Choice Not Performing in Minors

When the Texas Rangers traded Craig Gentry to Oakland over the winter for prospect Michael Choice, it felt like the Rangers were getting an absolute steal of a guy who the A's had inexplicably given up on as a member of the system.

Turns out, maybe Oakland made the right move by sending the younger, higher-ceiling Choice to his hometown Rangers for a guy who has a ceiling as a fourth outfielder in Gentry. Turns out, Gentry would've done much more for the Rangers this year than Choice, who was sent down to Triple-A Round Rock back in July.

Choice looked lost in the majors and was finally sent down after being on the team's Opening Day roster and hitting .177 in 69 games with the Rangers while often looking completely lost in the field. Since his demotion, Choice hasn't fared much better — a scary thought for the Rangers, who had high hopes for him as a possible everyday right fielder as soon as 2015. He's hitting just .265 in 42 games for Round Rock, and has left some scouts wondering if he'll ever be a big-league regular, despite all of his apparent talent and potential.

From Grantland's Ben Lindberg:

Another evaluator was more blunt: “He is almost 25, has been poor in the PCL, hasn’t done a thing in the big leagues,” he said. “Can’t hit, can’t field. Is he anything more than a platoon up-and-down guy going forward?”

So there you go. That doesn't sound too promising for Rangers fans, the organization, or Choice himself. It's true, no scouts know everything. But this is a pretty widely held opinion on Choice. The good thing is, the Rangers didn't give up a ton for him. The bad thing? What are they going to do about right field going forward, as it's becoming more evident Choice not only can't hold the spot down himself, but maybe can't even be a platoon option.

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