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2019 MLB Draft: The Texas Rangers select Justin Slaten, New Mexico right-handed pitcher, with their third round pick, #86 overall.
The Rangers are still on the college train with New Mexico junior Slaten. Slaten wasn’t ranked by MLB Pipeline, nor in Keith Law’s top 100 but Fangraphs has him listed as on their board as the 18th ranked college pitcher outside of their top 100 overall list.
Slaten is from Longview, Texas so he has that going for him. And he is large at 6’ 4 197 lbs. In 2019, he started 13 games for New Mexico and allowed 23 runs in 82 1⁄3 innings pitched while striking out 98 to 36 walks.
Justin Slaten is a 6-4 RHP. He throws a low-to-mid FB with a low-80s slider. Will also mix in a curve and changeup. Delivery features so funkiness and deception. #Rangers
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) June 4, 2019
If you were hoping the Rangers were going with kind of boring college players with the hopes that they would save some money to splurge on a top prep who slid to the top of the second day...well, THIS KID IS FROM LONGVIEW, TEXAS DID I MENTION THAT!?
Anyhow, this might be a new era of Rangers drafts unfolding before our eyes or maybe this is just a coincidence and these have truly been the best players on the board when Texas’ name was called.
Pick #1, (8th overall): Texas Tech third baseman Josh Jung