A continuing look at the Rangers 40-man roster.

SAM HUFF
Age: 22
Right-Handed Hitting Catcher

The Rangers could sure use a drafting success story and Huff might just be it. The only player of any consequence the Rangers have drafted and developed over the past dozen years has been Joey Gallo. The twenty-two-year-old Huff, drafted in the seventh round in 2016, seems to be the next.

At the top of nearly everyone’s list of Rangers prospects, Huff got the chance to get his feet wet in the major leagues in 2020 because, frankly, the Rangers were so inept offensively, and Jose Trevino got injured, that they had nothing to lose by giving Huff a shot.

Ten games does not make a major league career. But Huff certainly didn’t look overmatched. He batted .355, had an on-base percentage of .394, and an OPS of 1.136. That’s elite territory, there. His OPS+ was 200. Meaning, in his brief time, he was twice as productive as the major league average.

Of course, this is just one ten-game stretch. And major league pitchers will adjust, exploit his weaknesses, and learn how to get him out. It’s up to Huff to readjust to that. 

With a healthy Jose Trevino in 2021, and the Rangers having four catchers on the forty-man roster, it’s doubtful Huff starts the year in Arlington. But if the minor leagues are cancelled again because of the pandemic, then all bets are off. 

For one bright shining moment, Huff looked like the real deal. And Rangers fans haven’t seen that in a long long time.