Rangers Make Eight Selections on Day Two of 2024 MLB Draft

July 15th, 2024

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today selected eight players on day two of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. Rounds three through 10 took place today at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, with the Rangers selecting 4 position players and 4 pitchers. The third and final day of the draft (Rounds 11-20) is set to be completed on Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. CT.

Below is additional information on the club’s day-two selections:

OF CASEY COOK (3rd round, 103rd overall) – Cook, 21, was a First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection this season as a redshirt sophomore at the University of North Carolina. He slashed .341/.431/.605/1.036 (88-258) with 18 home runs, a triple, 12 doubles, and team-leading 78 RBI across 64 games, finishing the campaign ranked among ACC leaders in RBI (3rd), hits (T7th), total bases (9th, 156), and runs (T9th, 67). The left-handed batter and right-handed thrower’s 78 RBI were the 5th-most ever by a Tar Heel in a single season, and he this year became one of only 11 players in program history to record at least four multi-homer games in a campaign. In a road contest on March 29 at Wake Forest, he hit a pair of homers off right-hander Chase Burns, who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the no. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. The 6-foot, 195-pound Chantilly, Va. native was rated among the top-200 prospects in the 2024 draft class by both Baseball America (no. 164) and MLB Pipeline (no. 171). Cook’s father, Jason, was a 55th-round selection by the Seattle Mariners and the 1993 MLB Draft and went on to play four seasons in the minor leagues.

RHP David Hagaman (4th round, 133rd overall) – Hagaman, 21, went 2-3 with a 5.91 ERA (23 ER/35.0 IP) with 49 strikeouts to 19 walks and a 12.6 strikeouts-per-9.0 figure across 14 games (one start) during his 2024 sophomore campaign at West Virginia University, as his 49 strikeouts this season ranked 4th among Mountaineers. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander logged a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 6.2-inning relief outing on March 23 at Oklahoma, earning the win in that contest. He totaled a 3-5 record and 4.66 ERA (38 ER/73.1 IP) over 36 career appearances (2 starts) spanning two collegiate seasons for the Mountaineers (2023-24). A native of Somers Point, N.J., Hagaman prepped at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J., where he fanned 81 batters in 48.2 innings, recording a 2.77 ERA as a senior.

SS DEVIN FITZ-GERALD (5th round, 165th overall) – The switch-hitting and right-handed throwing Fitz-Gerald was a four-time state champion (2021-22-23-24) and three-time national championship-winner (2021-22-23) over four seasons at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. He batted .407 (35-86) with 5 home runs, a triple, 10 doubles, and 26 RBI over 31 games as a senior, guiding the Eagles to a 26-5 overall record and their fourth straight Floria State Class 7A title this spring. A 5-foot-10, 185-pound shortstop, Fitz-Gerald lettered in all four years under his father, Todd, who has amassed over 500 career wins as the program’s head coach. Devin’s brother, Hunter, is a first baseman in the Seattle Mariners system and was originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft following a standout prep career at Stoneman Douglas. The Margate, Fla. native was rated by MLB Pipeline as the 218th-best prospect in the 2024 class and is committed to play collegiately at North Carolina State University.

LHP Garrett Horn (6th round, 195th overall) – The 21-year-old Horn went 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA (9 ER/20.0 IP) over 4 games/starts for Liberty University during his 2024 junior campaign. A three-year collegiate player, Horn posted a career 13-7 mark and 3.28 ERA (50 ER/137.1 IP) with 196 strikeouts to 81 walks from 2022-24 for the Flames. He earned 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference second team honors after posting a 4.09 ERA over a team-high 66.0 IP during his sophomore campaign, as his 87 strikeouts that season ranked 7th in the conference. The Kernersville, N.C. native attended Robert B. Glenn High School where he was a four-time letterwinner and tossed a no-hitter as a freshman. Horn’s uncle, Pat Underhill, was a right-handed pitcher that played one professional season in the Rangers minor league system, making 13 appearances for Texas’ Rookie-level Butte and Gulf Coast League affiliates in 1991.

3B RAFE PERICH (7th round, 225th overall) – Perich, 22, combined to slash .337/.417/.518/.935 (147-436) with 15 home runs, one triple, 32 doubles, 102 RBI, and more walks (58) than strikeouts (51) in 112 games spanning three seasons at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound switch-hitter batted .382/.492/.572/1.065 (58-152) with 6 home runs, 11 doubles, and 41 RBI over 42 contests as a junior this spring, earning Second Team All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League honors. He finished the 2024 campaign ranked among conference leaders in batting average (2nd), on-base pct. (2nd), OPS (2nd), walks (6th, 34), hits (7th), and RBI (7th) while making appearances at third base (32), pitcher (6), and second base (5). A New Tripoli, Pa. native, Perich was rated as the no. 293 prospect in this year’s draft class by Baseball America.

RHP ANTHONY SUSAC (8th round, 255th overall) – Susac, 21, went 2-2 with a 6.59 ERA (21 ER/28.2 IP) over 21 games/5 starts at the University of Arizona during his 2024 junior campaign. The right-handed pitcher led the Wildcats with three saves this season, striking out 36 over 28.2 IP (11.30 SO/9), while walking seven for a 5.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. From April 2 to May 5, Susac strung together nine consecutive scoreless relief outings, totaling 9.1 IP and 16 strikeouts in that span. Over three collegiate campaigns from 2022-24, Susac compiled a career 7-7 record and 7.31 ERA (94 ER/115.2 IP) over 50 games/21 starts for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound hurler hails from Sacramento, Calif. and attended Jesuit High School where he lettered in baseball all four years. His cousin, Daniel Susac, was a former All-American at the University of Arizona and 2022 first-round draft selection (19th overall) by Oakland.

OF KEITH JONES II (9th round, 285th overall) – The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Jones was a First Team All-Conference USA selection in his senior season at New Mexico State University after batting .367/.472/.710/1.183 (81-221) with team highs in home runs (17), doubles (19), and (67) across 54 games/53 starts (all in left field). He finished this spring ranked among CUSA qualifiers in slugging pct. (1st), batting average (2nd), total bases (2nd, 157), OPS (3rd), RBI (3rd), and home runs (T3rd). The left-handed batter and thrower spent the first two years of college career at Washington State University (2021-22) before transferring to NMSU prior to the start of his junior campaign and combined to bat .370 (143-387) with 26 homers and 95 RBI in 99 appearances for the Aggies from 2023-24. A native of Brentwood, Calif., Jones was born in Oakland and prepped at Heritage High School before enrolling at Washington State.

RHP JAKE JEKIELEK (10th round, 315th overall) – The 21-year-old Jekielek posted a 4.29 ERA (20 ER/42.0 IP) with 56 strikeouts to only five walks (11.2 SO/BB figure) in 21 relief appearances for Northwood University (Midland, Mich.) during his 2024 senior campaign, leading the Timberwolves in wins (5), appearances, and saves (8). A four-year collegiate player, Jekielek compiled a career 10-11 record, 16 saves, and 4.42 ERA (52 ER/106.0 IP) in 70 appearances/one start at Northwood. The 6-foot, 185-pound Jekielek hails from Sterling Heights, Mich.