Rangers Farm Report + AAA and AA Roster Previews

Trade!
Texas traded RHP Zak Kent to Cleveland for international slot money. Kent missed much of last season with an oblique injury but had put himself back in the starting depth line by the end of 2023. A rough spring erased whatever chance he had of making the club out of Spring Training, however, and heā€™d been assigned to AA to begin this season.

Also, Texas selected the contracts of 1B Jared Waslh and RHP Jose Urena. RHP Tyler Mahle hit the 60-day IL, while Max Scherzer did not. Heā€™s on the shorter injured list along with 1B Nathaniel Lowe and pitchers Jonathan Hernandez and Michael Lorenzen.

Today, roster previews for the higher level minor league squads, plus other transactions. Tomorrow, high-A and low-A.

AAA ROUND ROCK EXPRESS

Players reaching the level for the first time are in italics. In parentheses are age and how acquired. IFA = international free agent, NDFA = non-drafted free agent, meaning they werenā€™t drafted but signed originally with Texas, FA = free agent, someone who was released or became a free agent after playing for a different club). Roster are subject to change.

Pitchers
Grant Anderson (26, trade)
Tim Brennan (27, draft)
Marc Church (22, draft)
Danny Duffy (35, FA)
Shane Greene (35, FA)
Antoine Kelly (24, trade)
Jack Leiter (23, draft)
Austin Pruitt (34, FA)
Daniel Robert (29, draft)
Adrian Sampson (32, FA)
Chasen Shreve (33, FA)
Blake Taylor (28, FA)
Jesus Tinoco (28, FA)
Owen White (24, draft)
Cole Winn (24, draft)

The spirited battles for the MLB bullpen spots arenā€™t over. Theyā€™ve just entered a new phase. 24 different pitchers made relief appearances for the Rangers last year. Hopefully this yearā€™s number is smaller, but it wonā€™t be eight. Conceivably, every pitcher on this list has some chance, even newcomer and TJ-recoveree Tim Brennan, who doesnā€™t many many bats but knows where to throw. Whether in the form of a youngster or an experienced offseason addition, this is a respectable group from which to draw reinforcements.

I saw mild speculation about Jack Leiter making the active roster after an encouraging spring, but Iā€™m glad heā€™s here. Leiter has never strung together many consecutive quality outings. Iā€™d like to see that before we discuss his MLB debut. Regardless, heā€™s in better form than last March.

Cole Winn has another option in 2025, but I feel weā€™re looking at his last chance to put things back together in this organization. His downturn is approaching two full seasons. Iā€™m fully on board with Texasā€™s patience, as even in his most troublesome outings he usually offers glimmers of who he could still become.

Owen White is in a similar if not identical spot, having retained more basic control than Winn but losing some of his velocity. Heā€™s a bulldog, for sure, but that only goes so far. He needs his old stuff back. I saw the old White in two of his four innings last week in Surprise.

I should point out that pitchers can rebound. Look no further than 2024 Opening Day roster member Jacob Latz. Latz was awful much of last seasonā€™s first three months, or more specifically, pretty good more often than not, but a batting-practice pitcher the rest of the time. A third of his outings produced multiple runs. Then, over an equal number of outings, Latz surrendered multiple runs only once and fanned 30% of his opponents, making hay with his changeup and breakers.

Many express dismay when I reported Marc Churchā€™s option to AAA on twitter (by ā€œreport,ā€ I mean ā€œgot the news out first because I set my computer to chime whenever the transaction page is updated.ā€) Having options and no MLB experience worked against him, but only for the moment. Not now, but soon, Iā€™d say he has an MLB spot waiting for him assuming he continues to pitch well.

Catchers
JosƩ Godoy (29, FA)
Sam Huff (26, draft)
Andrew Knapp (32, FA)
Matt Whatley (28, draft)

10 hitters are back, responsible for 71% of last yearā€™s plate appearances. That incudes slugger Sam Huff and Matt Whatley, a light-hitting but highly regarded backstop who returned after becoming a free agent. Four or five years ago, Whatley was my dark-horse pick to reach MLB. He hasnā€™t, but heā€™s a strong AAA catcher.

Huff picked up a fourth option, giving Texas one more year to evaluate whether heā€™d be a suitable #2. Beginning in 2025, his status as an up-and-down catcher becomes complicated by having to enter and exit the 40-man roster.

Knapp and Godoy are veteran depth. I donā€™t expect both to hang around the entire season.

Infielders
Jose Barrero (25, waivers)
Jax Biggers (26, draft)
Blaine Crim (26, draft)
Matt Duffy (33, FA)
Justin Foscue (25, draft)
Jonathan Ornelas (23, draft)
Davis Wendzel (26, draft)

Please welcome back last yearā€™s infield. Ornelas reached the majors last year, Foscue should before too long, and Crim and Wendzel are hoping for a chance. Regarding the latter two, both might have already become Major Leaguers by now if MLB had expanded along with the population the past two decades, or if the Rangers were in the same shape last year as 2020-2021. Poor parent clubs create more ā€œletā€™s see what this guy can doā€ chances.

Foscue returns to AAA to reinforce his trade value or engender the idea that he, not Nathaniel Lowe, ought to be Texasā€™s starting 1B. (Or maybe a DH.) Like Lowe, Foscue isnā€™t the ideal power source for a 1B but compensates with on-base prowess.

Texas also outrighted IF Jose Barrero to AAA (he doesnā€™t have the right to bail). Ornelas probably has the upper hand as a Texas bench replacement since heā€™s on the 40, but Barrero has hit AAA pitching very well and at the least should be fun to watch with the Express.

Matt ā€œSchrodingerā€ Duffy is listed on the roster despite showing up as ā€œreleasedā€ on the transaction wire. He is indeed in Round Rock.

Outfielders
Sandro Fabian (26, FA)
Dustin Harris (24, trade)
Trevor Hauver (25, trade)
Elier Hernandez (29, FA)
Derek Hill (28, FA)

Fabian, Harris, and Hernandez are familiar faces. Harris should also see some time at first and perhaps even third. He played there on my last day in Surprise, but I barely saw him (and didnā€™t see anything hit his way) because the game started two hours earlier than usual and I didnā€™t know until I showed upā€¦ in the 8th inning. Hopefully, thatā€™s the dumbest thing I ever do out in Arizona. Harrisā€™s exit velocity is a key metric amongst the hitters. It lagged last year.

Part of the Joey Gallo return, Trevor Hauver wasnā€™t great in 2023 but good enough to move up to AAA, improving his defense but trading some homers for doubles. He has a keen eye and should enjoy the automated strike zone.

Newcomer Hill is the best defensive CF.

