Top 14 in 14 - Texas Rangers

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
1	Jorge Alfaro	C	R/R	6-2 / 185
Alfaro has always had had the tools to be among the best catchers in baseball; and while he’s put up solid numbers in his time in the Rangers’ system, last year we saw the right-handed hitting backstop put those tools together, though there’s still plenty of work to be done. Alfaro’s raw power is immense, coming from natural strength and plus bat speed, and there’s natural loft capable of hitting the ball out of any part of the field. He’s shown more willingness to hit the ball the other way, but his hit tool is still limited as he gives away at bats by swinging at pitches outside of the zone and not working counts into his favor. Last year was a big advance in that respect however, so there’s reason for optimism and to believe he can get on-base enough to justify putting his plus-plus power in the lineup everyday. Behind the plate, Alfaro certainly has the athleticism to be a quality backstop, and he also possesses one of the strongest arms of any catching prospect in baseball. His receiving is still a work in progress though, as he’s still learning to frame pitches and his instincts behind the dish are only average. Still, even if he’s just a 45 receiver Alfaro has a chance to be an all-star, capable of hitting 30+ homers and shutting down a teams’ running game with a cannon of an arm. HIT 40-50 POWER 50-70 SPEED 45-45 GLOVE 45-55 ARM 70-70 ETA: 2016

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
2	Rougned Odor	2B	L/R	5-11 / 170
Odor’s swing isn’t the most beautiful thing you’ll see, but his feel for hitting at his age is elite, and there’s reason to believe that the impressive offensive numbers he’s put up at each level aren’t a fluke. There’s a lot of extra movement in Odor’s swing — particularly in the lower half — but he gets through the zone very quickly and with strong wrists which allow him to make loud contact to every part of the field. There’s some natural loft to his swing and he’s capable of pulling the ball out of the ballpark, but asking for more than double digits out of his bat is probably asking for too much. While he doesn’t have big time speed, he’s got excellent instincts on the bases and is capable of stealing 20-25 bases. Defensively, Odor doesn’t have the arm strength to stick at shortstop but should be at least average at second base thanks to good hands and a fairly quick first step, with a chance to be plus if he improves his footwork around the bag. If he was a shortstop Odor would be a top 75 prospect, but even at second-base he’s definitely a name to keep an eye on as an infielder who can hit 300 with 10-12 homers and double digit stolen bases. HIT 45-60 POWER 35-45 SPEED 50-50 GLOVE 40-50 ARM 50-50 ETA: 2015

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
3	Alex “Chi Chi’ Gonzalez	RHP	R/R	6-3 / 200
I was surprised that Gonzalez didn’t go in the first fifteen picks of the 2013 draft as one of the “safer” value arms in the class, but the Rangers were able to procure his services with the 23rd pick in the draft, which I believe was a steal. He’s not overpowering but can bring his fastball up to 94 and sits in the low 90′s with a great deal of sink that should lead to groundballs as a professional. His best pitch is a cutter that bares into the hands of left-handed hitters, but he also has a slider that flashes plus that he can throw for a strike on a corner or bury out of the strike zone as a swing and miss pitch. The change isn’t where it needs to be yet, but he throws everything for a strike and gets rave reviews for his presence on the mound, and both could see the right-hander move through system quickly. The floor is high for Gonzalez as he should be a solid No. 4 at worst, and there’s a non-zero chance that he’s a No. 2 if he can miss enough bats. FASTBALL 55-55 CUTTER 55-65 SLIDER 50-60 CHANGE 45-50 COMMAND 50-60 ETA: 2015

http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/02/top-14-in-14-texas-rangers/