Texas Rangers select Tennessee pitcher AJ Russell in 2025 MLB Draft

The Texas Rangers have selected Tennessee Volunteers right-handed pitcher AJ Russell in the 2025 MLB Draft. This comes after he spent the previous three seasons with the Volunteers.

Russell is a native of Franklin, Tennessee. There, he played his high school baseball and was a Top 500 prospect nationally, according to Perfect Game. He was also the No. 14 player overall in the state of Tennessee.

Going into the MLB Draft, MLB.com shared some thoughts on AJ Russell. In those thoughts, they praised the 6′ 6″ pitcher, particularly emphasizing the strength of his fastball.

“Russell has a unicorn fastball that could grade as a true 80 offering if he adds more velocity,” MLB.com wrote. “It sits at 92-94 mph and tops out at 98 with the best heater metrics in the Draft thanks to an exceptionally low release point, wide angle, significant armside run and carry up in the zone. He can get swings-and-misses inside and outside of the strike zone with his fastball, and on the rare occasions when hitters make contact, they almost never drive it in the air. A low-80s slider with plenty of horizontal action gives Russell a plus second pitch, though he has yet to show much feel for his mid-80s changeup with sink.”

2023 would be AJ Russell’s first season with the Tennessee Volunteers. As a sophomore, he would be a part of a national championship team with the Volunteers. He did, unfortunately, run into injury issues that season as well.

Russell missed time as a sophomore in 2024 with shoulder soreness. After his return, he would feel pain in his forearm, which required an internal brace surgery to repair his elbow. Still, it took him just eight months to return from before pitching in April for Tennessee. In that initial return to the mound, Russell was able to touch 96 mph with his fastball. While it was a fairly quick recovery, it did cost him time as a starter and limited him in the outings he was able to make.

In three seasons, Russell pitched in 42 games and made 11 starts. During that time, he pitched 70 total innings. For his college career, Russell would finish with a 2.70 ERA, 104 strikeouts, 26 walks, and he gave up five home runs.

For 2025, Russell pitched in 12 games and made six starts and totaled 25.1 innings pitched. He’d finish the season with a 3.55 ERA and 36 strikeouts to 11 walks. He also gave up three home runs, more than doubling his career high going into the season.

AJ Russell was a Second-Team Freshman All-American following the 2023 season. He would later go into 2025 as a Preseason All-American selection, despite coming off his arm injury. Hopefully, from here, Russell will be able to remain healthy and continue to develop moving forward.