AA FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS

Pitchers
Dane Acker (24, trade)
Robby Ahlstrom (24, trade)
Aidan Anderson (26, FA)
Ben Anderson (25, draft)
Reid Birlingmair (27, FA)
Ricky DeVito (25, trade)
Ryan Garcia (26, draft)
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa (23, draft)
Steven Jennings (25, trade)
Zak Kent (26, draft)
Nick Krauth (24, NDFA)
Tyler Owens (23, trade)
Andy Rodriguez (25, IFA)
Josh Stephan (22, NDFA)
Emiliano Teodo (23, IFA)
Avery Weems (26, trade)
Grant Wolfram (27, draft)

Emiliano Teodo might become a Ranger in 2024. He might not. The stuff is there in abundance, the control is better but not there yet. Hard as he throws, his ultimate effectiveness hinges on his breaker, which when on will both miss bats and prevent hitters from keying fastball.

Josh Stephan was felled by a back injury after just one AA start. Heā€™s a legit prospect despite being undrafted (because of 2020) and from South Grand Prairie, so thereā€™s your rooting interest.

Dane Acker has the opportunity to complete his first fully injury-free season as a professional and make the ā€œAndrus-Davisā€ trade even worse for Oakland. (The other guy acquired in that trade was Jonah Heim.)

In original writeup, no longer applicable: ā€œI assume Zak Kentā€™s lower placement is an attempt to get him properly tracked after a rough spring. A roster crunch in AAA crossed my mind, but if that were the case, having Kent in AAA and Tim Brennan in AA would make more sense.ā€

Catchers
Liam Hicks (24, draft)
Cooper Johnson (25, FA)
Scott Kapers (27, draft)

Hicks impressed in last yearā€™s Arizona Fall League. He lacks power, not even hitting that many doubles, but heā€™ll hit around .275 with a zillion walks and HBPs. Hicks has a career .426 OBP.

Infielders
Max Acosta (21, IFA)
Frainyer Chavez (24, draft)
Alex De Goti (29, FA)
Cody Freeman (23, draft)
Abimelec Ortiz (22, NDFA)

Jamey Newberg had Abi Ortiz ranked 55th in the system entering 2023. I was hopeful but leaned on the skeptical side, to be honest. As a 20-year-old at low-A Down East, he hit 11 homers in 94 games, solid for the level, but he offered little else, and heā€™s essentially a 1B. 12 games into 2024, he was batting .256/.326/.308 with a 39% K rate. Not great.

And then he was the lower minorsā€™ best power hitter, blasting 33 homers and slugging .659 in a 95-game stretch. Now weā€™ll find out how he handles AA.

I guessed that Frisco would receive Acosta or Cam Cauley but not both to start the season. Acosta won the imaginary battle. Now 21, Acosta mustered some pop last year at Hickory, slugging .390 with an unprecedented 11 homers.

Cody Freeman is effectively a newcomer, having played a lone game at Frisco after a full season at high-A Hickory. Freeman spent two-thirds of his time behind the plate last year but is listed as an infielder, and he wasnā€™t listed as the starting catcher in any intersquads that I saw this spring.

Outfielders
Geisel Cepeda (26, IFA)
Josh Hatcher (25, draft)
Kellen Strahm (26, draft)
Aaron Zavala (23, draft)

Letā€™s not be coy: bat-first OF Aaron Zavala had a dreadful, terrible, no-good 2023. Brace surgery for his damaged elbow delayed his debut, after which he never regained form and even declined in the second half, batting .175 with a 40% K rate across August and September. He continued to walk at an otherworldly rate, but his path to the bigs is predicated on consistent, solid contact. Until last year, Zavala was a solid bet to reach MLB and even start regularly. Hereā€™s hoping for a better 2024.

Now 26, Cuban Ć©migrĆ© Geisel Cepeda didnā€™t offer much power (as expected) but put the ball in play and reached at an acceptable clip.

Released
RHP Deston Dotson. Dotson was Texasā€™s 12th-round pick from 2018, signed for $300,000 in lieu of Tulane. In 2021, he was entrusted with high-leverage situations down the stretch in Down Eastā€™s playoff run, and in front of me at Hickory in May 2022, he was impressive, pushing the fastball up to 96 and mixing two breakers. His control overall that season was poor, however. He didnā€™t pitch at all in 2023, however, and when I saw him last Wednesday, his control-absent fastball hovered around 87-88.

RHP Teodoro Ortega, part of return for righty reliever Cory Gearrin way back at 2018ā€™s trade deadline. Now 24, Ortega had been limited by injury to 15 innings the past two years.

RHP Leury Tejada, 2018ā€™s 10th-round pick. After a solid if homer-prone 2022, his strikeout rate plummeted last year.

RHP CJ Widger, a 2021 10th-rounder. Widger didnā€™t appear in a game until 2023 and was actually quite successful, fanning 35 against five walks in 28.1 innings amongst the complex league and low-A.

RHP Nick Bautista. The 22-year-old was picked in 2022ā€™s 16rh round. He fanned 35 in 19.1 innings at the complex last summer but also walked or hit 17.

RHP Trevor Kuncl, signed as a free agent out of George Washington six weeks ago.

RHPs Jonathan Holder and Diego Castillo, both signed in the offseason. Castillo was a worthy reliever for years but fell apart early last year and hasnā€™t recovered.

As sometimes happens, I saw the final outings of Ortega, Widger, Bautista, Kuncl, and Dotson while in Surprise.

60-Day Minor League IL
RHP Kumar Rocker (TJ recovery)
RHP Chase Lee (hip)
RHP William Privette (last yearā€™s 13th-rounder, donā€™t know the injury)

Full-Season Minor League IL
RHP Nick Lockhart (2019, 11th round)

Elsewhere
Arizona released IF Elvis Andrus.

IF Rougned Odor left Japanā€™s Yomuiri Giants. After a poor spring, the Giants wanted to send him to their farm club.

RHP Carl ā€œdonā€™t call me CJā€ Edwards Jr. took his release from Chicago.

The Cubs released catcher Jorge Alfaro. Iā€™ve always wanted Alfaro back in the organization, if only because heā€™s fun to watch, but I donā€™t see a fit in AAA right now.

Detroit re-signed RHP Nick Starr ten days after releasing him.

St. Louis optioned infielder Thomas Saggese and lefty John King to AAA. Saggese was under consideration for the Opening Day roster. RHP TK Roby doesnā€™t have to be added to the 40 until after this season.

Reliever Ryder Ryan, who spent two season in Round Rock and briefly reached the Majors with Seattle last year, has made Pittsburghā€™s Opening Day roster.

Reliever Jesse Chavez made the Braves. Chavez was originally a 42nd-round pick by the Rangers in 2002, when Fernando Tatis Jr.ā€™s dad played third base for the Montreal Expos.

One More Thing
The Texas Rangers won the World Series last year and commence their title defense today.

Rangers Farm Report: Day 4 in Surprise

Wednesday
Three of Emiliano Teodoā€™s eight fastballs I charted reached triple digits, and an earlier one touched 102 per the board operator. The curve ran 85-87. Iā€™ve seen it referenced as a slider lately, but it looks more curvy to me, and itā€™s more fun to say he throws a mid-to-upper-eighties curve. In any case, after some early control issues, Teodo (video) snapped off three stellar benders in a row, one swinging, the other two viewed in helpless despair. Teodo does tend to be wild within the zone with the heater sometimes, and even A-level hitters can line it up. Still, the makings of a quality Major Leaguer are there.

