Friday on the Farm: With changes in place, here's how Texas Rangers want to improve player development

Clear communication, more hands-on leadership and internal competition are all part of keeping the farm system on the rise.

The Rangers have a deep system with many quality prospects. One of them, Justin Foscue, believes the depth at second base will make him and the organization better (Hickory Crawdads/Ashley Salinas).

All signs before Sept. 10 indicated that Texas Rangers player development was thriving.

The system was deeper, thanks to the 2021 MLB Draft and deals made at the trade deadline. Players were developing after a year off and staying relatively healthy, which was a nod toward the programs implemented during the 2020 minor-league shutdown to keep players active.

The industry was taking notice, with five Rangers prospects packing the MLB.com top 100 rankings and Baseball America bumping the system from No. 24 to No. 11.

Then came Sept. 10, when the Rangers said they could do better.

Out from player development were assistant general manager Mike Daly and director of minor-league operations Paul Kruger, who was moved to director of baseball operations on the MLB side.

Moved into a new role was Ross Fenstermaker, who went from director of pro and international scouting to vice president/assistant GM for player development and international operations.

But when the trend was rising on a steep incline, what needed to be better?