Like the other MLB teams, the Texas Rangers could be a better MLB team. Not every acquisition, prospect, or trade will meet the public’s expectations. With that said, I have a list of the top ten Texas Rangers draft busts for you. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
10. Dillon Tate
Dillon Tate currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles as a right-handed pitcher.
Previously, Tate was drafted fourth overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2015 MLB Draft, as he was dubbed as one of the top prospects in 2015. The Southern California native signed a $4.2 million contract with the Rangers but turned out to be a bust because of health, mechanics, and expectations issues.
Mistakes happen, and Tate was sadly one of them.
9. Matt Purke
Matt Purke played his only MLB season with the Chicago White Sox in 2016.
Purke was drafted 14th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2009 MLB Draft but enrolled in and played college baseball at Texas Christian University. The Texas native earned Second Team All-American and was named Freshman of the Year after going 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA in his first year and went 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his sophomore year.
Purke being a draft bust is up for debate, as he was a third-round pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2011 MLB Draft. College can be great, but in this case, Purke was like a cautionary tale for the Rangers.
8. Kasey Kiker
Kasey Kiker is a former MLB pitcher. Kiker was a top prospect at one point in time and was drafted 12th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2006 MLB Draft.
Kiker struggled in the minor leagues, and the Rangers eventually released him in 2011. At least the Alabama native got the chance to represent the United States as a pitcher for the US national baseball team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup.
7. Jonathan Johnson
Jonathan Johnson is a former MLB pitcher who played six seasons in the big leagues. Born in Georgia and raised in Florida, Johnson was “clearly the dominant pitcher” in his region when he played college baseball at Florida State University.
Johnson was drafted seventh overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1995 MLB Draft. The Florida native spent a few seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1998, where he allowed four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.
As a Texas Ranger, Johnson made one appearance in 1999 and 15 appearances in 2000 before being sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he didn’t play in a game. The Rangers likely regretted taking Johnson ten picks ahead of Roy Halladay. Yes, Roy Halladay.
6. Vincent Sinisi
Vincent Sinisi is a former MLB outfielder and first baseman who grew up in Houston, Texas. Sinisi’s last name sounds like some reaction to Texas allergies, like, “This weather change is giving me a case of the Sinisi’s.”
Sinisi played professional baseball abroad as a member of the Italian national baseball team in 2006. Previously, Sinisi was drafted 54th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2003 MLB Draft out of Rice University, where he was named the WAC’s Baseball Player of the Year in 2002.
Sinisi received a first-round contract worth $2.025 million before the Rangers traded him and John Hudgins to the San Diego Padres in 2006 for Freddy Guzmán and César Rojas. Sinisi reportedly made the Rangers’ “bad” list, like a Sinisi infection.
5. Monty Fariss
Monty Fariss is a former MLB outfielder who made the big leagues quickly. Fariss attended Oklahoma State University and played collegiate summer baseball with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Hyannis Mets. The Oklahoma City was drafted sixth overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1988 MLB Draft.
Fariss made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2001 and had 197 at-bats as a Ranger from 1991-92 before signing with the Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) and playing 18 games in South Beach before getting out of the MLB.
The Rangers could’ve selected Brian Jordan, Jim Abbott, Robin Ventura, or Charles Nagy, but it is what it is. All the Rangers could’ve done was move on.
4. Donald Harris
Donald Harris is a former MLB outfielder who attended Texas Tech University. Harris was drafted fifth overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1989 MLB Draft. The Waco, Texas, native played for the Rangers from 1991 to 1993 as an outfielder for the most part.
Harris seemed to be on the fast track to stardom in 1991 as he hit .375 for the Rangers, but his next two seasons were rather horrendous, with 24 hits spread over three seasons. Harris retired from MLB in 1993 and began serving as a mentor and a motivational speaker to youth.
It’s safe to say Harris fizzled over time.
3. Jurickson Profar
Jurickson Profar is an MLB outfielder who is a free agent. Profar played for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Colorado Rockies. Profar’s tenures in Arlington, Texas, in 2012-13 and 2016-18 could have been better.
Profar participated in the 2004 and 2005 Little League World Series, representing his native Curaçao. However, Profar seemed like a late bloomer in the big leagues like other MLB players circa 2012. At least Profar tried his best and became one of the San Diego Padres’ hottest hitters out of the gates from 2020 to 22.
2. Drew Meyer
Drew Meyer is a former MLB outfielder who played for the Texas Rangers in 2006. Meyer was drafted 10th overall by the Rangers in the 2002 MLB Draft.
When Meyer finally made the big leagues, he struck out eight times in 14 at-bats. In January 2007, the Charleston, South Carolina, native was designed for assignment by the Rangers and was outrighted to the minor leagues after passing league-wide waivers and became a free agent at the end of the 2008 MLB season and then signed a minor-league contract with the Houston Astros.
The Rangers could’ve gotten a guy like Cole Hamels, James Loney, Joe Saunders, or Matt Cain instead. But the Rangers didn’t.
1. David Clyde
David Clyde is a former MLB left-handed pitcher who played for five seasons: three with the Texas Rangers from 1973-75 and two with the Cleveland Indians from 1978-79. Clyde was highly touted for his once-promising baseball career and was the Rangers’ first overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft.
In high school, Clyde’s dominance in the high school baseball world attracted a lot of MLB scouts, who often billed him as “the next Sandy Koufax” and “the best pitching prospect they’ve ever seen.” National media outlets, such as Sports Illustrated and Newsweek, heavily praised Clyde ahead of the 1973 MLB Draft. Clyde was a big deal, and if he was pitching in 2013, he could’ve put BTS-mania to shame.
Clyde’s hype attracted fans coming in flocks. As a result, the Rangers prevented the possibility of potential bankruptcy or an AL takeover by the MLB. But Clyde’s MLB career was cut short due to shoulder trouble. After being traded to the Cleveland Indians, Clyde was eventually demoted and tried to make a comeback with the Houston Astros but was unsuccessful. So, much for being the poster boy of baseball.
