Texas Rangers take some risks on final day of 2021 MLB Draft
The most notable selection is a talented high school outfielder who is a firm commitment to Clemson as a quarterback.
Will Taylor was the South Carolina Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year as an outfielder who posted a 1.455 OPS for the Dutch Fork High Silver Foxes.
He was ranked by MLB.com the No. 20 overall prospect for the 2021 MLB Draft.
Taylor was also part of Clemson’s football recruiting class, and he’s on campus now with coach Dabo Swinney’s blessing to play baseball for the Tigers in the spring.
In other words, Taylor is going to be a tough sign for the Texas Rangers, who selected Tuesday him in the 19th round of the 20-round draft. Taylor reportedly has already told MLB teams that he isn’t going to sign with them.
He was one of five players with Division I commitments who might force the Rangers to spend some extra money to keep them from honoring their commitments. There’s some risk there, though the Rangers thought Taylor with worth a flier.
“We did a lot of work on Will prior to the draft,” amateur scouting director Kip Fagg said. “He was here with his father here in Texas and worked out for us. We felt like it’s talent worthy a draft pick. We’ll see where this goes.”
The Rangers selected seven pitchers and three position players in Rounds 11-20, opening the day by selecting Florida prep outfielder Jojo Blackmon. The speedy outfielder also starred in football at Pensacola Escambia High, the alma mater of Dallas Cowboys great Emmitt Smith, but is committed to Alabama-Birmingham to play baseball.
Catcher Tucker Mitchell, selected in the 14th round, is committed to North Carolina State; right-hander Evan Elliott, the 15th-rounder, is committed to Iowa; Colorado prep left-hander Ryan Ure, picked in the 16th round, signed with Oklahoma State; and Florida prep righty Kyle Larson, the Rangers’ 18th-round selection, is committed to Florida.
Fagg said that some of those players are already moving toward signing with the Rangers.
Over three days, the Rangers selected 13 pitchers, three catchers, three outfielders and a shortstop. Eleven of their draftees were from colleges.
The Rangers used the No. 2 overall pick to select Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter.