Draft Dope: Rangers

June 6, 2007

Draft History (Click the year to view the picks)
Year	Top Pick
1992	Rick Helling
1993	Mike Bell
1994	Kevin Brown
1995	Jonathan Johnson
1996	R.A. Dickey
1997	Jason Romano
1998	Carlos Pena
1999	Colby Lewis
2000	Scott Heard
2001	Mark Teixeira
2002	Drew Meyer
2003	John Danks
2004	Thomas Diamond
2005	John Mayberry Jr.
2006	Casey Kiker

Scouting Director: Ron Hopkins (first year: 2006)
Order in 2007 Rotation: 16th
Extra Picks: First round (17th, for loss of Type A free agent Carlos Lee; 24th, for loss of Type A free agent Gary Matthews Jr.), supplemental first round (35th, for Lee; 44th, for Matthews; 54th, for loss of Type B free agent Mark DeRosa)
Lost Picks: First round (16th, for signing Type A free agent Frank Catalanotto from Blue Jays)
Trend: The Rangers have a good relationship with the Boras Corp., extending to picks beyond first-rounders. They had tended toward college players in recent years at the top before having a more diverse approach last year. The system needs help pretty much everywhere but particularly lacks power bats.
This Year's Outlook: With one of the biggest draft bonanzas in the draft--Texas picks at 17, 24, 35, 44, 54 and 80--the organization's signing budget has to be a major factor in its decision-making process this year. Indications in the industry had the Rangers looking more to the prep ranks with their extra picks. Will that make it less likely for the Rangers to take a high-dollar Boras client?