Welcome to March. It’s madness, we hear. But it’s also time to start counting down the Rangers’ top 30 prospects. Why stop at 30, though? There are 31 days in the month, so we’ll do one a day through the entire month until we get to No. 1. It was a fun way to pass last March, especially since spring training got something of a late start. And it was fun to update late last summer because the future looked a lot brighter than the present.
Anyway, here we go:
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No. 27 RHP Josh Stephan
Age: 21
Height, weight: 6-2, 200
B-T: R-R
Who he is: Stephan, who attended South Grand Prairie High School, went undrafted in the pandemic-shortened five-round draft of 2020. But he opted to sign for $20,000, the maximum allowed to undrafted free agents, to forego a commitment to Stephen F. Austin.
Why he’s here: Though unranked at the start of last season, Stephan moved into the No. 30 spot on our end-of-season list. He averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings over 103 innings split between the Class A clubs while also holding batters to a .216 batting average. In his three end-of-the-year starts at advanced Class A Hickory, he struck out 13 and walked seven and allowed just two runs in 11 innings. His fastballs keep creeping higher. The sinker was at 88-93 mph and the four-seamer at 90-95, but he’s already touched 96 this spring. His slider has had a 50% swing-and-miss rate as a pro. And he mixes in a change.
What’s his future: For a non-drafted U.S.-born player to reach the top 30 is somewhat unusual. To keep the momentum going as he gets to higher levels, it will be important to keep the walk rate down. He’s going to be in a legitimate prospect-laden rotation to start the year, which is going to encourage competition and will make promotions more limited to merit, not simply formality. The Rangers love his ability to compete. It will be tested.
Where he will start ‘23: In the rotation at Class A Hickory.
Rangers’ top prospects
No. 31: INF Cameron Cauley
No. 30: LHP Cody Bradford
No. 29: OF Trevor Hauver
No. 28: RHP Marc Church
No. 27: RHP Josh Stephan
More to come...
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