Baseball America released their 2013 Top 100 Prospects List and the Texas Rangers have four players listed in the rankings. According to the list, released on Feb. 19, Rangers' infielder Jurickson Profar ranks first on the overall list.
The Rangers lost three of their best players this offseason, including outfielder Josh Hamilton, catcher Mike Napoli and long-time utility player Michael Young. While that makes it look like Texas will struggle this season, this prospects list makes the future look bright for Texas.
Jurickson Profar ranks first on the list and should be the man to step up quickly in 2013. He is a second baseman and shortstop by nature, and while Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus hold those positions effectively, Texas will find a place for Profar in their lineup and hope his numbers will replace those of Michael Young.
In three minor league seasons, Profar hit .276 with 30 homers, 150 RBIs and 47 stolen bases.
Mike Olt is next on the list, ranked at 22. Olt is very similar to Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper, a huge slugger who just needs to improve his pitch selection. In three minor league seasons, Olt hit 52 home runs with 171 RBIs and held a respectable .282 batting average. He should quickly challenge Mitch Moreland for the first base position and will be a nice replacement for Mike Napoli.
While no one will replace Josh Hamilton's numbers, 97th ranked Leonys Martin will try to take control of the centerfield position, something he will start out sharing with Craig Gentry. In his two minor league seasons, Martin hit .323 with 16 homers, 84 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. In the big leagues, he only hit .204, so he needs some work to get to the next level.
The fourth person on the list is pitcher Martin Perez, who has long been considered the Rangers' brightest pitching prospect. Perez ranks 81st on the top prospect list and will probably start the season in the bullpen for Texas. His minor league ERA is a bit high at 4.23, and his record is 27-30 over his career, so he has some work to do to develop into the star Texas hopes he can become.
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