With The 14th Pick…

The Texas Rangers have selected Matt Purke of Klein High School in Klein, Texas.

Purke has been connected with the Rangers both because of his Texan roots and his tremendous talent, but there were signability concerns that led many to believe the Rangers would end up with another Texas high schooler, Shelby Miller of Brownwood.

Supposedly, Purke will require a hefty signing bonus to dissuade him from honoring his commitment to TCU, but his demands are well-known across baseball, so the mere fact the Rangers drafted him says they must be serious about going over slot to sign him. Purke has been likened to Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello (the only current Major Leaguer younger than Elvis Andrus) because he’s a hard-throwing high schooler who’s looking for big money. The Rangers had two chances to draft Porcello in 2007, but took Blake Beaven and Michael Main instead. Purke may not quite be Porcello in terms of talent, but he was probably the best player on the board when the Rangers picked and he’s generally considered a better prospect than Shelby Miller.

Here are some scouting reports on Purke from Baseball Intellect and Texas Leaguers, as well as a few low-quality videos of Purke pitching after the jump…

Video 1

Video 2

More on Purke:

• Jim Halley of USA Today says Purke is the top high schooler in the draft.
• ESPN’s Matt Remsberg and MaxPreps.com’s Dave Krider chronicle Purke’s extensive travel schedule as a prep star.
• A recap of Purke’s 4-hit shutout vs. Mexico with the USA 18 and Under team last July.