Some Texas Rangers pitching prospects I got this season. All were on the short-season Spokane club.
Josh Smith, p, Texas Rangers – 2018 draft pick (25th round out of Grand Valley State). Solid first season as a pro, going 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA/1.53 WHIP over 34 innings out of the pen. 31 K’s to only 16 walks. Think its a little earlier to know what the Rangers have here, but he is more than holding his own.
Joshua Javier, p, Texas Rangers – Signed with Arizona as an international free agent in September 2015. In 2018 Arizona sent Jake Diekman and Javier to Texas for Wei-Chieh Huang. 2018 was Javier’s first go at affiliate ball and he did very well. With short-season Spokane he went 0-1 with a 3.35 ERA/1.43 WHIP, allowing only 26 hits in 37.2 innings. He struck out 43. There is a very good pitching prospect here.
Justin Slaten, p, Texas Rangers – Drafted by the Rangers in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2019 draft out of the University of New Mexico. Had a very nice junior season at New Mexico, going 5-5 with a 2.51 ERA/1.227 WHIP. He struck out 98 in only 82.1 innings. His first taste of pro ball was a little rough, allowing 21 hits in 15.1 IP. But the good news is the strikeouts are still there, with 21 K’s to only 7 walks. He is a very good pitching prospect, though he projects to be a reliever more than a starter.