Regarding my commentary on Brock Porter earlier this week, itā€™s worth a reminder that that one outing does not make the man. For example, Teodo was a wreck when I saw him last March: velocity down, already-dubious control even worse, some pitches I couldnā€™t even categorize. Six months later, he was the talk of the Arizona Fall League, receiving not-totally-facetious discussion of joining Texasā€™s playoff roster. I love watching these guys, but Iā€™m only getting snapshots.

Lefty Mitch Bratt (video) is a control/command type. The latest Baseball America review listed his fastball at 89-91, but on Wednesday it ran 92-93, augmented by an 83ish slider, upper-70s curve, and an 87 change. Neither the heater nor the slider heater has a ton of movement, but he mixed and spotted both well and missed a few bats with them. I saw two effective changes (called strike, foul tip) and curve (ball, tailed outside). The statcast data doesnā€™t wow, but he knows how to pitch.

Kyle Larsen. Not a household name. Honestly not a name even to me when I saw the jersey. I originally assumed he was an undrafted free agent, but in fact the righty Larsen (video) was Texasā€™s 18th-round pick in 2021, and furthermore, the Rangers delivered $575,000 to his front porch to dissuade him from his Florida commitment. But Larsen has pitched only 2.2 innings across three seasons. I assume Tommy John and maybe more, but I havenā€™t checked. Larsen offered a 93-94 MPH fastball, a mid-80s slider, and I believe an upper-80s change. He missed several bats with both the fastball and slider. So, we have some understanding of that signing bonus, and hopefully weā€™ll be seeing much more than 2.2 innings in 2024.

I already reported on Echedry Vargas, but I saw more of him Wednesday (video), and I again liked what I saw. Itā€™s just two days, but his ability to make consistent, firm contact stands out.

Last year, Gleider Figuereo (video) was one of several Rangers hitters who didnā€™t really build on impressive complex league campaigns from 2022. Possibly, his first full season took a toll, as sometimes happens; he batted .205/.264/.267 during the last three months at Down East last summer. I expect heā€™ll rejoin the Woodies at least for a little while. He loves to pull and elevate, but contact can be an issue. He singled up the middle and drove a fly to the CF track for a triple yesterday.

Catcher Jesus Lopez hasnā€™t played much while Iā€™ve been here, or Iā€™ve missed him. I only saw the tail end of his first two plate appearances Wednesday (both swinging strikeouts), after which he lined a single to left. Lopez signed for around $350,000 out of the Dominican Republic in early 2022 and posted a .289/.396/.644 line in 13 complex league games last year.

Signed in 2019 and stateside for the first time last summer, 23-year-old righty Victor Simeon (video) deals a 97-98 fastball and 84 slider. His control is poor; if you watch the video, youā€™ll see a pitch nail the backstop. When he gets near the plate, opposing batters havenā€™t much hope.

2022 signing David Davalillo popped up at Down East late in 2023 and fanned seven against zero walks in 4.2 innings. Now 21, Davallilo displayted a 91-94 fastball and a bender that ran 76-83. The slowest ones still looked slidery with plenty of horizontal movement. He didnā€™t have a good showing Wednesday but has some promise.

I didnā€™t see enough of 2023 7th-round pick Julian Brock to form an impression, other than to say he was playing. The catcher was the only of four signed position players from that group not to receive any game action last summer.

At 6ā€™3ā€ and a listed 200 pounds, OF Tommy Specht (2022, 6th round) isnā€™t quite hulking but is in the vicinity. At Down East last year as a 19-year-old, he had a 26% strikeout rate (not good but not terrible), a solid 24% line drive rate, a decent fly rate, and he somehow slugged .288. I donā€™t know whatā€™s to become of him, but he surely has more to offer than that. I didnā€™t get a great look yesterday but did see a firmly lined single.

Transactions
Texas signed RHP Michael Lorenzen. More later. Have one more game to catch.

Monday and Tuesday Pix From Surprise

I have to add some
Lines to this so the first pic
Renders the right size

Corey Seagar taking live bp
Josh Jung fielding drills
Sebastian Walcott and Cam Cauley
Sebastian Walcott
Cam Cauley
Skylar Hales
Anthony Gutierrez
Daniel Mateo
Echedry Vargas (bobbling a grounder, sorry)
Arturo Disla
Flags Fly Forever

Rangers Farm Report: Days 2 and 3 in Surprise

Monday
I watched the AA/AAA squads, as the lower levels were at Milwaukeeā€™s complex near central Phoenix, and I wasnā€™t in the mood for that drive.

Consensus #3 Texas and top-100 overall prospect Sebastian Walcott (video) rewarded me with a stellar day: a single, double, walk, and two steals in five trips to the plate. Both hits were lined to left-center, the double gapping the outfielders and reaching the fence with serious haste. Walcott struck out again against a slider-heavy approach, but he also laid off a few to draw a walk. In addition to the steals, Walcott raced from first to third on an Anthony Gutierrez hit and beat the throw.

Walcott played with the AA group. Note that assignment to a particular team in intersquads doesnā€™t foretell where the player will be assigned next week. Among Mondayā€™s lineup, only catcher Scott Kapers had significant AA experience, and I expect most of the starting nine to be at a lower level to start the season.  

Walcott shifted to third base in favor of Cam Cauley. 21 as of last month, Cauley (video) smacked a homer to the opposite field. Yes, weā€™re in Arizona, but he had the necessary oomph regardless. Cauley has much more power than his 5ā€™10ā€, 170-lb. frame would leave you to believe. He also strikes out nearly a third of the time (and 44% in an admittedly aggressive Arizona Fall League stint), something to watch as he climbs the ladder. Cauley added an infield single. After sharing splitting short and second with Max Acosta in 2022, he spent about 80% of his time at short last year.

CF Anthony Gutierrez (video) grounded up the middle for a single and hit a fly that seemed promising off the bat but didnā€™t carry. He also snagged a deep fly with his back to the plate.

RHP Skylar Hales (video), 2023 4th-rounder, very likely Major Leaguer. The stuff will play, certainly. Halesā€™ fastball ran 96-98 but has touched 100 previously. Irrespective of top speed, it also has serious rise and run. Hales adds a tight slider at 85-86. The delivery is short and funky. With the bases empty, he starts his motion fairly slowly, but then the ball rockets out from just over his right shoulder. In 2023, Hales pitched a handful of innings at the complex and Down East before concluding with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts during High-A Hickoryā€™s playoff series. A concern with someone like Hales is control, and he did walk and hit a batter in two innings, but the results in real games have been stellar so far. He walked or hit only two of 46 batters last year, and 6% of his opponents in his final college season.

Converted outfielder DJ Peters (video) offered a 93-95 fastball with intermittently impressive run and 79-81 slider with well-above-average sweep. In his first attempt at pitching with the Tigers last year, Peters had truly dreadful control, but yesterdayā€™s strike-throwing seemed no worse than adequate.

