2019 MLB Mock Draft: Fangraphs has Rangers going Austin prep players

2019 MLB Mock Draft: Fangraphs has their latest mock draft out this morning, and has the Texas Rangers going a different route with their top pick from what we would normally expect.

At #8, Fangraphs has the Rangers selecting Austin Lake Travis High School third baseman Brett Baty, saying he “checks all the boxes of a Nolan Gorman or Austin Riley,” while also noting the pretty big red flag that Baty turns 20 in November. As Baseball America notes, that makes Baty the oldest high school player on their board, and will result in him being discounted somewhat as a result. Baty is a big, lefthanded hitter who has big-time raw power, and Fangraphs pegs him as a potential underslot top-10 pick.

Meanwhile, at #41, they have Texas taking Baty’s high school teammate, righthanded pitcher Jimmy Lewis. Lewis is a tall strike-thrower with three quality pitches who is projectable, and who has seen his stock rise this spring.