Best draft picks in Texas Rangers history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Texas Rangers history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. C.J. Wilson
- Draft: 141st overall pick in 2001
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 444
- Career stats: 94 wins, 3.74 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.5

#24. Rich Aurilia
- Draft: 678th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,652
- Career stats: 186 home runs, .276 batting average, .762 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.2

#22. Tanner Roark (tie)
- Draft: 753rd overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 227
- Career stats: 76 wins, 3.85 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.4

#22. Doug Davis (tie)
- Draft: 293rd overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 306
- Career stats: 92 wins, 4.44 earned run average, 1.51 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.4

#21. Ryan Dempster
- Draft: 66th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 579
- Career stats: 132 wins, 4.35 earned run average, 1.43 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.6

#20. Pete O'Brien
- Draft: 381st overall pick in 1979
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,567
- Career stats: 169 home runs, .261 batting average, .745 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.2

#19. Ron Darling
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 382
- Career stats: 136 wins, 3.87 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 19.6

#18. Aaron Harang
- Draft: 195th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 387
- Career stats: 128 wins, 4.26 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.0

#16. John Danks (tie)
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 247
- Career stats: 79 wins, 4.38 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#16. Rick Helling (tie)
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 1992
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 301
- Career stats: 93 wins, 4.68 earned run average, 1.38 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#15. Jim Clancy
- Draft: 74th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 472
- Career stats: 140 wins, 4.23 earned run average, 1.37 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.5

#14. Rey Sánchez
- Draft: 319th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,490
- Career stats: 15 home runs, .272 batting average, .642 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.6

#13. Mike Stanley
- Draft: 395th overall pick in 1985
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,467
- Career stats: 187 home runs, .270 batting average, .827 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.9

#12. Kyle Hendricks
- Draft: 264th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 257
- Career stats: 93 wins, 3.64 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.6

#11. Darren Oliver
- Draft: 63rd overall pick in 1988
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 766
- Career stats: 118 wins, 4.51 earned run average, 1.44 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.2

#10. Rusty Greer
- Draft: 279th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,027
- Career stats: 119 home runs, .305 batting average, .865 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#9. R.A. Dickey
- Draft: 18th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 400
- Career stats: 120 wins, 4.04 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.7

#8. Travis Hafner
- Draft: 923rd overall pick in 1996
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,183
- Career stats: 213 home runs, .273 batting average, .874 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.8

#7. Carlos Peña
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1998
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,493
- Career stats: 286 home runs, .232 batting average, .808 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.5

#6. Mike Hargrove
- Draft: 572nd overall pick in 1972
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,666
- Career stats: 80 home runs, .290 batting average, .787 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 30.4

#5. Edwin Encarnacián
- Draft: 274th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,960
- Career stats: 424 home runs, .260 batting average, .846 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 35.5

#4. Kenny Rogers
- Draft: 816th overall pick in 1982
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 762
- Career stats: 219 wins, 4.27 earned run average, 1.40 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 50.5

#3. Mark Teixeira
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 2001
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,862
- Career stats: 409 home runs, .269 batting average, .870 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 50.6

#2. Ian Kinsler
- Draft: 496th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,888
- Career stats: 257 home runs, .269 batting average, .777 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 54.1

#1. Kevin Brown
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 486
- Career stats: 211 wins, 3.28 earned run average, 1.22 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 67.8

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.