Pictures from Monday and Tuesday are here.

Tuesday
Echedry Vargas (video) drew an elongated walk to start the low-A contest and added a single and two doubles, one a laser to right, the other a medium grounder just inside the 3B line. The first double would have been a triple had not runner Yeremy Cabrera hesitated on whether the RF would have a chance. Vargas isnā€™t an imposing specimen but sure swings hard. He led the complex league last year with 11 homers, 27 extra-base hits, and 112 total bases on hits while moving between short, second, and third. Vargas played second yesterday. I didnā€™t get a good look at his arm. He botched an easy grounder (might have been a slightly bad hop) but otherwise looked very comfortable at the position. He turned 19 last month and I expect will be headed to low-A Down East and earning plenty of coverage from yours truly.

Brock Porter didnā€™t have a good day. Iā€™ve provided video out of a sense of duty, but youā€™d be better off spending a minute or two meditating or thinking about what you want for dinner instead. Some individual pitches were dandy, but on the whole he had poor control, leading to a bunch of lengthy, labored duels even when successful. In the 1st, a hard fly missed being a homer by perhaps two feet, and the next batter was thwarted by LF Edgar Basabeā€™s catch up against the fence. Porter then walked the next two, and the inning was rolled.* His second and final inning was quicker although marked by another walk. Porter is a promising pitcher but has some days where itā€™s just not happening, and Tuesday was one.

As a 19-year-old in low-A, OF Yeison Morrobelā€™s season was nasty, brutish, and short. A shoulder injury ended his campaign in early June, but before then Morrobel (video) somehow slugged only .313 with three extra-base hits, a drastic decline from his rookie season. Best as I can tell, Morrobel decided every day last winter was leg day, arm day, ab day, and everything else day. Heā€™s pretty cut. If he slugs .313 again Iā€™ll eat my Myrtle Beach cap. Morrobel drew a walk the same inning as Vargas off control-averse Seattle prospect Brandyn Garcia (TAMU alum) and later tripled to center.

1B Arturo Disla (video) was born in the Dominican Republic but played college ball at Wayland Baptist in Plainview. Signed as a free agent, Disla returned to the DR to bat .274/.416/.468 in 19 Summer League games. He homered late. Disla is listed at 240 but I have my doubts. Heā€™s also as much a ā€œhave bat, will travelā€ prospect as youā€™ll find.

IF Max Acosta has two triples in 218 full-season games. He hit two on Tuesday. Honestly, the first stat is the greater surprise, as Acosta has a combination of some pop (11 homers last year) and speed (26 steals) to suggest three-baggers should be more frequent. Acosta has produced two decent seasons at the lower levels, but Cauley has surpassed his prospect status, and whenever theyā€™re on the same squad, Iā€™d expect Cauley to receive a higher proportion of the starts at short.

* For those unfamiliar, in intersquad games coaches have the right to terminate the inning when the pitch count reaches an excessive level, and the yelled phrase is ā€œroll it!ā€ Occasionally, a pitcher will try to get a fourth out of an inning if the first three proceed too quickly, and sometimes a batter hit by a pitch will stay in the box.

Elsewhere
Philly optioned LHP Kolby Allard to AAA. Heā€™d signed a Major League deal with the Phils after Atlanta declined to offer a contract.

Rangers Farm Report: Day 1 in Surprise

Sunday in Surprise
I arrived in Peoria only to discover the two games Iā€™d intended to watch had been moved to Surprise. So I hustled over to Surprise, skipped the media gate because the fan entrance was closer to where Iā€™d parked andā€¦ wasnā€™t allowed in because I had a backpack. So I hustled over to the media gate. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see more than a moment of Dane Acker.

I didnā€™t come to Arizona to watch Owen White, because I expect Iā€™ll see plenty of him in Round Rock, but he caught my eye early, and I ended up viewing a good chunk of four innings.

White was an object lesson in not putting too much emphasis on short viewings. If Iā€™d seen only his first two frames or his last two, Iā€™d have very different stories to tell. Early, his stuff was at a level I witnessed rarely during 2023. While the control wavered (a walk per inning, I believe), he missed a bunch of bats. Recall that his swinging strike percentage in AAA was well below average. The fastball was a snappy 94-96 augmented with a high-80s slider and change and an upper-70s curve.

The next two innings were reminiscent of last yearā€™s struggles. The heater dropped to 92-94, and the slider lost a few tics while acquiring some loop, almost like it aspired to become a curve. He walked three and surrendered a homer (admittedly a constant hazard for any pitcher in Arizona).

I did come away mildly heartened that the White of old was still present, if only for a while.

Sebastian Walcott is an amazing athlete who had a bad day, at least what I saw of it. Against Mā€™s righty Jose Geraldo, Walcott took two close pitches for strikes before waving at a slider well outside. In the field, he turned a routine third-out grounder into a run-scoring error with a wide throw to first.

OF Anthony Gutierrez rapped a solid single to left. Grant Schiller of Baseball Prospectus mentioned that Gutierrez had adopted a much more airborne-oriented swing compared to last year, and I can confirm. In 84 games as an 18-year-old in low-A, Gutierrez hit only two homers while producing one of the Carolina League lowest fly rates.

Josh Stephan: 90-93 two and four-seamers, 83-85 slider, change. The repertoire doesnā€™t impress on paper, but he gets the job done, and did so again on Sunday. Stephen has very good control and wields the slider uncommonly well. Pitchers with one advanced non-fastball can chew up the lower levels, and opponents in high-A batted only .175/.235/.327 with a 32% K rate last year. His promotion to AA was cut short by a back injury, but in 2024 weā€™ll get a better idea of how heā€™ll fare against tougher competition.

Venezuelan Ismael Agreda signed with Texas in 2021. Of medium height and maximum slenderness, Agreda nevertheless delivered a short-armed fastball at 97-99, and opposing Mariners had little chance at anything close to the zone. Last year in the complex league, he walked or hit 12% of his opponents, actually much better than average for the level. The control I saw wouldnā€™t have fared as well, I donā€™t think. He also mixed in an 83-84 slider with varying success. Heā€™s pretty raw but another name to keep in mind.

21-year-old Alberto Mota pitched well in relief for Down East last year, tallying 41 strikeouts against just ten walks in 25 innings. Sunday didnā€™t measure to his best outings I saw on MiLB.tv in 2023. He was fairly hittable. Mota was also pitching in an AAA game, which in Arizona in March doesnā€™t mean a true AAA lineup but still stouter than his usual opposition. The fastball was 95, the curve 82.

Annoyingly, I missed every plate appearance by Abimelec Ortiz save his last, when he managed to pull an outside pitch into short center-right for a single. As a 21-year-old, Ortiz clubbed 36 homers between the A levels and three more in the Fall League. Dustin Harris turned a pitch into a souvenir (or a practice ball, I guess).

