Rangers Sign Top 2 Draft Picks Despite Future Still Being Unclear
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers signed their top two draft picks Friday, even though it is unclear where second baseman Justin Foscue and outfielder Evan Carter will begin their professional careers.
Foscue, the 14th overall pick last week out of Mississippi State, got a $3.25 million signing bonus. That was below the slot value of just over $4 million.
Second-round pick Carter, who had committed to play at Duke, was chosen 50th overall from Elizabethton High School in Tennessee. His $1.25 million signing bonus was below the slot value that was just under $1.5 million.
With no minor leagues in action because of the coronavirus pandemic, Foscue and Carter both said they would do what they could at home to continue to work out and be ready when it is time for them to report to the Rangers' complex in Arizona. That could be a couple of months away.
After moving from third base while in college, Foscue was the first second baseman the Rangers ever took with their first pick. He hit .297 with 19 home runs and 96 RBIs during his three seasons at Mississippi State. In 141 games, he had 67 walks and 57 strikeouts.
Carter hit .324 with four homers and 27 RBIs as a junior last year for Elizabethton, where the left-handed hitter was also a right-handed pitcher. He was 10-2 with a 1.34 ERA and six complete games on the mound.
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