Alex Rios, right fielder with the Texas Rangers, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999 and he played successfully for several years on Toronto's minor league teams. He finally had his first at-bat in the majors in 2004. In his rookie year, Rios played in 111 games and batted .286 with 122 hits.
Matt Garza, starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers, was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2005. He moved quickly through the organization, playing with their minor league teams for less than a full season. After 135-2/3 innings pitched in the minors, Garza was called up to the Twins in August, 2006. He fared much better, however, in the minors, ending his time there with a 14-4 record and a 1.99 ERA. In contrast, in 10 games with the Twins, Garza had a 3-6 record with a 5.76 ERA. He pitched better with the Twins in 2007 but they traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays after the season ended.
Elvis Andrus, shortstop for the Texas Rangers, started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves in 2006. After a year, the Braves traded Andrus to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007. The Rangers kept him in the minor leagues until 2009 when he became their starting shortstop at the age of 20. In April, 2013, the Rangers showed their confidence in Andrus' talent by giving him an eight-year, $120 million contract extension.
Adrian Beltre, third baseman for the Texas Rangers, began his major league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. At 19, he was the youngest player in the National League. Beltre started off slowly with the Dodgers, batting only .215 in his first season, but by 2000, he was beginning to show his power at the plate, batting .290 and hitting 20 home runs that year. His best year with the Dodgers came, however, in 2004, his last season with the Los Angeles team. He ended the 2004 season with a career high batting average of .334 and 48 home runs. Beltre won his first of three Silver Slugger awards that season.
Lance Berkman, designated hitter for the Texas Rangers, has played for most of his career in the major leagues with the Houston Astros. In July of 2010, he was traded by the Astros to the New York Yankees. The following year, he signed on with the St. Louis Cardinals and stayed with them through the 2012 season. This year marks his first year with the Rangers and his second time as a designated hitter (he was DH and a backup first baseman for the Yankees).
Ron Washington, manager of the Texas Rangers since 2007, was first signed as a player in 1970 by the Kansas City Royals. However, he never played in the majors with them, spending his first 10 years in professional baseball primarily in the minor leagues. In 1977, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 games, but the rest of his time until 1981 was with minor league teams for the Royals, the Dodgers and the New York Mets.