We already knew that the Rangers have high hopes for Jurickson Profar, but we didn't realize that they were just as hopeful about the rest of his gene pool.
Baseball America reported Wednesday that the Rangers have signed Juremi Profar, the 16-year-old third base-playing younger brother of their current 19-year-old phenom. The reports on the younger Profar aren't as glowing as the ones we saw when Jurickson came out of Curacao, but he does share his brother's history of strong play at the Little League World Series.
We realize that's not much of a scouting report, but he's 16. Hard to imagine that too many of us had accurate scouting reports of our future when we were 16.
It qualifies as a good risk, though. Jurickson Profar's splashy debut cemented his growing rep as the next Rangers star, so why not take a shot at a kid whose got the same blood running through this veins. If the move hit, you've got yourself a pair of brothers to plug into the lineup for many years to come.
While it is far too early to speculate about what Juremi Profar will wind up becoming as a baseball player, it's a fine time to speculate about where big bro will fit into what the Rangers are doing in the near future. There are no shortage of options.
He can play second and short, which means the Rangers could move Elvis Andrus or Ian Kinsler in trades. Or they could move someone to the outfield if Josh Hamilton leaves as a free agent after the season with Kinsler seeming like the likeliest player. They could also leave the kid down in the minors for a while longer, which is sensible while also being a bit disappointing because it's pretty fun to watch young stars find their sea legs.
It's a position of strength for the Rangers because all of the options leave them with a strong team. And they could find themselves in a similar position in a few years if all breaks right.
