#13 Jurickson Profar

Texas Rangers

DOB: 2/20/1993

Previous Rank: N/R

ETA: 2013

As an 18-year-old in the Sally League, Profar very nearly slashed .290/.390/.500 as an elite fielding shortstop, earning him the SAL MVP.  Holy shit.  He’s really, really good and has so much more to gain before he actually arrives in Arlington.  An aggressive international scouting department was able to sign Profar out of Curacao while he was a 16-year-old.  He made tremendous gains at the plate in 2011 in terms of all three hitters’ tools.  He even walked more times than he struck out.

Profar is an exceptional defender and gets above average grades for his footwork, arm strength, and hand agility.  His bat track from both sides of the plate is textbook and produces quality bat speed and carry.  What’s perhaps most impressive is that he has only been hitting from both sides for two years.  There is nothing to knock with Profar except that he might be a couple inches short.  Get ready, because in a couple of years there is going to be a huge debate about where to put Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, and Profar, because they all need to be on that diamond.

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Do you know what the best thing about baseball’s postseason is, besides the fact that the Yankees are no longer present in this one?  Anything can happen, and we fans get to witness it.  A career .265 hitter claimed on waivers in the middle of August bats .350 in the NLCS, belts 6 extra base hits (including 3 home runs), and wins the NLCS MVP Award.  A former drug addict turned AL MVP frontrunner misses almost the entire last month of the season just to come back strong and help handle the New York Yankees, at times without even swinging the bat, on his way to his own ALCS MVP Award. These are the reasons I watch. Well, that and the two phenoms that will be alternating time on the mound come Wednesday.

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There is much more to professional baseball, along with every other pro sport, than just the action taking place on the field. While it is the accomplishments and exploits between the foul lines that fans want to see, it is the out of site front office operations that are actually driving the billion dollar industry of baseball. An organization’s success is now determined as much by its balance sheets as it is by its box scores, and the recent happenings of the Texas Rangers provide a perfect example of when on and off-field performance can become mutually exclusive.

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I told a couple of friends at school who are Dallas locals that I would write occasionally about the Rangers this summer.  Today seems like a pretty reasonable day to do that considering that they now sit comfortably atop their own division and tied with the New York Yankees for first in the American League.  As a fan of the game and someone who follows the draft and the minor leagues to some extent, it comes as no surprise to see the Rangers doing so well.  It was regarded as almost laughable by many of my friends from Dallas when I suggested that the Rangers were playoff-bound in 2010.  Despite coming within shouting distance last season, the Rangers most recent playoff appearance came in 1999, and they have never won a pennant.  While I think they may be a move from securing what I think would be a top 3 team in baseball, everyone with an inquisitive mind understands that the playoffs are a roll of the dice, and once in, any team has a shot.  Barring injury, these Rangers seem like a lock for a playoff berth even without a major upgrade at the deadline.

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