SURPRISE, Ariz. — The first group of Texas Rangers pitchers that threw a bullpen session Saturday afternoon included two-time Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom. The second included breakout youngster Jack Leiter and a pair of top prospect arms. The third included a pitcher who was left up for grabs this winter by the team that drafted him with an opportunity he’s yet to come close to.
That’s exactly the position that Carter Baumler wanted to be in.
“It’s kind of something I’ve been hoping for, honestly, for the last couple of years,” Baumler said Saturday afternoon. “I’m honestly thankful that the Rule 5 draft is a thing.”
It’s the type of thing that can place an inexperienced minor leaguer who hasn’t pitched above Double-A on the doorstep of a major league breakthrough. The Rangers acquired Baumler, a 24-year-old right-hander, after he was left unprotected by the Baltimore Orioles before December’s Rule 5 draft.
Rangers
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Baumler in the first round of the draft and immediately traded him to the Rangers in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Jaiker Garcia and cash considerations. He must remain on the major league roster for the entirety of the season, and if he doesn’t, he must pass through outright waivers before he is offered back to his original team.
The Rangers expressed interest in Baumler, a fifth-round pick out of Dowling Catholic (De Moines, Iowa), prior to the COVID-19-shortened 2020 draft. He was committed to TCU before he signed with the Orioles and his younger brother, Trever, pitches for the Horned Frogs now. That’s one reason why he “loves the Rangers” and said that he would’ve chosen to play for them over any other team in the league.
The other?
“There’s definitely opportunity here,” Baumler said. “That’s what I’m trying to take advantage of.”
He’s one of several candidates who will compete for the two-to-three available spots in the restructured big league bullpen over the next five weeks. The quintet of right-hander Chris Martin, right-hander Cole Winn, right-hander Jakob Junis, left-hander Tyler Alexander and left-hander Robert Garcia are effectively locks so long as they remain healthy. The potential inclusions of right-hander Alexis Díaz (a former All-Star closer who still retains minor league options) and left-hander Jacob Latz (who will compete for the fifth starter job) could erase opportunities for others.
Baumler, whose fastball velocity ticked up to 95-98 mph last season and pairs well with a power curveball, has “stuff that we don’t really have in the mix of the potential bullpen construction,” according to Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. Winn’s fastball, which averaged 96.3 mph last season, is the only one guaranteed to exist in the bullpen this season that can match it.
The Texas bullpen threw the third-slowest average fastball in baseball last season but remained effective because of its elite ability to throw strikes and limit walks. The Rangers will prioritize the same philosophy this season. That’s why Baumler’s pure stuff will only get him as far as his ability to command it against big league hitters. He threw an acceptable 65% of his pitches for strikes last season in the minors and will need to show that he can do the same against a higher level of competition with a traditional reliever’s workload.
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker shakes hands with pitcher Carter Baumler (68) during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
“He’s going to probably try to throw 100 mph his first game out there,” Schumaker said. “Calm down, take it all in, believe that he can do it. We got him for a reason. We believe that he can get outs at the major league level.”
That Baumler hasn’t yet is partly a byproduct of injuries. He’s pitched only 88 2/3 professional innings in four seasons because Tommy John surgery and a shoulder procedure slowed him down. Last season was his longest yet, and in 39 2/3 innings, he zoomed through three levels of the minor leagues and yielded a 2.04 ERA in 28 games. He didn’t allow a run and held hitters to a .115 average in six games at Double-A Aberdeen before the year ended.
“I think it’s more so pretty cool than anything,” Baumler said of his relative dearth of professional experience. “I don’t need the 300 innings that a lot of high schoolers get. I think it’s a cool thing rather than something that’s negative.”
He could say the same thing about the route he took to get here.
“I know where I’m at,” Baumler said. “I know what I’m capable of.”
Twitter/X: @McFarland_Shawn
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