The Future of the Rangers

The Texas Rangers have performed better than people expected this season as they are currently 68-62, but much of their hope for the future rests in the minor leagues.The Texas Rangers have high faith in their farm system as the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Rangers, are currently in first place in the Pacific Coast League(PCL) American Southern division. They are backed by many players that have had short stints in the MLB and that will have successful careers in the MLB.

One of the top prospects in Round Rock is power-hitting third baseman Joey Gallo. Gallo is currently the sixth ranked prospect according to MiLB.com. Despite his recent struggles, he shows great potential as he played rather well in his short MLB stint in the summer. Gallo currently has a batting average of .188 and 13 home runs. One explanation for his recent struggles is that he is discouraged after being sent down to Round Rock to make room for Josh Hamilton, which would make sense because he was doing much better for the Rangers than for the Express.

However, Gallo is not the unanimous top Rangers prospect. Many people could argue that outfielder Nomar Mazara is the top Rangers prospect. Mazara, just being called up from Double-A Frisco, is batting .306 in his short time with the Express.

Die hard season ticket-holding Rangers fan Alan Pigg believes Mazara shows tremendous potential.

“I think the most promising prospect for the Rangers is Nomar Mazara,” Pigg said. “He has more tools than Gallo and is a great fielder, which is what the Rangers need.”

With the Express being so dominant in Triple-A, many people are wondering what kind of impact the Express being in first in the PCL American Southern will have on the major league club. Express outfielder Jared Hoying is not sure but hopeful that the Express’ success will correlate to the majors.

“It’s hard to tell,” Hoying said. “There are a lot of games left, but we have shown promise and we’ve got to keep fighting to finish first place.”

Hoying currently leads the Express with 22 home runs as he is also one of the top prospects for the Rangers.

The players on the Express are not the only prospects in the Rangers’ Organization that fans should be excited about. According to MLB.com, none of the Rangers’ prospects ranked third through seventh are in Round Rock, which shows great organizational depth. Although I do not believe that they are there yet, in a few years the Rangers will be contenders to win their first World Series in franchise history.