Texas took Gio Rojas 16th overall out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and immediately started talking him up as the best left-handed arm in the entire class. That's not just homer talk from the front office, either — MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the top high school pitcher and 8th-best prospect in the whole draft before he even signed a pro contract.
Jim Callis dropped the numbers on the deal Monday night: $4.6 million, which actually comes in under the $5,051,900 slot value for the 16th pick. That's real money left on the table for the Rangers to spread around elsewhere in the draft class, and it means Texas got a premium arm without blowing past their bonus pool.
Jim Callis broke down the signing and the scouting profile that made Rojas the top lefty on the board.
The stuff matches the price tag. Callis's report has Rojas running his fastball up to 98 mph with a low-80s sweeper that scouts already call plus, plus an advanced feel for pitching that's rare for a prep arm. This isn't a projectable, all-projection-no-present-stuff type — he's already touching triple digits territory before he's thrown a single pro inning.
Rojas was a Miami commit before signing, and he backed the recruiting hype up with results — he went 11-1 with a 0.58 ERA and 124 strikeouts across 13 starts this spring for Stoneman Douglas. Numbers like that are why Texas didn't hesitate to lock him in early instead of letting negotiations drag toward the July 27 signing deadline.
For a Rangers system that's leaned heavily on pitching depth the last few draft cycles, adding a lefty with this kind of ceiling changes the math. A 98-mph fastball and a wipeout sweeper from the left side is the exact profile teams dream about when they talk about controllable, cost-effective pitching for the next decade.
Now it's about development. Rojas heads into the Rangers' farm system as arguably the highest-upside arm in the whole 2026 class, and how fast Texas moves him will say a lot about how much they trust that delivery and mix to hold up against pro hitters right away.