Early Monday
Corey Seager took live batting practice. Hereā€™s a photo and quick video. Iā€™m sure the beats will have much more to say. He seemed fine to me. Josh Jung fielded grounders and joined Seager with the bat.

Manpower
I while back, I mentioned the decrease in permitted domestic minor leaguers under contract from 180 to 165. After writing that, I reviewed my (admittedly very unofficial) list and thought the Rangers were in pretty good shape in that regard. What I didnā€™t know was that optioned players count against the total. Iā€™d assumed anyone on the 40 was exempt, but apparently not. That changes things. Not that Iā€™m going to need 5,000 words on all the upcoming releases, but perhaps more than I anticipated.

Transactions
Last week, Texas claimed IF Jose Barrero off waivers from Cincinnati. Now 25, Barrero registered as high as #33 on Baseball Americaā€™s top-100 prospect list prior to 2022, but he hasnā€™t registered at all with the bat. His divergence between AAA and the Majors is extreme as youā€™ll find: .254/.326/.501 in 180 AAA games, .186/.242/.255 in 139 MLB games. In the Majors vs. AAA, Barrero walks 32% less often, strikes out 18% more, and loses 85 points of average and 349 (!!) points of slugging on contact. Whew.

Barrero is out of options, so heā€™ll make the club or hit the waiver wire again. Optioned to AAA was Jonathan Ornelas, who I thought might have a shot at a backup job given the situations of Seager and Jung, and he might yet. Texas placed Rule 5 RHP Carson Coleman on the 60-day Injured List to make space for Barrero. Coleman is recovering from elbow surgery.

Detroit released RHP Nick Starr, originally signed by Texas in 2018 after being drafted but unsigned by the Reds. The Tigers had selected Starr in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. (The Rangers donā€™t have any reversion rights. Starr becomes a free agent.)  

Atlanta signed RHP Tyree Thompson (Texasā€™s 2016 26th-rounder). Thompson pitched at both A levels for Atlanta last year.

Toronto signed RHP Evan Elliott, Texasā€™ 15-thround pick in 2021. Elliot saw all of 15 rookie-league innings across three seasons and was released last June.

Tampa Bay signed RHP Jake Odorizzi to a minor deal.

OF Kole Calhoun retired.

Rangers Farm Report

Lowe and Foscue
Per the local reporters, Nathaniel Lowe has an oblique strain.

I havenā€™t performed a study and Iā€™m not Will Carroll, but in years of covering baseball Iā€™ve come to believe that oblique injuries have the largest gap between hopeful and actual return dates. They just linger. The early prognosis is Lowe might miss Opening Day. Iā€™m just assuming he will.

So, who might play in his stead? One candidate is Ezequiel Duran, who played first twice last season, and, at his best, has the bat to carry any position. Other possibilities include non-40 1Bs Blaine Crim and offseason signing Jared Walsh. Dustin Harris was recently optioned and has been dealing with his own oblique issue. Regardless, I think heā€™d rank lower on the list of choices.

I want to focus on another possibility, Justin Foscue, because Iā€™d been intending to write about him anyway. Foscue batted .268/.394/.468 in 122 games for AAA Round Rock last year. He hit 31 doubles and 18 homers, and even stole 14 bases. (Heā€™s a slow but astute baserunner.) He turned 25 a few days ago and has a very mature plate approach. Of 245 AAA hitters with at least 300 plate appearances last year, Foscue was one of 11 with more walks than strikeouts. He was in the 92nd percentile in combined walk/HBP rate (18%) and 97th in strikeouts (12%).

So whatā€™s not to like?Ā  Given Foscueā€™s 563 trips to the plate, an average AAA hitter would have 74 combined walks and HBPs. Foscue had 99, a huge difference. But an average hitter would also have 130 hits, and Foscue had 123. Foscueā€™s superior approach is translating into more walks and a better OBP, but not better results on contact.

Foscueā€™s exit velocity is okay. Itā€™s fine at the median but tapers off toward the top. Several Round Rock regulars had a better 90th-percentile EV than Foscueā€™s 103.2 MPH: Blaine Crim, Sandro Fabian, Elier Hernandez, Sam Huff, Jonathan Ornelas, Yoshi Tsutsugo, and Davis Wendzel.

Foscue also tends to have a lot of vertical ā€œsprayā€ on his contact. Compared to the average Round Rock hitter, Foscue had more grounders and more high flies (at least 45 degrees, almost always an out).

Hitters can succeed without elite exit velocity. A good example is Marcus Semien, who doesnā€™t hit exceptionally hard but combines fewer strikeouts with a consistent line of attack, allowing him to pile up impressive numbers. I think that is what has yet to fully develop with Foscue. The difference between Semien and Foscue is an extra 35 balls hit at an angle more likely to cause damage.

Iā€™m not suggesting Foscue canā€™t be a competent MLB hitter. Heā€™s made steady progress every year since being drafted, and hopefully that trend continues. Iā€™m just saying I wasnā€™t watching him and analyzing his data in 2023 and thinking ā€œheā€™d be a competent MLB hitter right now.ā€Ā  Almost, but not quite. Maybe that year is 2024.

Depth
The starting rotation at present is Eovaldi, Gray, Dunning, Heaney, and Bradford. Another possibility is Bradford in long relief and a different fifth starter, but either scenario presents the same conundrum. Whatā€™s more likely: this starting five rolling steadily into midseason when some of the injured starters (hopefully) begin to reappear, or needing significant innings from the starting depth because of injuries and/or ineffectiveness? Your first choice to replace one of the top five isā€¦ not an easy decision. Ā 

The healthy 40-man choices are Owen White, Cole Winn, and Zak Kent. (Jose Corniell is also on the 40 but premature for this discussion.) Unfortunately, weā€™re still waiting for one to set himself apart.

White allowed eight runners and three runs in three innings Tuesday, followed by four runs in the 4th against Winn, who did rebound with a clean, three-strikeout 5th. Meanwhile, Kent has surrendered nine runners and six runs in 3.2 innings. Yes, weā€™re still three weeks from Opening Day, and that isnā€™t necessarily a deadline for establishing a pecking order, but some clarity would be nice.

As for non-40 choices, Danny Duffy pitched well in Puerto Rico over the winter, perhaps setting himself up for a swing role I was hoping he might fill in 2023. Adrian Sampson was a credible (if statistically somewhat lucky) starter for the Cubs in 2022. The other experienced starter, Jose Urena, had a rough outing on February 24th but threw four solid innings on Thursday.

I imagine Duffy and Sampson lead the pack right now. Jack Leiter is a candidate, and if he makes the Opening Day roster that would be a heck of a story, but realistically Iā€™m more interested in just seeing forward progress.

Good News
In 2023, 16 MLB clubs had MiLB.tv coverage of both of their A-level squads. 13 had coverage of either the high-A or low-A team. And one club had nothing: your Texas Rangers.

That will change in 2024, as Hickory has announced that all home games will be part of the MiLB.tv package. Brian Rushing, who calls a bunch of sports including those at my motherā€™s alma mater Winthrop University, will call the home games and ā€œselect road games.ā€ Hallelujah.

