Friday on the Farm: Texas Rangers Newsletter Top 40 prospect list begins with Nos. 31-40
The first grouping includes players on the 40-man roster and two who have made their MLB debuts.
Thirty is magic number for Baseball America and MLB Pipeline — the two most popular industry publications — when it comes to ranking a team’s prospects.
That accounts for roughly 12.5% of a team’s minor-league pool, including injured players and those playing in Dominican Summer League.
It’s a lot of ground to cover, a lot of prospects to unearth, and a surprising amount of hair pulling when trying to trim the list to 30.
As the writer of the Texas Rangers chapter for the 2021 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, I speak from experience. Trimming to 30 was not easy last offseason, but only a few players were squeezed out.
A year later, several players were squeezed out of the inaugural Texas Rangers Newsletter Top 40 prospect rankings.
That’s right: 40.
The system is deeper this year than last, much deeper thanks to a bevy of trades and the emergence of players who were either injured in 2019, the last full minor-league season before 2021, or added in the past two drafts and international signing periods.
It’s enough to drop players who were in the top 20 of various rankings last season nearly out of the top 40.
The industry as a whole has recognized the depth of the Rangers’ farm system, and it shines through when trying to rank the players.
The Newsletter will roll out its Top 40 with 10 players at a time each of the next four Fridays, beginning at the bottom and workout our way up.
It’s possible that the group who just missed the cut will be featured in a Friday in the Farm, too.
At the very least, the file has been created.
For now, though, the list begins with Nos. 31-40.
There’s no going back now.