27. Kevin Brown

Long before Kevin Brown became baseball’s first $100 million player, threw a no-hitter, or led different teams to the World Series, he was a key draft prospect for the Texas Rangers. Picked fourth overall in 1986 from Georgia Tech, this intense right-hander featured a powerful sinking fastball that defined his pitching style. Although his peak, close to Cooperstown, came after leaving Texas, his seven full seasons in Arlington set the stage for a highly successful major league career.

By 1989, Brown had become a regular in the Texas rotation, just behind legendary Nolan Ryan. He used a distinctive high-velocity sinker that generated numerous ground balls, showcasing efficiency often overlooked at Arlington Stadium, known for favoring hitters in the pre-humidor era. While early '90s fans and media admired strikeout kings, Brown emphasized solid contact, playing with a relentless, bulldog-like approach.

That unyielding approach culminated in a spectacular individual breakthrough in 1992. Completely dominating American League lineups, Brown authored a masterpiece of a season, leading the major leagues with 21 victories against just 11 defeats. Pacing the circuit with 265.2 grueling innings over 35 starts, he earned his first career All-Star selection and finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting, becoming the first Ranger pitcher to reach 20 wins since Fergie Jenkins in 1974. He sustained that workhorse pace the following summer, logging another 233 frames to post 15 wins.

However, his time in Texas concluded amidst the structural chaos that gripped the sport in the mid-1990s. Brown took the ball for 26 starts during the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, but his relationship with the front office grew increasingly stagnant. Once the devastating player strike wiped out the World Series and spilled into the following spring, the business of the game shifted dramatically. When the strike finally settled in April 1995, Brown hit the open market as a free agent. The small-market Rangers, unwilling to commit to escalating long-term financial obligations, elected to let their former ace walk, clearing the path for him to sign a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Across parts of eight seasons in Texas (1986, 1988–1994), Brown made 188 appearances (185 starts). He compiled a highly respectable 78–64 record with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He swallowed up 1,234 innings of work, recording 36 complete games, three shutouts, and 742 strikeouts.