Talent development is not linear in Major League Baseball. The Texas Rangers know that all too well.

That’s what makes the upcoming Rule 5 draft deadline so important for the future of a club that wants to get younger and less expensive in the coming years. Texas has four players that fit the criteria for December’s Rule 5 draft, and an argument could be made that all have a place on the Major League roster one day.

In fact, all four of those players are considered Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline and two of them have claimed Rangers season-ending minor league awards in the past — pitcher David Davalillo (No. 7), shortstop Cameron Cauley (No. 17), first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz (No. 18) and pitcher Leandro Calderon (No. 29).

The Rangers’ Rule 5 Draft Prospects

Texas has until 5 p.m. central time on Tuesday to decide if it wants to protect any of those four players. To protect them, they must be moved to the 40-man roster at that time. The Rangers are at 35 players on their 40-man roster.

Davalillo was just named the Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he went 6-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) with two different affiliates, ending his season with Double-A Frisco. Signed out of Venezuela, he struck out 126 and walked 28 in 107 innings in 2025.

Cauley was the Rangers’ third-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft out of Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas. He is in his fifth minor league season, and he played the entire 2025 campaign at Frisco, where he slashed .253/.325/.448 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI. He was the Texas League player of the week in August. He can play multiple infield positions, and his power is picking up at the plate.

Ortiz has position flex at first base and corner outfield and has shown the power to play either position at the MLB level. The former Tom Grieve Minor League player of the year was signed out of Florida Southwestern State Junior College before the 2021 season and is now one of the organization’s top power hitters. The 23-year-old ended this season with Triple-A Round Rock and slashed .257/.356/.479 with 25 home runs and 89 RBI.

Calderon has slowly developed since he was an international signee out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. He reached Double-A Frisco this season and for the campaign went 3-4 with a 2.40 ERA, with 116 strikeouts and 41 walks in 101 innings. It was a breakthrough season for the 23-year-old.

MLB rules require teams to make decisions on prospects by a deadline. For players signed before age 18 it’s five years. For any player signed after age 19 its four years. At that point, those players must either be placed on the 40-man roster or be left exposed to the Rule 5 draft, which is in December at MLB’s winter meetings.