ARLINGTON -- Rangers general manager Chris Young said that the No. 1 thing the organization looks for in an amateur prospect is the “Ranger values.”

They want to understand the person first and foremost, their makeup and what makes them tick, in addition to the talent, which Young -- who is in his first year as Texas’ GM -- calls an obvious prerequisite. 

That’ll be a point of emphasis going into the 2021 Draft.

Day 1 of the Draft will take place in Denver’s Bellco Theatre on Sunday. It will feature the first 36 picks and will air on MLB Network and ESPN at 6 p.m. CT. Day 2, which will span rounds 2-10, will begin at 12 p.m. CT on Monday. The Draft will conclude with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 11 a.m. CT. MLB.com will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast and provide live coverage on all three days.

“There's a lot of information out there that goes into these decisions, but ultimately understanding the person is the key criteria for us,” Young said. “I've been unbelievably impressed at [Rangers scouting director Kip Fagg] and the scouting group, the work that they've done in terms of understanding who these players are. 

“We've done a tremendous job really meeting with these guys and getting to know them, and then evaluating the talent as well. I think it's a process that you bridge the two and you ultimately choose the right player for the Texas Rangers.”

The Rangers have the No. 2 pick overall and will draft second in each round thereafter, which will include 20 total selections. Texas’ bonus pool is $12,641,000. In 2020’s abbreviated five-round Draft, the Rangers selected five players, all of whom signed with the organization. 

Fagg said it was an interesting process for his staff, with an extra month of scouting coupled with a pandemic affecting which parts of the country were fully open -- and when. So for example, depending on the timing, scouts could see a player in Florida but not in California. 

He explained that the situation affected the history and relationships with prospect more so than the scouting itself. 

Young said the Rangers’ have a shortlist of players plotted out for the team’s first pick. That list is likely to include prep shortstops Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar and Kahlil Watson, along with Vanderbilt right-handers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.

MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, in their latest mock Draft, listed Leiter as the Rangers’ pick at No. 2 overall. Leiter will arguably be the best player available when Texas picks, depending on what Pittsburgh does, but both Young and Fagg maintained that the pick is not yet set in stone.

• Who is Jack Leiter?

The last time the Rangers took a college arm was in 2015, when they selected Dillon Tate from UC Santa Barbara at No. 4 overall.

The Rangers have a more recent history of taking polished college position players with their first pick -- Justin Foscue out of Mississippi State in 2020 and Josh Jung out of Texas Tech in 2019 -- but president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said the past isn't going to affect what they do with the pick this year.

“Patience is required, whether college player or high school player,” Daniels said. “Especially now with the No. 2 pick in the country, there's going to be some expectations and pressure on this young man. Whoever it is that we take, it’s imperative on us as an organization to put the right support and the right development program around that player and let him come at his own pace.”

Fagg emphasized that there are still conversations to be had between now and Sunday regarding what to do with the No. 2 choice.

While Leiter and Rocker were the assumed to go No.1 and 2 overall at the start of the college baseball season, Rocker has slipped out of the top two. That’s more due to others’ performances than his own, as he finished the season with a 14-4 record and a 2.73 ERA.

Leiter, on the other hand, skyrocketed up the Draft board after throwing a no-hitter against South Carolina to kick off SEC play. The SEC Newcomer of the Year finished the season with a 11-4 record and 2.13 ERA.

The trio of high school shortstops may be the X-factor.

Mayer has been seen as the best player overall for weeks now, and many mock Draft have Pittsburgh taking him at No. 1. Lawlar is a local kid, graduating from Jesuit Prep in Dallas just weeks ago and has obvious appeal with the ability to be a franchise player. Watson, hailing from Wake Forest High School in North Carolina, is perhaps the most “toolsy” of the three, and he fits the profile of players the Rangers’ have taken in the past.

Whom the Rangers end up taking may indicate their predicted timeline for contention. A college pitcher may be ready to contribute sooner than a high school shortstop. 

In the end, Young said that drafting best player available is a factor to some degree, but it’s not the end all be all for the organization. Daniels emphasized that any team needs impact players up and down the lineup to win a World Series, so the Rangers won’t limit themselves with any of their picks. 

“I think ultimately we're looking for the right players for the Texas Rangers,” Young said. “We want to make sure that we get the right players, that's the most important part. It's hard to predict the timeline [of the Rangers’ big league club], but time will tell if indeed they fit our immediate timeline or long-term timeline. … If we get good players, they will fit here.” 

“We want to take the best player,” Fagg said, “but I mean, there's a lot that goes into the best player. It's not just like the talent piece, it's all the work that guy's done as far as building relationships, what drives the player, what motivates the player. There's a lot that goes into that. So I would say, yes, it’s the best player. But there's a lot more to it.”