ARLINGTON, TEXASThe Texas Rangers announced today that the club has signed three of its top four selections from the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Second round pick SS Ti'Quan Forbes, third rounder SS Josh Morgan, and fourth round selection LHP Brett Martin, completed physicals today and have signed contracts.
All three players will go to the Arizona League on Wednesday.
Forbes, 17, batted .427 with 3 home runs and 32 RBI as a senior for Columbia High School in Columbia, Mississppi. A three-sport star in high school, Forbes also pitched for the Class 4A State Champions this season, going 18-8 with 191 strikeouts in his high school career. The Ole Miss recruit was tabbed by Baseball America as the 5th-best shortstop prospect and 46th-best prospect overall. Baseball America also listed the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder as the top prospect coming out of the state of Mississippi.
Morgan, 18, posted a .300-or-better average in each of his last three seasons at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, including a .303 mark as a senior. He added 18 runs scored, 7 doubles, and a home run during his senior campaign. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder earned numerous accolades during his high school career, including 2013 first-team Perfect Game Underclass All-American in 2013. He was tabbed as the 6th-best shortstop prospect in the draft by Baseball America and was ranked 51st on Perfect Game USA's list of the top 500 high school prospects for 2014.
Martin, 19, compiled a 9-2 record with one save and a 3.83 ERA (18 ER/42.1 IP) in 16 appearances/9 starts as a freshman at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. The southpaw also had 63 strikeouts against 31 walks, as he helped the Senators to a 3rd-place finish in the TCCAA Region VII Tournament. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder claimed Super Sophomore honors in 2011, was named IMAC All-Conference in both his junior (2012) and senior (2013) seasons at Morristown-Hamblen East High School. He combined for 120 strikeouts in 92 innings his final 2 seasons in high school.
The club had previously agreed with 6th rounder Jose Trevino, 9th rounder Doug Votolato, and 10th round selection Seth Spivey. Trevino, Votolato, and Spivey will al go to Spokane. The Rangers have now signed or agreed to terms with six of its picks in the 2014 June draft, with all six among its top 10 selections.A current draft list is attached.
