Great teams are not built by first-round draft picks alone. The Texas Rangers can attest to that.
While most of their first-round picks made it to the Majors, not all of them did. Since the common draft era started in 1965, each Major League team has usually had a stockpile of picks to work with. At times, the draft lasted 60 or more rounds. Since 2021, the draft has been 20 rounds.
Talent falls in the draft for various reasons. There are usually more players that receive first-round draft grades than are selected. Finding those steals can make a team or organization better.
Earlier this week we reviewed the Top 5 first-round picks in Rangers history by bWAR, or wins above replacement, at baseball-reference.com. Now, we rank the Top 5 non-first round picks by the same category. For this list, we considered selections in the common draft.
Barry Zito (third round, 1998, 31.9 bWAR)
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
One sees Zito’s name and reaches the conclusion that the Rangers screwed up. They didn’t. Zito was selected by the Rangers in 1998 when he was a junior at UC Santa Barbara. As he was a draft-eligible junior, he could return to college and did. He then transferred to USC and was picked in the first round by the Athletics in 1999.
The future ace went 165-143 with the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2002 American League Cy Young winner and won a World Series ring with the Giants in 2012 under former Rangers manager Bruce Bochy.
Edwin Encarnación (ninth round, 2000, 35.2 bWAR)
Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Texas drafted the corner infielder out of Manuela Toro High School in Puerto Rico in 2000. Now, this pick, one could argue the Rangers messed up. In June of 2001 Texas traded him and Ruben Mateo to the Cincinnati Reds for Rob Bell.
Encarnación grew into one of the game’s most productive power hitters. In 16 seasons and slashed .260/.350/.496         with 424 home runs and 1,261 RBI with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cleveland Guardians, the Seattle Mariners, the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees and the Reds. He was a three-time All-Star who finished in the Top 20 of MVP voting five times in a six-year span from 2012-17.
Jim Sundberg (eighth round, 1972, 40.5 bWAR)
Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images
Sundberg is one three players among the Top 5 that are in the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. His path to the Rangers is also somewhat strange. While he was an eighth-round pick in the 1972 MLB draft out of Iowa, he returned to college and ended up being taken in the first round of the 1973 MLB draft secondary phase. One could argue Sundberg fits on either list.
But no one can argue his value to the organization. He was one of the best defensive catchers in the 1970s, as he won six AL Gold Gloves from 1976-81. He was fourth in 1974 AL rookie of the year voting and a two-time All-Star with Texas. He was traded by the Rangers to Milwaukee in 1984.
He won a World Series ring with Kansas City in 1985 and finished his 16-year career with a slash of .248/.327/.348 with 95 home runs and 642 RBI. He remained part of the organization for decades as a television commentator and in the front office.
Kenny Rogers (39th round, 1982, 50.5 bWAR)
RVR Photos-Imagn Images
‘The Gambler’ might be the best draft value in Rangers history. He signed for $1,000 out of Plant City High School in Florida and was converted to pitching while he was a pro. He required seven years to get to the Majors, starting as a reliever and eventually became a starter. He turned his $1,000 bonus into a 20-year Major League career, with three different stints with the Rangers and a career record of 219-156 with a 4.27 ERA.
He is best known for throwing the 14th perfect game in Major League history on June 28, 1994. It is the only perfect game in franchise history. He was a four-time All-Star, won a World Series ring with the New York Yankees, and, like Sundberg, is in the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Ian Kinsler (17th round, 2003, 53.8 bWAR)
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Kinsler, a second baseman, was drafted three different times — once out of high school, once in junior college and finally by the Rangers out of Arizona State. He became one of the defining players of the Rangers’ first two World Series teams in 2010 and 2011.
He broke into the Majors in 2006 with Texas and spent the first eight years of his 14-year career in Texas. His career slash was .269/.337/.440 with 257 home runs and 909 RBI. He was a four-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove selection and won a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
He is also a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and he is best known for hitting for the cyclone and going 6-for-6, one four players in baseball history to accomplish the feat.
Recommended Articles