Five Emerging Rangers Prospects to Watch in 2024

November 8, 2023 Adam Greene AL West, General, MiLB, Rangers 0

Emiliano Teodo, Surprise Saguaros, Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, November 5, 2023. Photo credit Gail Verderico, @1baseball_gail on Twitter and @baseball_gail on Instagram
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After 63 years of existence, the Texas Rangers finally won their first World Series. A combination of significant free agent signings and trades led them to the pinnacle of baseball, but their homegrown talent also played a crucial role. Players like Evan Carter and Josh Jung made huge contributions during the season and their playoff run. Even after going all in for the championship, the Rangers maintain a top-ten farm system in MLB. There is no shortage of talent within their system, especially with the prospects set to be in Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock next year. Further down in the minors, they have players who are either ready or starting to break out; some of these prospects could see their rankings rise in 2024.


Current rankings listed are from our Prospects1500 Rangers midseason Top 50 prospects (from this past July).

Emiliano Teodo, RHP
Last Rangers Top 50 Rank – 21

Beginning in 2020, the Rangers were looking to rebuild their farm system. For them it started with taking chances on teenagers out of the Dominican Republic, like signing young flamethrower Emiliano Teodo for $10,000 in the International Signing Pool. Since then, Teodo has moved to High-A Hickory where he spent his 2023 season. His eclectic 4-seam fastball was hitting 103 mph, and even after the Rangers reworked the pitch to a sinker it still hits triple digits. Teodo also throws a curveball that mimics slider velocity, sitting in the upper 80s.

Teodo’s 2022-23 seasons proved he’ll be able to get outs at the big league level. In 2022, he pitched 84.1 innings and struck out 115 in Single-A Down East. Both years he’s achieved a 12.3 K/9, and with a touch of better command, the high walk rate will slowly transform into more strikeouts. Teodo is participating in this season’s Arizona Fall League, where he’s currently putting on a pitching clinic. As of their Fall-Stars Game where he was named on the American League side, he appeared in eight games, with a statline of 8 IP, 19 K, 3 H, 3 BB, 0 R. There’s no doubt he has one of the most lively arms across MiLB; yes, the Rangers won the World Series but with their 2023 bullpen woes, he could be looking at a promotion in the next couple years.

Josh Stephan, RHP
Last Rangers Top 50 Rank – 25

The 2020 MLB Draft was an unprecedented event that consisted of only five rounds, as opposed to the usual 20 rounds. This resulted in many players who would have been drafted going unselected, including Josh Stephan. After the draft, he signed with Texas as an undrafted free agent. Stephan primarily uses a tandem of fastballs, a four and two seamer both in the low to mid 90s, that carry and sink respectively. He can best command his secondary changeup and has also added a slider with a low 80s velocity.

Stephan was pitching very well for Hickory with a 2.17 ERA, and was promoted to Double-A Frisco in early July. He made one start, pitching 4.1 innings, but was subsequently shut down for the season. He ended his season with a 0.84 WHIP and a 1.8 BB/9, a significant improvement over his 1.11 WHIP and 2.7 BB/9 in 2022. Stephan has consistently been able to produce ground ball outs, with a ground ball rate just over the league average of 50%. At the end of the season, he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star for his 11 starts in High-A. Assuming his injury isn’t serious, Stephan will be part of Frisco’s rotation to start the 2024 season.

Echedry Vargas, 2B/SS
Last Rangers Top 50 Rank – 48

Like in 2020, the Rangers brought in a surplus of international prospects before the 2022 season began. Vargas was one of the signings who received the minimum $10,000, just like Emiliano Teodo in 2020. Vargas’ 2023 season in the Complex League built on his eye-opening 2022 performance in the Dominican Summer League. He won Complex League Player of the Week multiple times, was the July Player of the Month, and earned a spot as an ACL All-Star, slashing .315/.387/.569/.956 (excluding the one game he played for Single-A Down East where he went 1-2).

At just 18 years old, Vargas is still developing as a baserunner and in the field, but he has already demonstrated plus-speed with 17 stolen bases in 2023. In the infield, he is on the smaller side with a 5’11”, 170 lb frame, but is far from a liability up the middle. Vargas features a high leg kick that generates the majority of his power and has shown himself to be a pull-heavy hitter who can punish pitchers for hanging a pitch. He tied for the Arizona home run lead in the Complex League with 11. With all the recent international signings by the Rangers, it was easy to overlook Vargas, but he has quickly become one of the best success stories coming through their farm system.

Yosy Galan, OF
Last Rangers Top 50 Rank – NR

Galan was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Texas team in 2020 as part of the International Signing Pool. Scouts were impressed by his raw power and his ability to crush the ball to any part of the park. His open stance and quick bat speed create a dangerous combination that helps Galan get on base, often resulting in extra-base hits. Splitting his season between Down East and Hickory, 50% of Galan’s hits were for extra bases, including 18 home runs. Valid questions exist about his overall hit tool, but the pop in his bat and his speed have been felt by opposing pitchers over the last two seasons.

A challenge that many power hitters face nowadays is their strikeout rate. If Galan can draw more walks and chase fewer pitches away from the zone, his numbers will begin to reflect his true potential. Surprisingly, as a right-handed batter, Galan matches up better against right-handed pitchers. In fact, 85% of his hits in 2023 came off right-handed pitchers. When pitchers come inside against him, he demonstrates an innate ability to lift the ball. In terms of defense, he plays the outfield well and can be used at any of three positions, although he did not play in center field in 2023. With minor adjustments to his approach, Galan’s bat should propel him up the rankings in 2024.

Jesus Lopez, C
Last Rangers Top 50 Rank – NR

As a 6’1″ 180 lb catcher signed for $347,500 out of Venezuela in 2022, Lopez has already showcased an elite profile behind the plate. Despite his young age, he has demonstrated elite blocking, throwing, and receiving skills to the Rangers. Lopez’s agility has played a massive role in his development as an elite defensive catcher. He can both shut down stolen base attempts and reach balls that could easily pass him. All reports surrounding Lopez have praised his ability to call a game at such a young age. Unrelated to his playing skills, he speaks English and Spanish, which aids communication even in the age of PitchCom.

2023 was Lopez’s first year playing in the United States, but he was limited to just 13 games due to an arm issue. In those 13 games, however, he posted a 1.041 OPS in 53 plate appearances and hit three home runs in the first four of those games. Lopez has the potential to be an above-average league hitter, but in today’s game, a catcher with an elite arm and stellar defense will always have a job. He’ll likely spend more time in the Complex League next year since the Rangers are in no hurry to rush his development, and next year should hopefully mark his first full professional season. With time, Lopez has a shot at becoming one of the top catching prospects in the game, and 2024 will be a major step in his progression.

Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a Sport Management and Marketing double major at UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management. His main focus is sport marketing, where he's already had internships with the local Westfield Starfires and Springfield Thunderbirds. He now writes for the Cape Cod Baseball League. From Longmeadow, MA, Adam is a huge Red Sox fan and has been following the team his whole life. When Covid hit, he started paying a lot more attention to the Red Sox minor league teams, and now, follows them almost as much as the big league squad. Follow him on Twitter at @aj_greene1015 and Instagram at the same handle.

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