The Rangers and first baseman Nick Pratto are in agreement on a minor league contract, MLBTR has confirmed. He’ll be a non-roster invitee in spring training next month. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com first reported that Pratto, a Wasserman client, was expected to sign with Texas.
A first-round pick by the Royals back in 2017, Pratto struggled in his early minor league tenure and didn’t look like he’d emerge as a prospect of much note. That changed in 2021, four years after he was drafted. The 6’1″, 225-pound slugger erupted for a .265/.385/.602 batting line with 36 home runs and a massive 15.2% walk rate in 545 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. His 28.8% strikeout rate was an obvious cause for concern, but Pratto had finally seen some of his prodigious raw power manifest in game settings, all while showing an ability to work deep counts and draw free passes, creating optimism that he could yet become a bat-first slugger at first base or DH.
That monster showing thrust Pratto onto several top-100 prospect rankings, but his path to regular at-bats in Kansas City was obfuscated somewhat by the fact that his breakout coincided with that of another young first baseman: Vinnie Pasquantino. Both players got looks in 2022, but it was Pasquantino who seized the opportunity and cemented himself as the Royals’ long-term first baseman. Pratto dabbled in the outfield and saw time at DH as well, but he also struggled to a .184/.271/.386 slash with a huge 36.3% strikeout rate in 182 plate appearances that year.
The Royals gave Pratto another chance in 2023, but the results didn’t improve. He came to the plate 345 times but mustered only a .232/.307/.353 slash while striking out in an even more alarming 40.4% of his plate appearances. Pratto appeared in only one big league game in 2024. He came to spring training out of minor league options in 2025 and was passed through waivers unclaimed. Pratto spent the ’25 season back in Triple-A Omaha — his fourth stint there — and turned in a career-worst .196/.289/.331 performance.
Now 27 years old, Pratto seems like a player who’ll benefit from a fresh start. The Rangers will provide that opportunity. Jake Burger and Joc Pederson are locked in at first base and designated hitter, respectively, but both players hit poorly in regular playing time with Texas last season — Pederson in particular. The Rangers traded first base prospect Abimelec Ortiz to the Nationals as part of the MacKenzie Gore swap earlier this month, removing some competition for Pratto.