Texas Rangers Conclude Draft with 10 Selections, Emphasizing Pitching and CatchingTexas Rangers Conclude Draft with 10 Selections, Emphasizing Pitching and Catching On Tuesday, the Texas Rangers concluded the Major League Draft with ten additional selections, bringing their total to a round number. The Rangers targeted pitchers and catchers to fill out their final roster spots. Pitching Prospects Seven of the ten new players added to the Rangers’ farm system are pitchers. The right-handers include Brooks Fowler (15th round), Eric Loomis (16th round), Joey Danielson (17th round), and Kadyn Leon (18th round). The left-handers include Dalton Pence (11th round), Aidan Deakins (13th round), and Cade Obermueller (19th round). Catching Acquisitions The Rangers also addressed their need for catchers with three selections. Josh Springer (12th round) from Corona High School, Ben Hartl (14th round) from the University of Kansas, and Mac Rose (20th round) from McLennan Community College will all join the organization. Organizational Needs Met Rangers general manager Chris Young had previously indicated that catcher was a priority for the team. While Malcolm Moore, the No. 30 overall pick, was not selected specifically for that need, the Rangers have added depth to the position with their latest draft picks. Round-by-Round Selections Here is a list of the Rangers’ selections by round: * 1st: Malcolm Moore, C * 11th: Dalton Pence, LHP * 12th: Josh Springer, C * 13th: Aidan Deakins, LHP * 14th: Ben Hartl, C * 15th: Brooks Fowler, RHP * 16th: Eric Loomis, RHP * 17th: Joey Danielson, RHP * 18th: Kadyn Leon, RHP * 19th: Cade Obermueller, LHP * 20th: Mac Rose, C
The Texas Rangers concluded the Major League Draft on Tuesday with another 10 selections to add to their farm system.
Texas held on to two positions to fill their final 10 roster spots: pitcher and catcher. The Rangers selected seven pitchers and three catchers.
Rangers general manager Chris Young said Sunday that catcher was an organizational need, but said that had little to do with selecting Stanford catcher Malcolm Moore with the No. 30 overall pick. But the Rangers have addressed that need with a trio of catchers, one each from the high school, junior college and four-year college ranks.
Josh Springer of Corona Senior High School in Corona, California, was taken in the 12th round. He is also an Oregon commit for college baseball. Kansas backstop Ben Hartl was taken in the 14th round after a solid career with the Jayhawks. Mac Rose of McLennan CC in Waco, Texas, was taken in the 20th round after an all-conference season.
The selected pitchers consisted of four right-handers and three left-handers.
From the right side, the Rangers selected Brooks Fowler from Oral Roberts in the 15th round after he went 16-7 in his college career. In the next round, Texas selected Eric Loomis from Missouri State, where he had a career strikeout rate of 11.1 per nine innings.
The next two picks were also right-handers. North Dakota State’s Joey Danielson, a 17th-round pick, was named to the All-Summit League First Team in 2024 after making a league-best 11 saves. Lake Travis High School star Kadyn Leon from Austin, Texas, was selected in the 18th round.
Dalton Pence led the left-handed players selected. Selected in the 11th round, the North Carolina product had a team-high eight saves for the College World Series contenders and was a second-team All-American. Aidan Deakins was a 13th-round pick out of Wabash Valley College in Illinois, where he went 7-2 with a 4.62 ERA for the two-year college.
Cade Obermueller was the final left-hander selected in the 19th round. The Iowa product was 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA last season for the Hawkeyes. His father, Wes, was a former major league pitcher for five seasons.
(by round, player, position, stroke/throw, school, place of birth)
1: Malcolm Moore, C, L/R, Stanford, Sacramento, CA
2: Dylan Dreiling, OF, L/L, Tennessee, Hays, KS
3: Casey Cook, OF, left/right, North Carolina, Chantilly, VA
4: David Hagaman, RHP, R/R, West Virginia, Egg Harbor City, NJ
5: Devin Fitz-Gerald, SS, S/R, Majority Stoneman Douglas HS (FL), Margate, FL
6: Garrett Horn, left-handed, left/left, Liberty, Kernersville, NC
7: Rafe Perich, 3B, S/R, Lehigh, New Tripoli, PA
8: Anthony Susac, RHP, R/R, Arizona, Sacramento, CA
9: Keith Jones II, OF, L/L, New Mexico State, Brentwood, CA
10: Jake Jekielek, RHP, R/R, Northwood (MI), Sterling Heights, MI
11: Dalton Pence, left-handed, left/left, North Carolina, Cherryville, NC
12: Josh Springer, C, R/R, Corona Senior HS (CA), Corona, CA
13: Aidan Deakins, left-handed, left/left, Wabash Valley College (IL), Middletown, DE
14: Ben Hartl, C, R/R, Kansas, Springfield, IL
15: Brooks Fowler, RHP, R/R, Oral Roberts, Jenks, OK
16: Eric Loomis, RHP, R/R, Missouri State, St. Louis, MO
17: Joey Danielson, RHP, R/R, North Dakota State, Eden Prairie, MN
18: Kadyn Leon, RHP, R/R, Lake Travis High School (TX), Austin, TX
19: Cade Obermueller, left-handed, left/left, Iowa, Iowa City, IA
20: Mac Rose, C, left to right, McLennan Community College (TX), Rockwall, TX