No such announcement was forthcoming for Down East, not a surprise given the teamā€™s lame-duck status. Iā€™m hopeful that coverage will begin in 2025 coinciding with the teamā€™s relocation to Spartanburg.

Subscription Clarifications
To condense from last weekā€™s overly long post: After years of inaction, I have finally created a new subscription list derived from the Newberg Report list. If youā€™re reading this via email, youā€™re subscribed.

Jamey Newberg and I now have completely separate subscription lists. He has a list for Substack subscribers and still uses the original Newberg Report listserv for announcing reports. Unsubscribing from me (via the button at the bottom of this email) wonā€™t affect your status with Jamey at all. Likewise, whatever decisions you make regarding Jameyā€™s site wonā€™t impact you here.

Unfortunately, my ā€œreintroductionā€ missive from last week reached everyone successfully butĀ  excruciatingly slowly. I am working on the delivery speed, but I’ve learned through tech support that the best delivery speed I can hope for is still longer than desired.Ā  I am probably going to send an email asking you to join a new list (which I expect will result in a significantly smaller list) in order to streamline the operation. But not today.

Incoming
Texas signed 23-year-old free agent COF/1B Luis Mieses. Once a reasonably well-regarded prospect with the White Sox, Mieses backslid terribly at AA Birmingham, batting .236/.257/.356 despite going 6-for-6 with three homers and a double in late June. Heā€™d been out of contract for three months. Iā€™d guess heā€™ll get another shot at AA if he sticks around.

Elsewhere

IF Elvis Andrus signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.
RHP Ricky Vanasco was optioned to AAA by the Dodgers. Heā€™d become a minor league free agent over the winter but quickly re-signed an MLB deal.
IF Luisangel Acuna was optioned to AAA by the Mets.

Hector Ortiz
Last week, the Rangers announced the death of Hector Ortiz, who played briefly for the Rangers in 2002 and rejoined in various instructional roles during 2005-2020. Ortiz managed Hickoryā€™s first season as a Texas affiliate in 2009 and the rookie squad in 2011. He also served as a minor league hitting coach and catching coordinator, and as a first base coach and catching coach for the big-league squad.

Voices
Rylan Kobre is the new voice for the Round Rock Express. Kobre had previously called games for the short-season Boise Hawks and low-A Augusta GreenJackets before joining the Express as manager for public relations and communications in 2022. He had also served as an occasional substitute or additional announcer for the Express the past two years.

Kobre replaces Mike Capps, who had been the lead announcer for the Express since their inception in 2000. That is to say, Capps was calling the games when the then-AA affiliate of the Astros featured prospects like Roy Oswalt, Morgan Ensberg, and Tim Redding. Itā€™s the end of an era. Capps is presently handling games for UT San Antonio.

Surprise!
A week from Sunday.

Reintroduction / Rangers Farm Report

Check 1-2
Welcome to (tries to think of a clever name, fails) the Lucas Report!*

If youā€™ve been receiving these reports over the years, nothing for you should change. I still plan to email daily reports during the season and intermittent updates in other months. Really, the only difference between now and the previous report is the name change and a different email service. Iā€™ve archived reports at scottlucas.com the past two seasons.

Iā€™d considered starting a new subscriber list from scratch but decided instead to port the existing list** to the new site. I hope Iā€™ve correctly discerned that if you hadnā€™t unsubscribed during Jameyā€™s six-year stint at The Athletic, youā€™re willing to keep following. If not, unsubscribing is easy: just click the ā€œunsubscribeā€ text at the bottom of this email and then confirm in a separate email that youā€™ll receive. Or just email me and Iā€™ll remove you from the list once I stop crying.

If youā€™ve come across this as a non-subscriber or would like to recommend me to someone, subscribing is easy. You can sign up on my website (in a widget on the right side), where youā€™ll encounter a three-step process:

1. Enter your name and email.
2. Correctly answer a single-digit addition equation (to throw off the ā€˜bots).
3. Confirm your subscription in a follow-up email.

As before with the Newberg Report, your email and info wonā€™t be sold or disclosed. Thereā€™s no third-party anything except the WordPress platform on my site, but I own the domain and run the emails separately through a reputable provider. Ā 

And now, a report.

Rangers in the Top 100
Six publications I follow or subscribe to (Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus, The Athletic, ESPN) have published their top-100 prospect lists. Below are the ranges of Texas players on their lists:

OF Wyatt Langford ā€“ high of #2, low of #6, median 4.5
OF Evan Carter ā€“ high of #4, low of #12, median 5.5
IF Sebastian Walcott ā€“ high of #40, low of #91, median 62.5
RHP Brock Porter — #88 on one list (MLB Pipeline)

Would you choose Carter or Langford? Fortunately, if youā€™re a Rangers fan, you get cake and ice cream for dessert and wonā€™t gain a pound. But if you had to pick one? Not easy. Four of six publications rank Langford higher, but except for one case, theyā€™re pretty much #1 and #1A relative to each other.

Despite his .573 slugging percentage in 122 MLB at-bats (including playoffs), the limiting factor on Carter is probably power. Still, he doesnā€™t turn 22 until August and has already established a reasonable floor of ā€œaverage MLB regular.ā€  He could be an elite leadoff hitter (complicated by the presence of Marcus Semien, but letā€™s leave that for another time).

Texas lucked into the 4th pick in the 2023 draft and might have lucked into the best player. Langford could be a star. Heā€™s probably good enough to play in the Majors today, although (pending Cactus League results) I wouldnā€™t automatically deem a spell in AAA a cynical ploy to game his eventual free-agent status. Some time in the minors might not hurt, particularly on defense, which drew some alarming pre-draft reviews despite strong tools. (Not that I got a lengthy look, but what I saw in the minors didnā€™t frighten me.) Getting Langford instead of Max Clark, who may well be a terrific Major Leaguer but not for a while, was a sudden tailwind for the franchise.

Some years ago, I would have taken Lewis Brinson into my house and raised him as a son. Now, I try to be more circumspect about young, ultra-toolsy players. Meet Sebastian Walcott. As a 17-year-old, Walcott introduced himself to America with a 13-game hit streak in the complex league, then struck out at a 58% (!) rate over his next eight games, then found a middle ground. Arizona is such a wacky, high-variance environment I wouldnā€™t worry too much about last yearā€™s strikeouts, but I am looking forward to how he adapts to what will probably be a heavy dose of breaking pitches in A ball.    

Brock Porter snuck onto MLBā€™s top 100. The good news is ā€œcan he learn a changeupā€ isnā€™t a question that applies to him like so many would-be starters. The bad is his control varied from adequate to cataclysmic. Both his Opening Day start and final playoff start resulted in a first-inning departure. Overall, though, he maintained his high status.

