Rangers stick with pitching, draft Speas

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers selected another high school pitcher when they took right-hander Alex Speas from McEachern High School in Powder Springs (Ga.) with the 63rd overall pick of the 2016 Draft.
The Rangers took left-hander Cole Ragans from North Florida Christian High with their first pick -- No. 30 overall -- and the two pitchers appear to be different.
• No. 30 overall: Cole Ragans
The report on Ragans is he is smooth and polished, while Speas is a hard-throwing righty who still needs to work on his delivery and command. But he is already clocked as high as 97 mph with his fastball.
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"Big arm, good breaking ball," Rangers scouting director Kip Fagg said. "If we can iron out his delivery, we could have an elite arm."
Speas, 6-foot-4, was rated the 52nd-best prospect by MLBPipeline.com going into the Draft. He has committed to Auburn.
The Draft continues on Friday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 11:30 a.m. CT, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 3-10 beginning at noon CT.
Speas began his high school career playing shortstop and center field. He started pitching as a reliever in his junior year before becoming a starter last summer. He quickly developed into a top prospect at McEachern.
"He's a big kid, very athletic, with a loose arm," Fagg said.
He also has high expectations.
"Growing up I always wanted to be one of those guys in the Hall of Fame," Speas told WXIA-TV in Atlanta prior to the Draft.