Rangers focus on signing first round draft pick Cole Winn
With the 15th pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers got their man in prep pitcher Cole Winn. Now, the team is turning its focus to singing the right-handed TCU commit.
The Rangers did not expect Winn to be available when they came on the clock. He was ranked as a top-10 prospect by most baseball publications going into the draft and when he was still on the board on Monday night, the Rangers pulled the trigger.
It’s easy to see why he was held in such high regard by the Rangers organization. In his junior season at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, CO, Winn won the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year after going 9-0 with a 0.73 ERA. Following the season, he moved to talent-rich southern California in order to face better talent and gain more exposure.
Against the better competition, Winn once again dominated. He went 8-2 with a 0.20 ERA in his one season at Orange Lutheran High School, en route to being named California’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-2 Winn features three good pitches according to his MLB.com scouting report. Scouts rave about his fastball, which has reached the mid-nineties. MLB.com calls it his best pitch. His slider isn’t too shabby either, with the website calling it a “power breaker.”
Scouts also love his mental makeup, as he is said to have great leadership skills and an excellent work ethic.
Winn is committed to play college baseball at TCU, so the Rangers will have to convince him to skip college and come play professional ball. The recommended signing bonus for the 15th pick in the draft is just under $3.4 million, but the Rangers may have to dish out a little bit more to ensure that he’ll be in their organization by the end of the season.
Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram reported on Monday night that Rangers officials were very confident that the club would be able to sign him.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement.