Justin Foscue Explained

Justin Foscue
Team:Texas Rangers
Number:56
Position:Second baseman / First baseman
Birth Date:2 March 1999
Birth Place:Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 5
Debutyear:2024
Debutteam:Texas Rangers
Statleague:MLB
Statyear:July 24, 2024
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.133
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:1
Teams:

Justin Connor Foscue (born March 2, 1999) is an American professional baseball second baseman and first baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected 14th overall by the Rangers in the 2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut on April 5, 2024.

Amateur career

Foscue attended Virgil I. Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, where he played baseball.[1] In 2017, his senior year, he hit .318 with six home runs,[2] earning All-State honors.[3] Undrafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, he fulfilled his commitment to play college baseball at Mississippi State University.[4]

In 2018, Foscue's freshman season for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Foscue appeared in 58 games, batting .241 with three home runs and twenty runs batted in (RBIs).[5] As a sophomore in 2019, he moved from third base to second base[6] and slashed .331/.395/.564 with 14 home runs, sixty RBIs, and 22 doubles over 67 starts.[7] [8] [9] He earned All-SEC First-Team honors.[10] That summer, he played for the United States collegiate national team.[11] [12] [13] In 2020, Foscue's junior year, he hit .302 with two home runs and 16 RBIs over 16 games before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Professional career

The Texas Rangers selected Foscue in the first round, with the 14th overall selection, of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[15] He signed with the Rangers on June 19 for a $3.25 million signing bonus.[16] He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

To begin the 2021 season, Foscue was assigned to the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A East.[18] He missed the whole month of June and the beginning of July after suffering a rib injury.[19] He received a cortisone injection and rehabbed with the Arizona Complex League Rangers before returning to Hickory on July 10.[20] From July 9 (his last rehab appearance) to July 23 (with Hickory), Foscue homered in eight consecutive games, tying the Major League Baseball record.[21] In early August, he was promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Central.[22] Over 62 games for the 2021 season, Foscue slashed .275/.371/.590 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs.[23] He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season, hitting .257/.416/.529/.944 with five home runs and 14 RBIs.[24] [25] He opened the 2022 season with Frisco on the injured list with a back injury.[26] Over 101 games with Frisco, he slashed .288/.367/.483 with 15 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 31 doubles.[27]

Foscue spent the 2023 season with the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, hitting .266/.394/.468/.862 with 18 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 84 RBI.[28] On November 14, 2023, Texas added Foscue to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[29]

Foscue was optioned to Triple–A Round Rock to begin the 2024 season.[30] On April 2, 2024, Foscue was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[31] He made his debut on April 5, and collected his first hit on April 7.[32] [33] However, Foscue was placed on the injured list on April 8 with an oblique strain.[34] He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on April 13.[35] Foscue was activated from the injured list on June 26 and stayed in the minors.[36] Foscue got called up for the second time in his career on July 20.[37] He played that day and recorded a hit and a run.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alabama comes up short in Southeastern Underclassmen Shootout. Justin. McNelley. wsfa.com. July 2016 .
  2. Web site: Mississippi State signee Justin Foscue headlines Huntsville All-City baseball team. Daniel. Boyette. May 24, 2017. al.
  3. Web site: 14 county baseball players named All-State. Times Staff. Report. Gadsden Times.
  4. Web site: Justin Foscue Signs with Mississippi State. G. H. S.. Baseball. December 15, 2016 .
  5. Web site: Foscue confident he could compete as a freshman. Logan Lowery Daily. Journal. Daily Journal. August 7, 2018 .
  6. Web site: 'A pure hitter': How Justin Foscue has stabilized Mississippi State's offense. Tyler. Horka. The Clarion Ledger.
  7. Web site: Mississippi State baseball position preview: Infield. The Commercial Dispatch. February 12, 2020 .
  8. Web site: Mississippi State baseball has the pieces for 'nice depth' at infield positions. Tyler. Horka. The Clarion Ledger.
  9. Web site: Foscue Ready to Make Diamond Dawg Baseball History. GenesPage.com.
  10. Web site: Mississippi State, Ole Miss players receive All-SEC baseball honors. Tyler. Horka. The Clarion Ledger.
  11. Web site: Huntsville native makes it to USA college national baseball team. Paloma. Villicana. waff.com. July 3, 2019 .
  12. Web site: Former Alabama HS stars named to USA National team. July 2, 2019. al.
  13. Web site: Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft . USA Baseball . June 12, 2020 . June 26, 2020 .
  14. Web site: Season cut short: Foscue, Westburg may have seen last at-bats for MSU. Joel. Coleman. Flex BLOX CMS. May 4, 2020 .
  15. News: Weaver. Levi. 'I found my true swing': How Justin Foscue became the Rangers' first-round pick. July 11, 2021. The Athletic.
  16. Web site: Journal. Dalton Middleton Daily. Foscue first MSU draftee to sign pro contract. July 11, 2021. Daily Journal. June 19, 2020 .
  17. Web site: 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled. October 6, 2021. MiLB.com.
  18. Web site: Where will Rangers' top prospects begin '21?. July 11, 2021. MLB.com.
  19. Web site: Rangers' Justin Foscue: Dealing with bruised rib. July 11, 2021. CBSSports.com. May 27, 2021 .
  20. Web site: Dykstra. Sam. July 16, 2021. Healthy Foscue homers twice for Hickory. July 17, 2021. MLB.com.
  21. Web site: Harrigan. Thomas. July 25, 2021. Rangers prospect has HRs in 8 straight games. July 26, 2021. MLB.com.
  22. Halicke. Chris. Rangers Minor League Notes: Six Players To Frisco IL, Foscue Highlights Wave of Promotions. August 13, 2021. Sports Illustrated.
  23. News: Weaver. Levi. Which Rangers prospects will make their debut in 2022? First is best, it appears. October 27, 2021. The Athletic.
  24. Web site: Callis. Jim. October 21, 2021. Foscue making up ground in Fall League. October 21, 2021. MLB.com.
  25. Web site: Boor. William. October 26, 2021. Foscue homers, drives in 4 in AFL. October 27, 2021. MLB.com.
  26. Web site: Here's where Rangers Top 30 prospects are starting '22 . .
  27. Web site: Justin Foscue Stats, Fantasy & News .
  28. Postins . Matthew . 2023-04-20 . Watch: Justin Foscue Homers for Round Rock . 2023-06-12 . Sports Illustrated.
  29. Web site: 2023-11-14 . Rangers' Justin Foscue: Selected to 40-man roster . 2023-11-15 . .
  30. Web site: Rangers' Justin Foscue: Sent to Triple-A. March 27, 2024. cbssports.com. en.
  31. Web site: Sources: Rangers calling up top prospect Justin Foscue. April 2, 2024. espn.com. April 2, 2024 . en.
  32. Web site: Texas Rangers No. 6 prospect Justin Foscue makes MLB debut: 'Everything I've dreamed of' . The Dallas Morning News . Shawn . McFarland . April 6, 2024 . April 8, 2024 . subscription.
  33. Web site: Texas Rangers rookie Justin Foscue gets first hit, RBI of major league career . The Dallas Morning News . Shawn . McFarland . April 7, 2024 . April 8, 2024 . limited.
  34. Web site: Rangers' Justin Foscue: Lands on 10-day IL . CBS Sports . RotoWire Staff . April 8, 2024 . April 8, 2024.
  35. Web site: Rangers Place Brock Burke On 15-Day Injured List. April 13, 2024. mlbtraderumors.com. April 13, 2024 . en.
  36. Web site: Rangers Option Ezequiel Duran, Select Derek Hill, DFA Yerry Rodríguez Amid Series of Roster Moves. June 26, 2024. mlbtraderumors.com. June 26, 2024 . en.
  37. Web site: Rangers' Justin Foscue: Called up Saturday . 2024-07-23 . www.cbssports.com.