The Sunday Read: Texas Rangers have third overall pick in 2022 draft. Amateur scouts are digging in

The college and prep seasons will get under way in earnest this week, five months ahead of the MLB draft.

Rangers amateur scouting director Kip Fagg, left, and his group of scouts are hitting the trail again in pursuit of the next Josh Jung, who is picture in 2019 with agent Scott Boras (The Associated Press/Schuyler Dixon).

Forget the bluster coming out of the labor meeting Saturday afternoon in New York.

Progress was made, and there will be an MLB season.

Until then, though, high school baseball is starting to fire up. The same goes for college baseball.

That means the Texas Rangers’ amateur scouts are about to get even more busy.

They’re always busy. They might get some time off after the draft, but not much of it, and in the offseason, though not necessarily as much as one might think.

“It's what we do, though,” amateur scouting director Kip Fagg said.

The Rangers have the No. 3 overall pick but won’t select again until the fourth round after forfeiting the picks as compensation for signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

That changes nothing. The work is still the same.

For the second straight year the Rangers have a chance to land a franchise-altering player. The grind begins now for a pick that is five months away.