): Can you give us your assessment on Michael Matuella's season coming back from TJ?

Ben Badler: He stayed healthy all season. I’d call that a win for him, given what he’s been through. Wasn’t really close to the top 10, but he showed good stuff in flashes. Fastball up to anywhere from the low-90s up to 98, curveball and changeup flashing plus, but very inconsistent, rarely all on the same night. Not a huge surprise given his history. I know the Rangers are committed to him as a starter and think he can handle that role. I’m a lot more skeptical on him in that role compared to a bullpen spot given the durability concerns, but just seeing him stay healthy this year and at least flash the stuff that will work against major league hitters was encouraging.

Mick (Chicago): The Rangers continue to look strong w/ international prospects. Do they deem it worthy to scout countries other than Latin America?

Ben Badler: They’re one of the best in the business in Japan, but that falls into a different bucket than international amateur signings. The reality is that, for all teams, international signings come predominantly from Latin American countries, but the Rangers have a significant scouting presence throughout that area. This signing period alone they’ve signed players from the DR, Venezuela, Cuba, Bahamas and Mexico.

AJM (The Lone Star State): Someone asked how close Calhoun and Leody were, so I will ask how close Crouse and Ragans were at the 3/4 spots, and whether either is a legitimate top 100 candidate.

Ben Badler: Calhoun/Taveras at 1-2 was closer than Crouse/Ragans at 3-4. Ragans has a better changeup, but otherwise Crouse has more electric stuff with a bigger fastball, better breaking and even though it’s not a smooth/easy delivery, I think Crouse has better control right now too.

Adam (Denton): Who are a couple under the radar relief pitching prospects in the system?

Ben Badler: C.D. Pelham. A 33rd-round pick in 2015 who signed for $40K. What a transformation. Couldn’t throw strikes in 2016, but flourished in a bullpen role last year with a fastball up to 99 from the left side, great extension from a 6-6 frame, with a high swing-and-miss rate on his slider. Great hidden gem find and development story so far.

Fonz (Milwaukee): Jurickson Profar, WTF do you do with him?

Ben Badler: ¯\_(?)_/¯

Nathan B (VA): Have you heard any skepticism regarding Crouse's mechanics or durability? Your top 10 scouting report noted his short stride and violent finish. As always, thank you for taking the time to chat. I always look forward to work.

Ben Badler: Thank you. And yes, absolutely. That’s a big part of why the Rangers were able to get him in the second round. People had similar concerns about Max Scherzer. That doesn’t mean we should dismiss those concerns, we just have to balance the upside with the risk factors. If you stack him up against, say, Riley Pint, who has similar stuff and size, Crouse grades out better because he throws more strikes and has better feel for pitching. Crouse does carry a lot of risk, but the reward potential is exciting.

Clark (Seattle): Given the initial underwhelming sentiment about the Darvish return, it seems Calhoun was maybe underestimated by the Rangers fan base. Could you speak to the upside and developmental hurdles for Alexy, the secondary piece of that deal?

Ben Badler: Low-90s fastball, misses a lot of bats with his curveball, changeup is below-average. Good athlete but high-effort delivery, struggles to repeat it consistently. Maybe a back-end SP if everything works out but that deal will probably swing all on Calhoun.

Ben Badler: Also, given what I would consider a light return that the Pirates received in trades for two years of Gerrit Cole and one year of Andrew McCutchen, getting Willie Calhoun for half a season of Yu Darvish looks even better for the Rangers.

Grant (NYC): Between Whatley, Garcia and Morgan, whose catching skills do you prefer, and who's got the best bat?

Ben Badler: Whatley. He would be the best defensive catcher in a lot of farm systems, although thanks to Jose Trevino he’s not even the best defensive catcher from Oral Roberts in his own organization. Hands, arm, footwork, baseball IQ behind the plate, it’s all advanced. The good thing with him is the bat looked better than expected last year in the Northwest League, but the defense is what’s going to carry him.

Dan (Baltimore): Ragans seems to use deception and command to great success, dominating the lower levels. I heard similar reports regarding AZ's Cody Reed, who then had a lot less success as he went to the higher levels. What distinguishes Ragans from Reed, in terms of ability to maintain success in the upper levels?

Ben Badler: Ragans does create deception with his delivery and sneaky life on his fastball, and the plus changeup does help him keep hitters off balance. I would disagree on the command part, though. Command and simple control are significant areas where he’s lagging behind right now.

Matt (TX): Thank you for chatting with us today. After the successTaylor Trammell and Jesus Sanchez had at LoA last year, how does Leody Taveras now rank against them? Taveras was a top 40 prospect while both Trammell and Sanchez were borderline top 100 during 2017 mid season rankings

Ben Badler: I’d say Taveras is still at the same level. Sanchez has jumped up into that same tier. Trammell I like too but I’d put him in a group below those two.

James Smith (North Carolina): Saw a lot of Josh Morgan at C last season - where do you see him ultimately? Is the bat enough to carry him?

Ben Badler: The plan is to keep having him catch and bounce around the infield this year, but I would like to see him either catch full time or only play the infield. Versatility has value, but there’s just so much that goes into catching that it’s difficult to develop into an MLB caliber defender at the position when it’s something that doesn’t have a player’s full-time commitment. Then add trying to develop as a hitter into the mix on top of everything and I think it can really hold a player back. I’m not sure if the bat is good enough to play every day, but it’s hard to say just how much all of his defensive responsibilities might be taking a toll on his offensive development.

Kyle (Dallas): How close is Jose Trevino to contributing in the big leagues? Obviously the defense is already there, but he had a tough year with the bat in 2017.

Ben Badler: Defensively, he’s the man. Offensively, a lot of work to do. He was 24 and had a .275 OBP last year in Double-A. He does put the ball in play, but for a guy who doesn’t have much power, he’s going to have to become a more selective hitter.

Drew (Neosho, MO): What ends up happening to Calhoun? Position change with Odor ahead? DH only?

Ben Badler: Probably gets most of his time in LF, with some time at DH. Still possible he gets some reps at 2B but I would view him as primarily a LF right now.

Papa Georgio (Las Vegas): Who has the best chance of making an all-star team outside the top 10?

Ben Badler: Tough question. Not a lot of options to choose from in the organization. If Joe Palumbo’s stuff returns to 2017 levels and he can stay healthy, he might be the best bet.

Brett Cook (Granbury, TX): I see that Hans Crouse made a large jump to #3 and that he is projected as our ace on the 2021 lineup. No other baseball site has him this high so I am excited about this. To my question, what made him this high on your list? The system itself or does he have electric stuff?

Ben Badler: Both. But even in a stronger farm system, he would still be a top 5-6 prospect in a lot of orgs.

Anthony (Dallas): Not a prospect question, but do you see Nomar Mazara taking another step this year? Many seem down on him, but he is so young and still has a ton of potential.

Ben Badler: I thought he was going to last year. I still think the talent is there for him to take that next leap forward, I just don’t know the timing of when it will happen.

Kyler (America): Does Ariel Jurado still have the potential to be a #4? Defintiely a down year, but was he just working on things like Yohander?

Ben Badler: Different cases. Mendez still has a plus pitch in his changeup, but like I wrote in his report, the Rangers put handcuffs on when he could throw it. With Jurado, he just lost feel for his two-seamer and didn’t have an average pitch last year.

Michael Stern (Rochester NY): Ty Reed looks like he can really hit - was he close to top 10? How does Texas view him long term? Legit prospect? Thanks for the chat!

Ben Badler: Wasn’t super close to the top 10 discussion yet this year, but if he rakes in 2018, he’s absolutely a guy with the talent to jump into that mix next year.

Justin (United States): How far does yohander Mendez’ ceiling go? And when do you expect him to arrive?

Ben Badler: I think he can be a back-end starter. Should be up at some point in 2018, but hard to peg exactly when.

Kookaburra Jones (Down Under): How is David Garcia progressing, and what are your thoughts on the collection of catchers the Rangers have assembled up and down their system?

Ben Badler: A little disappointing debut. Coming into the year I thought he had a chance to break out and become one of their better prospects. I think the components to hit are still there, and defensively he handled himself well. Getting stronger is going to be a big key for him over the next few years.

Ben Badler: Thank you for sending in questions or just reading and following along. We appreciate your support. If you liked the reports and our chats, I would love it if you picked up a copy of the Prospect Handbook and subscribed to BA. We’ve got the rest of the AL West Top 10s coming this week and the Top 100 soon after. Talk to you all again here soon.