Friday on the Farm: Large field of Rangers prospects have case to be protected from Rule 5 draft

(Frisco RoughRiders)

For all the talk from general manager Chris Young about the Rangers spending big this offseason on starting pitching, after spending big on position players last offseason, he understands how important it is to have a stable of quality prospects.

Young players balance the budget. The more who make significant contributions, the more money the club has to spend in free agency.

Josh Jung is, in theory, a perfect example.

But he can’t be the only one as the Rangers build toward being a competitive club. Until then, the Rangers should try to keep as many top prospects as possible.

Those minor-leaguers, though, can’t be stashed away forever without being added to the 40-man roster. One protection against that is the Rule 5 draft, where non-40-man players who have been in the minors four or five years, depending on their age when signed, can be selected by another team placed on the 40-man.

The Rangers, with one of the best farm systems in baseball, have a large group of Rule 5-eligible prospects who could be lost to other organizations should the Rangers leave them unprotected by not placing them on the 40-man roster.

The Rangers have until Tuesday to do so. They have six openings on the 40-man after a series of transactions Thursday.

But more than six have a case to be protected. Let’s take a look.