Thursday Newsletter time: Texas Rangers farm system continues to climb in the rankings
Baseball America pegged the organization at No. 9, up 15 spots from this time a year ago.
Prospect rankings are nice, the Top 100 lists can be fun, but the organizational rankings are the big reveal each offseason.
The Texas Rangers have had a strong offseason in all of the above.
Baseball America revealed its annual preseason organizational talent rankings Wednesday, and the Rangers landed at No. 9. They were No. 11 at the end of 2021, but they started last season at No. 24.
The dramatic jump, BA writes, is due to quality drafting, a bevy of smart trades and right-hander Owen White’s return from Tommy John surgery and a broken hand. Among other prospects who have returned to full strength are pitchers Ricky Vanasco, Cole Ragans and Mason Englert.
The Rangers landed three prospects last month on the BA Top 100: right-hander Jack Leiter at No. 25, third baseman Josh Jung at No. 26 and right-hander Cole Winn at No. 61.
They were the Rangers’ first-round picks in 2021 (Leiter, No. 2 overall), 2019 (Josh Jung, No. 8 overall) and 2018 (Winn, No. 15 overall). The Rangers’ first-rounder in 2020 was second baseman Justin Foscue, who is No. 6 by BA in the Rangers rankings.
Expanded playoffs coming?
Among the topics of discussion Wednesday as the players and owners met over non-core issues was expanding the playoffs. The owners want 14 teams, up four from the current postseason, while the players won’t go to 14 without a concession by owners.
More playoff games means more TV money for the owners. It would seem that more playoff games would mean more opportunities for players to hit contract bonuses and more exposure for those who might be seeking to market themselves or improve their upcoming free-agent statuses.
An argument can be made that September might not be particularly meaningful depending on how the first five months play out, but there could be jockeying of some sort through the final day of the regular season.
A format hasn’t been revealed, but it would include byes. The NFL playoffs expanded to 14 teams this season, and the top seed in each conference received a first-round bye.
Theoretically, with more playoff spots available, more teams might be willing to acquire players in the offseason and at the trade deadline. That would generate more interest in the sport.
With the players seeking to wipe out tanking, a larger postseason field might help with that.
Would expanded playoffs generate more eyeballs on the sport? Yes. Is that the ultimate goal? No. Money is.
This one shouldn’t be hard to figure out.
ICYMI …
Chances are you have plenty of time today to catch up on the latest from the Newsletter. Here it is, in case you missed it.
T.R.’s Memoirs: Two most underappreciated Rangers (Part I)
The Sunday Read: Rangers’ post-lockout to-do list
Friday on the Farm: MLB debuts, anyone?
Doggy video!
A video befitting today’s fearsome weather. It was candidate last week, and might have run. If so, well, here it is again. Enjoy. See you Friday.
