ARLINGTON - The Rangers have maintained that despite a swelling staff of analysts, who usually seem to favor the relative safety of college hitters, and a glaring need for third basemen in their system that, no, in fact, they wouldn't change their draft strategy for this season.
Then on Monday, with the eighth selection overall, the Rangers selected ... a college third baseman.
This is not to say the pick of Texas Tech's Josh Jung was a mistake. You can't say that about MLB draft picks, at least until after the first Tommy John surgery. Which has been the biggest problem with all those high school pitchers the Rangers have taken in recent years; There is a longer road to the majors and it is fraught with more ligament-tearing potholes.