2026 MLB Draft Preview: Sawyer Strosnider scouting report.
The 2026 is less than two weeks away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.
Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their
first three picks. Today we are looking at TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider.
Sawyer Strosnider is a 6’2″, 200 lb. lefthanded hitting outfielder for TCU. A redshirt sophomore, Strosnider turned 21 last week. Strosnider was ranked #209 on the BA board in 2024 coming out of high school in Brock, Texas, but went undrafted.
Strosnider is described as “one of the most exciting toolsheds in the 2026 class” by Baseball America. His hit tool is, as is usually the case with the toolsheds, his weakest tool, and was the biggest question about him coming out of high school. His swing is described as “beautiful” by Keith Law and “gorgeous” by MLB Pipeline, but there are concerns about his swing decisions and pitch recognition. He has plus power, with strong upper end exit velocities and hard hit rates. However, he also hits the ball on the ground too much, and will need to improve his ability to get the ball in the air as a professional.
Strosnider has primarily played right field as his teammate Chase Brunson, also a well regarded member of this draft class, has been starting in center for TCU since the year before Strosnider hit campus, although BA indicates that Strosnider has played some center and Brunson some right this season. He’s described as a “quick-twitch” athlete who has the speed and athleticism to at least start his career as a professional in center, though there’s some question as to whether he’ll end up in a corner long-term, with his arm playing in right field. He has good speed and is described as a plus runner.
Strosnider was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2025, when he slashed .350/.420/.650 with 20 walks against 47 Ks in 251 plate appearances, with 11 homers. As a sophomore, his BABIP went down but his walk rate went up, resulting in a .273/.415/.590 slash line in 234 plate appearances, with 43 walks against 43 Ks. For his college career he is 22 for 28 on the basepaths.
Baseball America has Strosnider at #14 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Strosnider at #21 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Strosnider at #26 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Strosnider at #19 on his board. Fangraphs has Strosnider at #15 on their board. Baseball Prospectus has Strosnider at #10 on their top 30 draft board.
In the June 8 Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Strosnider going to the Guardians at #19. The BA staff draft on June 15 has Strosnider going to the Astros at #17. The BA mock draft 5.0 of June 29 has Strosnider going to the Guardians at #19, though they saw he’s been mentioned a lot in connection with the Rangers. Jim Callis’s June 4 mock draft has Strosnider at #19 to the Guardians, but also mentions him as a possibility with the Marlins, Guardians, Astros and Red Sox. Jonathan Mayo’s June 11 mock draft has Strosnider mocked to the Brewers at #25, though he’s mentioned in connection with the Marlins, Guardians, Astros and Red Sox. Jim Callis’s June 18 mock draft has Strosnider going to the Cubs at #23, but also talks about him in connection with that same quartet as above, along with the Brewers. The June 25 Callis/Mayo mock has Reese going to the Brewers at #25. Keith Law’s May mock draft has Strosnider going to the Cardinals at #13. Law’s June 10 mock draft has Strosnider going to the Brewers at #25. Kiley McDaniel’s May 29 mock draft has Strosnider going to the Phillies at #36. Kiley McDaniel’s June 18 mock draft does not have Strosnider going in the first round
Strosnider had a big season as a freshman for TCU, but didn’t replicate that in 2026, although he has still shown enough that he will almost certainly go in the first round. Keith Law notes that Strosnider’s BABIP dropped by 90 points from 2025 to 2026, attributing that to a mix of luck and not getting the ball in the air enough. The underlying metrics are still strong, despite the sub-.300 batting average, a combination that Malcolm Moore also had in 2024, when the Rangers took him at #30.
Strosnider’s profile is different from what the Rangers have tended to go for in selecting college position players with their premium picks in recent years, more often looking for a quality hit tool with power that hasn’t been actualized. Strosnider also has some significant platoon splits, per the reports. Nonetheless, he offers significant upside if he can improve his swing decisions and get the ball in the air more often.
Strosnider is a redshirt sophomore, so he has more negotiating leverage than the usual college draftee. I doubt he makes it to #54, and if he did, he’d likely need a well above slot bonus to sign at that point, versus returning to TCU for his junior season.
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