With the 14th pick of the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers picked Justin Foscue, a right-handed-hitting second baseman out of Mississippi State University.
The 21-year-old native of Huntsville, Ala., who went undrafted out of high school, stands six-feet tall and tips the scales at 203 pounds. Foscue is already no stranger to the bright lights he’ll see at Globe Life Field, having played in two College World Series with the Bulldogs (2018 and 2019) and for team USA. He also has faced plenty of elite competition during his college career, playing in the SEC, the conference that dominated the first round of the draft.
In his final collegiate season, he slashed .321/.464/.509, while only striking out three times and walking 15 times. Foscue’s defense isn’t impressive and he’s an average-to-slightly below-average runner, but his huge bat easily makes up for all of it.
Foscue’s heavy-hitting, light-fielding style has drawn comparisons to 377 home run-hitter Jeff Kent. A pure slugger like Foscue will fit in great alongside Joey Gallo in the Rangers lineup.
The infielder looks to move through the minor leagues quickly, like any draft pick of his age, and make a big-league impact soon. While the Rangers already have Rougned Odor at Foscue’s main position of second base, the former Bulldog also has experience at third base, which could very well be his position in Texas.
Justin Foscue was the fifth-ranked infielder in this draft and is a highly talented ball player Ranger fans should be excited to watch play.
The signing bonus value for this pick is $4,036,800.
