Texas Rangers top 30 prospects: No. 13 Alejandro Osuna’s play is turning heads this spring

SURPRISE, Ariz. — In a recent rundown of talent in major league farm systems, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel picked a provocative word to describe the Texas Rangers organization: Volatile.

In short, McDaniel said there didn’t seem to be a lot of certainty to the talent, which he ranked 16th among all MLB organizations. There were a lot of potential big hits (Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter, Sebastian Walcott), but just as many potential misses. In some particular prospect cases, both ends of the spectrum existed.

What’s perhaps more troubling is that among the major outlets that rank organizational talent, ESPN had the Rangers’ system higher than others.

At the end of last season. MLB Pipeline had the Rangers taking a tumble from seventh overall to 26th, part of which was due to the graduations of Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter from prospects to certified major leaguers. But part of it is also the lack of surety.

Baseball America, which also ranks organizational talent, has the Rangers dropping from fourth overall to 19th.

A pair of prodigious tumbles.

Nevertheless, there is talent in the Rangers system and it’s our job to rank the prospects. Here’s our daily prospect tracker as we begin the countdown to No. 1:

No. 13 OF Alejandro Osuna

Age: 22

Height/weight: 5-9, 185

B-T: L-L

Who he is: Signed as a 17-year-old out of Mexico for $125,000 Osuna has pitching in his veins. He’s the younger brother of former closer Roberto Osuna and the nephew of former reliever Antonio Osuna. He, however, chose to play the field.

Why he’s here: A year after a shoulder injury shortened his season by two months, Osuna had a breakout year in 2024. He used a short, quick left-handed swing to slash out a .292/.362/.507/.869 line with a professional high of 18 homers in a year split between advanced Class A Hickory and 57 games at Double-A Frisco. He has always shown a refined approach and good plate discipline with a .368 professional OBP and his power has continually improved. He’s also made big strides against lefties, slashing .745 against them in 2023 and .772 last year. That will stand out among the left-handed hitting group of outfielders. In short, he seems to do well at learning the game and applying lessons as he matures.

What’s his future: As much as any young player Osuna has seized upon his non-roster invitation to spring training to make an impression on management with big hustle and some acrobatic plays in the outfield that highlight good instincts even if he’s not a burner. Now, the Rangers must decide if they are ready to push the outfielder into their insurance pool in case of a big league injury by promoting him to Triple-A Round Rock with less than half a season at Double-A. It might be aggressive, but Osuna is doing everything to put himself in a position to make it a real discussion.

Where he will start, MLB ETA: Double-A Frisco; 2026