The Rangers¡¯ selections of Malcolm Moore and Dylan Dreiling on Day 1 seemingly established an early theme for the defending champions¡¯ Draft plans, addressing the need to replenish their farm system with well-rounded offensive talent.

It was a commonality that carried over into Day 2, with Texas adding an additional four position players to its 2024 haul who all share similar pure-hitting profiles that project favorably at the pro level, highlighted by the selections of Casey Cook (No. 103 overall) and Rafe Perich (No. 225).

After going all in on building a World Series winner through a number of high-profile trades and signings along with Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford¡¯s meteoric rise to the big leagues, Texas aims to re-establish some of that offensive depth in this year¡¯s Draft.

¡°[General manager Chris Young] lays out our goals, and one of them is dominating the fundamentals,¡± director of amateur scouting operations Adam Lewkowicz said. ¡°And we see controlling the strike zone and hitting the ball with impact as part of that. A lot of the guys that we target do that well.¡±

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Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Fla.) shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald, the No. 218 Draft prospect per MLB Pipeline, and New Mexico State outfielder Keith Jones II were two other position players selected by Texas on Day 2 who possess similar offensive skill sets.

Texas felt particularly strong about Cook, its third-round selection. The 21-year-old outfielder owns a contact-heavy approach and showcased great control of the strike zone in three seasons at North Carolina. He earned ACC All-Conference first-team honors this past season after hitting .341/.431/.605 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs, which ranked 11th nationally.

Added muscle led to a boost in power for Cook, who entered the Draft as the No. 171 prospect. And though his fringy defensive outlook likely limits him positionally, Cook¡¯s ability to curb strikeouts and make consistent impactful contact were too good for the Rangers to pass up.

¡°Casey¡¯s got elite zone control,¡± Lewkowicz said. ¡°He sees the ball at a very high level. Grinds at-bats, but the power really came this year. We saw him mostly in left field, but we think there¡¯s some upside to potentially play second base. We got an impact person as well, so we¡¯re excited.¡±

Those skills also appear prominent in Perich, a switch-hitting third baseman from Lehigh who the Rangers considered taking sooner before ultimately selecting him in the seventh round.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Perich was lauded by Rangers scouts for his physicality and strength as well as his simplified, high-contact approach from both sides of the plate. Though he starred at a smaller Division I program in the Patriot League, Perich still managed to post a .382 batting average while tallying more walks (34) than strikeouts (23) in his final collegiate campaign.

Lewkowicz also noted that the Rangers could potentially tap into more power with Perich -- referencing his exceptional batted-ball data -- through some minor swing adjustments.

¡°We had him at a workout and got to be around him before the Draft,¡± Lewkowicz said. ¡°Great kid, really physical, strong dude. But beyond that, it¡¯s excellent metrics. Really high contact rate, really strong exit velocity off the bat.

¡°And we see a guy that, with some small tweaks, we can get to a lot more game power. So we were excited to get him at that part of the Draft. We actually talked about getting him in earlier rounds. So to get him in the seventh felt really exciting.¡±

The Rangers also selected a group of four pitchers to round out a balanced Day 2 for the club, the most notable being right-hander David Hagaman at No. 133 overall in the fourth round. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Hagaman pairs a physical frame with a lively pitch mix that features a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider.

Though Hagaman only made two starts out of 36 total appearances for West Virginia between 2023 and ¡¯24, the Rangers hope to develop him into a starter. Hagaman is currently recovering from a season-ending injury after making just 14 appearances this past season.

¡°You never know in the end, but we feel like we got a guy that is really coming into his own as a pitcher,¡± Lewkowicz said. ¡°He¡¯s a really dynamic athlete on the mound. We think the stuff is really going to jump.

¡°Once healthy, we anticipate sending him out as a starter.¡±