Rangers pick 30th in this week's draft

[Bob Of Burleson]

Rangers' plan is best player available in Draft

Club covets pitchers, but No. 30 pick
may not yield choice from top arms

By Grace Raynor / MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- The approach stays the same.

Yes, the Rangers lead the league in injuries with 12 players on the disabled list -- four more than the Red Sox, who are next in line. Yes, the club is limited in how much it can spend on international amateur signings due to set rules and the amount that Texas spent in 2013. And yes, with their first pick not coming until No. 30, the Rangers will likely be too late to land some of the more dominant pitchers in a Draft class that boasts some of the best.

But the approach stays the same when the club prepares to make its picks in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, which begins on Thursday.

"We've tried to make sure we don't change our evaluation in any way," assistant general manager A.J. Preller said on Monday. "We want to be true to our evaluation process, and obviously you're always looking to … figure out a way to get the most bang for your buck and get the most players from the amount of money that you have. As far as from a scouting evaluation process standpoint, there's really no change."

The 2014 Draft will take place Thursday through Saturday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Thursday at 5 p.m. Texas time. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 5 p.m., with the top 74 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of the second and third days will begin with a live Draft show at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

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