International Signings
Notable players signed by the Rangers last month (rankings by MLB and FanGraphs are part of their top 50 prospects, Baseball America ranked in order of expected bonus):

OF Paulino Santana (#2 MLB, #30 FanGraphs, #29 Baseball America) ā€“ BA bestowed a ā€œtrending upā€ arrow on Santana, indicating heā€™d rank higher than 29th on perception of pure talent. Highly favorable reports including the possibility of enough power to play a corner if shortstop doesnā€™t work out.

SS Curley Martha (#29 MLB, #48 BA) ā€“ Curley from Curacao, a star at the 2019 Little League World Series.

Also SS Yolfran Castillo (#46 MLB, #62 BA), SS Nathaniel Palacios (#83 BA), SS Daniel Flames (#84 BA), and IF Joaquin Arias Jr.

Minor Signings
LHP Danny Duffy ā€“ Duffy spent most of his Age-34 season with AA Frisco. Injuries have limited him to just over 100 innings the last three seasons.

RHP Jose Urena ā€“ The 32-year-old was under contract to Colorado, Washington, and the White Sox last year. That alone should tell you how his season went. He recovered somewhat with the Sox, and as depth starters go, heā€™s okay. Last year he threw a mid-90s fastball, sinker, slider, and change in nearly equal proportions.

RHP Adrian Sampson ā€“ Since his release from the Rangers after 2019, Sampson spent a year in Korea followed by three with the Cubs, the earliest two of which were fairly productive.

RHP Austin Pruitt ā€“ Now 34, the ex-A Pruitt leans heavily on a slider that doesnā€™t miss many bats but manages to limit damage. Opponents hit .243/.291/.370 with a 6% walk rate last year.

LHP Chasen Shreve ā€“ 4.63 ERA in 44.2 relief innings with Detroit and Cincy last year. Peripherals were slightly better. Opponents have tagged his low-90s fastball lately, but his splitter and slider have been fairly effective.

LHP Blake Taylor ā€“ Fairly successful if often control-averse in three seasons with the Astros. He spent all of last year in AAA and offered a 90-93 fastball and 83ish slider against Round Rock. Released by Houston last August.

RHP Jonathan Holder ā€“ The 30-year-old last pitched in the bigs in 2020, and he spent last year with the Angelsā€™ AAA affiliate in Salt Lake. The fastball reaches 95, and his repertoire is especially broad for a reliever.

RHP DJ Peters ā€“ Former Ranger, former Lotte Giant, former outfielder. He pitched for Detroitā€™s rookie squad last year. According to Statcast he throws five pitches, but his wildness might have broken Statcastā€™s pitch-categorization algorithm. Peters walked or plunked 30% of his opponents and tacked on 19 wild pitches in just 21.2 innings. His fastball reaches 95, and the slider has serious bend.

RHP Braden Shipley ā€“ Arizonaā€™s top pick from 2013 hasnā€™t appeared in MLB since 2018. He spent 2022 with Seattleā€™s AA squad but didnā€™t take the mound last year.

RHP Steven Jennings ā€“ 2017ā€™s 42nd-overall pick has spent most of the past three seasons as an AA reliever.

1B/OF Jared Walsh ā€“ The Angels non-tendered the 30-year-old after an injury-hampered .125/.216/.279 in 39 games that followed a subpar 2022. Should he recapture some of his dandy 2021 form, Texas conceivably has a DH/substitute 1B.

IF Matt Duffy ā€“ His second stint as a Ranger, and with Josh Jung out, a decent chance at a more memorable stay than the first. Texas signed him prior to 2020, but with no minor league games to be played, he was released that June. The semi-versatile Duffy (third, second, first, a little short and left) had a nice 2021 with the Cubs while hovering around replacement level the past two years.

C Jose Godoy ā€“ Texas is his eighth organization since late 2020. He can handle AAA pitching well enough but seemingly ranks behind both Sam Huff and Andrew Knapp on the minor league depth chart.

IF Alex De Goti ā€“ De Goti batted .180/.333/.276 between AAA Jacksonville and St. Paul last year. Heā€™s better than that and has the advantage of shortstop proficiency over Duffy. De Goti earned a shot of espresso with the Stros in 2021.

Released
OF Zion Bannister ā€“ One of Texasā€™s pricier 2019 signings, Bannister was well-regarded but never hit especially well at any level. He spent some of 2023 filling the ā€œwe need a guyā€ role in Frisco and Round Rock.

LHP Josh Smith ā€“ The original Josh Smith, drafted in 2018ā€™s 25th round three years before the arrival of the other Smith in the Joey Gallo trade. Hurt nearly all of 2023.

RHP Gerardo Carrillo ā€“ Signed as a minor league free agent under two months ago, injured most of past three seasons.

Also, RHP Matt Brosky (2022 8th-rounder), 1B Anthony Calarco (2023 American free agent), IF Frandy Almonte (2021 intā€™l free agent), RHP Eury Rosado (2019 intā€™l free agent)

Retired
IF Ryan Dorow ā€“ Texasā€™s 2017 30th-rounder missed all of last season with a shoulder injury suffered in a spring game. Heā€™d become a free agent and re-signed. In 2021, Dorow batted .255/.333/.461 in 102 games among Frisco and Round Rock. That August, he became a Major Leaguer, joining the Rangers briefly under special covid rules that permitted placement and removal form the 40-man roster without going through the waiver process. Dorow played in three games, drawing a walk in seven trips to the plate.

Elsewhere ā€“ Minor Signings
LHP Ronald Guzman, Orioles (no longer in a dual role)
IF Jurdrick Profar (younger brother of Jurickson and Juremi), White Sox
IF Nick Solak, Mā€™s
RHP Joe Barlow, White Sox
RHP Carl Edwards Jr., Cubs
RHP Hans Crouse, Angels
OF Willie Calhoun, Angels

IF Rougned Odor signed with Japanā€™s Yomuiri Giants. And poor Bubba Thompson was designated for assignment for the fifth time in six months and the third time in a six-week period. Heā€™s a Cincinnati Red, again.

Changes
Per Baseball America, the rookie complex season will begin in early May and conclude in late July, mere days after the summer draft. Since the lost season of 2020, the league has evolved into more of a graduate-level Dominican Summer League, and the new schedule should cement this change. Since the Great Reorganization of 2021, fewer draft picks are playing real games in their initial seasons (especially pitchers), but of those that do, more are reaching a full-season level. During 2017-2019, 51% of Rangersā€™ playing time came from draft picks or undrafted free agents subject to US rules. During 2021-2023, that percentage dropped to 33%. Conversely, appearances by international free agents increased from 45% to 61%. (The small remainder consisted of more experienced players on rehab.)

2021 also instituted a cap on the number of domestic minor leaguers under contract, and in 2024 the number of in-season players will decrease from 180 to 165. The minors have their own 60-day Injured List, and players on that list donā€™t count against the total, but the cat-herding exercise of keeping every squad fully staffed will be harder than ever. In 2019, nine MLB clubs fielded multiple rookie-level squads. Last year, only two. In 2024, I donā€™t see how an extra squad is possible.

