Rangers ink Roby, Saggese; all 5 picks signed
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ARLINGTON -- The Rangers have reached agreements with 2020 MLB Draft picks right-hander Tekoah (TK) Roby and shortstop Thomas Saggese for bonuses above their assigned slot values.
Roby, the Rangers' third-round pick out of Pine Forest (Fla.) High, agreed to a $775,000 bonus, above the $699,700 slot value for the No. 86 pick. Saggese, a fifth-round selection from Carlsbad (Calif.) High, agreed to an $800,000 bonus. The slot value for pick No. 145 was $375,200.
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Roby had committed to Troy University while Saggese had done so with Pepperdine University. With these deals in place, the Rangers have reached agreements with all five picks from the June 10-11 MLB Draft.
The Rangers had already reached agreements with No. 14 overall pick shortstop Justin Foscue from Mississippi State, second-rounder outfielder Evan Carter from Elizabethton (Tenn.) High and fourth-rounder pitcher Dylan MacLean from Central Catholic High in Portland, Ore.
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Roby, who stands 6-foot-1, has a three-pitch with a fastball that hits 94 mph. His curveball has the potential to be a swing-and-miss pitch, and his changeup is developing.
He made just one start this spring before the shutdown, but he went 7-4 with a 1.19 ERA in 11 starts in 2019. He struck out 109 batters in 70 innings while walking just 10 and allowing 47 hits.
Saggese, who is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, batted .440 with three home runs and nine RBIs in seven games for Carlsbad in the shortened season this spring. The shortstop was named Most Valuable Player of San Diego’s Avocado West League as a junior after batting .422 (43-for-102) with 10 home runs, 26 RBIs and 17 walks against 14 strikeouts.