The Rangers announced they signed the son of a former Ranger and Hall of Fame member on Saturday, one of 17 international players the team inked over the weekend.
“A new professional baseball player in the family,” Vladimir Guerrero Sr. posted on social media. “Congrats to my son Pablo on signing with the Texas Rangers.”
Pablo Guerrero is also the younger brother of the Blue Jays’ outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Their father, Vladimir Sr., played 16 seasons in the majors, including his second-to-last with Texas in the 2010 season, where he made his final all-star team and hit 29 home runs and knocked in 115 RBIs at the age of 35. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Pablo works out in the Dominican Republic with his uncle, Wilton Guerrero, who also played in the MLB. Pablo has the same build as his older brother and is tentatively penciled in to be an outfielder, though he has played third base, according to MLB.com.
The Rangers’ 17 international signings on Sunday included shortstop Sebastian Walcott of the Bahamas, the team reported. He is the highest-ranked of the new Rangers at No.8 on the international Top 50 list. Walcott signed a $3.2 million contract with Texas.
Walcott has shown signs of batting for both average and power. He runs above average and can potentially steal bases in the future. Walcott currently expects to hit close to the top of the order; because of his potential for growth and burgeoning strength, he might eventually develop into a middle-of-the-lineup hitter, according to MLB.com.
Between January 15 and December 15, a foreign player can sign with a Major League team. Players born between September 1, 2005, and August 31, 2006, will be eligible to sign during the upcoming signing period because they must turn 16 before they sign and be 17 before September 1 of the following year. Players can only sign if they have previously registered with MLB.
The Rangers lost a total of $1 million from their signing pool to sign free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, leaving them with a base signing pool of $4,144,000, according to MLB.
Rangers Fill Out Coaching Staff
On October 21, Bochy signed a three-year contract with the Rangers for 2023–25, The Dallas Express reported. He became Rangers’ 20th full-time manager and the first to have won a World Series as manager. Bochy is one of 10 managers in MLB history to win at least three World Series titles, and the other nine are all Baseball Hall of Famers.
Will Venable was hired on November 16 after coaching the Boston Red Sox (2021–22) and Chicago Cubs (2018–20), the team reported. He played outfield for the Padres (2008–15), Rangers (2015), and Dodgers (2015). (2016).
On November 23, the Rangers rehired Mike Maddux, who coached four Texas postseason teams from 2009-15. He was a Major League pitching coach for 20 years with Milwaukee (2003–08), Texas (2009–15), Washington (2016–17), and St. Louis (2017–18)(2018–22).
First base coach Corey Ragsdale, bench coach, offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Tim Hyers, third base coach Tony Beasley, catching coach Bobby Wilson, bullpen coach Brett Hayes, and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner return to Texas in 2023.
Beasley is the Rangers’ longest-tenured coach in his ninth season. He was interim manager from August 15 to the end of 2022. Wilson is in his third season, while Ragsdale is in his fourth.
Texas Rangers International Selections 2023
Sebastian Walcott | Bahamas
Geisel Cepeda | Cuba
Pablo Guerrero | Dominican Republic
Braylin Morel | Dominican Republic Lisandro Mejia | Dominican Republic
Walkin Ortiz | Dominican Republic
Frank Martinez | Dominican Republic Felix Martinez | Dominican Republic
Jormy Nivar | Dominican Republic
Snarlyn Evangelista | Dominican Republic
Juan Sulbaran | Venezuela
Sergio Mejias | Venezuela
Jhocsuanth Vargas | Venezuela
Deward Tovar | Venezuela
Johander Rubio | Venezuela
Jesus Gamez | Mexico
Williams Wong | Italy
