The Texas Rangers selected eight players on the second day of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Rounds three through 10 of the draft took place today. The rest of the draft, through round 40, will be completed on Wednesday beginning at 11:00 a.m. CDT.
Below is additional information on the club’s selections today through the 10th round. The club will send out a final list at the conclusion of the draft tomorrow.
In the first 10 rounds of the draft, Texas has chosen seven right-handed pitchers and three shortstops. Texas selected six high school players and made four college selections.
SS JONATHAN ORNELAS (90th overall) – The 18-year-old shortstop batted .464 with 6 home runs and 31 RBI in 29 games this season at Raymond S. Kellis High School in Glendale, Arizona. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Ornelas, who also appeared in 10 games as a pitcher, totaled 22 extra base hits and scored 44 runs. Ornelas was selected 5A co-Player of the Year by the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association this season and played for a Kellis squad that won the 5A state title in 2017, the school's first-ever state baseball championship. The right-handed batter and thrower was ranked as the second-best infield prospect in Arizona by Baseball America and has committed to play collegiately at the University of Tennessee.
RHP MASON ENGLERT (119th overall) – The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Englert has gone 11-1 with a 0.57 ERA this season for Forney High School. The right-hander has allowed just 24 hits and 12 walks, while recording 145 strikeouts over 74.1 innings for the Jackrabbits. Earlier this season, Englert set a Texas High School state record with a 55.1-inning scoreless streak, passing former Ranger David Clyde, who had a 55.0-inning scoreless streak for Houston Westchester in 1972-73. Englert and Forney are slated to face Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial at 7 p.m. Thursday in the UIL Class 5A state baseball semifinals. He has committed to Texas A&M University.
SS JAYCE EASLEY (149th overall) – The switch-hitting shortstop from Sandra Day O’Connor HS in Phoenix turns 19 years old on Aug. 2. Easley is high school teammates with 3B Nolan Gorman, who was selected 19th overall in this year’s draft by St. Louis, as their school won the Arizona 6A State Championship at Tempe Diablo Stadium by beating Mountain Ridge HS, which featured top pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore. For his senior season, Easley batted .400/.562/.611/1.173 (36-90) with a home run, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 21 RBI, 45 runs, and 27 BB/14 SO in 32 games. Jayce is the son of former big league infielder Damion Easley, who once had 6 hits in a 9-inning game at Globe Life Park while with the Detroit Tigers (8/8/01). His older brother, Nate, was selected by San Diego in the 23rd round of the 2016 June draft and is currently with High-A Lake Elsinore in the California League. Jayce has committed to play at Oregon State University.
RHP SEAN CHANDLER (179th overall) – The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Chandler went 11-0 with a 1.34 ERA in 14 games/13 starts this season at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The right-hander had 123 strikeouts in 74.0 innings and was named Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Iowa Western finished this season with a record of 54-7, reaching as high as No. 2 in the Division I NJCAA baseball rankings. Chandler, 21, is a native of Bellevue, Nebraska and played two seasons at the University of Nebraska before transferring to Iowa Western. Chandler was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 32nd round of the 2015 draft out of Papillion-La Vista High School in suburban Omaha, but did not sign.
RHP TIM BRENNAN (209th overall) – The 22-year-old right-hander garnered All-ECAC Baseball First Team honors this season as a junior at St. Joseph’s University. He was 9-3 with a 2.94 ERA (29 ER/88.2 IP) and 84 strikeouts to just 5 walks over 13 games/12 starts for the Hawks. His 0.51 BB/9 rate and 16.80 SO/BB figure both led the nation this season. Brennan leaves campus among the school’s all-time leaders in both wins (2nd, 20) and strikeouts (2nd, 216). The Philadelphia native was a three-time Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection at Holy Ghost Prep. He also captained the basketball team at Holy Prep, earning All-League honors twice.
SS JAX BIGGERS (239th overall) – A junior at the University of Arkansas, the Missouri City product has batted .281/.388/.399/.787 (50-178) with 4 home runs, 9 doubles, and 22 RBI in 53 games for a Razorbacks club that will host NCAA Super Regionals against the University of South Carolina beginning on Saturday. Biggers played his freshman year at Cisco (TX) Junior College, batting .385 with 7 HR and 50 RBI in 64 games and ranked 7th among all juco players with 87 runs scored. At Ridge Point HS, selected second team all-state after batting .425 his senior year in 2015. Also played football and basketball in high school, and was all-conference in football both his junior and senior seasons. His father was an assistant baseball coach at Lamar University from 1994-97.
RHP CHANDLER SANBURN (269th overall) – The right-hander registered a team-best 9 saves for Wichita State this season. In 28 relief appearances for the Shockers, Sanburn compiled a 2.94 ERA (11 ER/33.2 IP) with 53 strikeouts and just 12 walks. He also held opposing batters to a .210 (25-119) average. Sanburn was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll each season at Wichita State. He lettered four years at Avon High School in Avon, Indiana.
RHP LEURY TEJEDA (299th overall) – The 18-year-old right-hander was drafted out of Walton High School in New York City. He went 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA over 40 innings this season for Walton High School. In his junior season, Tejada was named to the 2017 All-New York City First Team after posting an 8-1 record with 44 strikeouts in 44 innings. During that campaign, he was the only player in New York City to allow no earned runs in the regular season. Tejada has committed to play collegiately at New Mexico Junior College, the same school that produced Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta.