I didnā€™t notice an obvious change in Texasā€™s offseason habits; as ever, theyā€™ve signed more players than they could possibly stash in AAA, and cuts will come. On the opposite side, however, some former Rangers farmhands who I expected to find employment by now have not.

Asterisks
* My previous blog was called The Ranger Rundown, and while the Rangers never gave me any trouble, I decided against having the team name in my title. Plus, a podcaster asked me permission to use that title since I hadnā€™t in several years, and I said fine. My wife suggested Lucas Lowdown, which isnā€™t bad. Ultimately, I settled on the simple and clean Lucas Report. I wonā€™t have to type ā€œScott Lucas of [Name of Blog].ā€

**I surely canā€™t complain about the original Newberg Minor League Report listserv, as itā€™s handled tens of thousands of subscribers ably over the years, but itā€™s acted increasingly flaky recently, with some folks not receiving reports or getting unsubscribed for unknown reasons. Regardless, Iā€™m eternally grateful to Jamey Newberg for letting me continue to use the listserv during his time at The Athletic (and maybe using it again temporarily if I encounter difficulties with the new setup).

Rangers Farm Report

Signings
Texas has re-signed pitchers Reid Birlingmair and Tyler Zombro, catcher Matt Whatley, infielder Ryan Dorow, and outfielders Sandro Fabian and Elier Hernandez to minor league deals. All had become free agents after the season.

During last season, I wondered if Hernandez might be able to secure a contract in Asia for 2024. Heā€™s pretty much an ideal AAA player. While Iā€™m glad heā€™s back, Iā€™m a little surprised, as I think heā€™d have a better chance at returning to MLB in a different organization. The Rangers have Garcia, Taveras, Carter, JP Martinez, and infielder/outfielders Zeke Duran and Dustin Harris on the 40 at present, plus a guy named Langford.

Fabian is still just 25, another strong AAA player. In 2023, he slugged .523 and clubbed 23 homers with only a 15% strikeout rate. Heā€™s swing-happy but manages to put the ball in play.

Whatley is well-regarded, a strong defender, and, while not a good hitter, I think he can improve on last yearā€™s .203/.290/.322. (Prospect status aside, I strongly prefer glove-over-bat at catcher and short in AAA. Keep the game moving, keep pitchers from having to get ā€œextraā€ outs.) Ā 

Dorow missed 2023 with a separated shoulder. The 2017 30th-rounder ably defends any infield position.

Texas signed Birlingmair out of the indy American Association last summer, and he pitched well for Hickory and Frisco.

New additions on minor deals so far are righties Gerardo Carrillo, Diego Castillo, and Jesus Tinoco, catcher Andrew Knapp, and OFs Derek Hill and Michael Reed.

The 29-year-old Castillo has 268 mostly solid MLB innings with the Rays and Mā€™s to his credit. 2023 was a mess: lower velocity, worse control, such a poor start that Seattle designated him for assignment in April despite his $2.95 million salary. He went unclaimed and spent the remainder of the season in AAA Tacoma without any improvement until the final six weeks. Castillo would be a worthy addition to the beleaguered Texas pen if he can recapture the magic. He could also pitch himself entirely out of the organization in March.

Tinoco pitched two stints for the Rangers in 2022, once as a covid-rules replacement in June and then throughout September. Heā€™s a trivia answer for surrendering Aaron Judgeā€™s 62nd homer, but as depth additions go, heā€™s fine. Tinoco spent 2023 in Japan.

Carrillo was an important piece of the Max Scherzer trade between the Dodgers and Nats in 2021, but injuries to his shoulder and leg (I think) robbed some of his elite velocity and keep him off the field much of the past two years. Carrillo was outrighted after 2022 and became a free agent last month. Heā€™s 25.

Maybe Knapp is next yearā€™s Sandy Leon. Now 32, last season was the first in seven that he didnā€™t spend any time in the bigs, instead serving exclusively for the AAA squads of Detroit and Houston, where he compiled a .233/.328/.377 line.

Drafted 23rd overall in 2014 out of high school by the Tigers, Hill spent a large chunk of his developmental years on the injured list. He made his MLB debut in 2020 and has a .229/.279/.314 line in 108 games, including 13 last year for the Nats. He impressed in AAA (albeit as a 27-year-old), hitting .317/.373/.509 while reducing his strikeout rate.

Reed was drafted in 2016ā€™s second round out of Florida and the player to be named in the trade for Jurickson Profar between the Aā€™s and Pads in 2019. Reed has speed and skills for center and displayed burgeoning power at the lower levels, but he hasnā€™t hit much in AA/AAA and had been out of contract since mid-July.

Obviously, much can change between now and March, but by my count the Rangers have something like nine outfielders who could conceivably begin 2024 in AAA. Thatā€™s a crowd.

The 40
Iā€™ve been maintaining various organizational rosters for a long, long time. For fun, I compiled a table of how many players appeared on the Texas 40 each year, how many were on the entire year, etc.:

In the past ten years, Texasā€™s most chaotic roster situation occurred in 2014. You might recall. 31 players added and deleted during the calendar year! On more than one occasion, I half-joked about a seemingly nondescript AAA player getting a call-up if he maintained his hot streak for another couple of weeks, only for that very thing to occur.

Given the playoff-push trades and incessant effort to construct a capable bullpen, you might be surprised to learn the most stable 40-man roster in the last years occurred in 2023. But on offense, the Rangers had seven hitters qualify for the batting title. Left field was the only unsettled position. Also, the top five rotation members combined for 128 starts, and additions Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer delivered 19 of the other 34.  

Small Bookeeping Note
I had some blog issues last month, now resolved, and I am intending to email using a different server henceforth. So hopefully that will resolve the problems some of you had with receiving reports, and if not, at least I’ll have a better idea of what’s going wrong. The existing server, handy though it’s been, is a black box to me.

Elsewhere
Cincinnati designated OF Bubba Thompson for assignment to make room for reliever Buck Farmer (who pitched in Round Rock in 2021). Thompson was originally claimed by the Royals off the Rangers in August, then nabbed by the Reds on waivers during the playoffs. He hasnā€™t been outrighted previously and is under contract, so heā€™ll remain a Red if unclaimed.

The Texas Rangers won the World Series.

Happy New Year.

Rangers Tender Deadline Moves

The Texas Rangers did not tender contracts to RHP Matt Bush and LHP Brett Martin, making them free agents. Both were arbitration-eligible.

Bush was a given. Texas signed him to a minor deal after the Brewers released him earlier this season, and he was added to the 40 and active rosters late in the season. Bush was also active, albeit in name only, during the Wild Card and Division Series. He’ll turn 38 in February but was quite effective for Frisco and Round Rock, particularly with the fastball, and would be a solid depth signing assuming mutual interest.

Martin wasn’t as certain to be non-tendered but is hardly a surprise. He missed the entire season after shoulder surgery. Like Bush, Martin would be worth signing again.

Texas’s 40-man roster has 35 players.

Rangers 40-Man Roster Additions

The Texas Rangers have added:
Pitchers Marc Church, Jose Corniell, and Antoine Kelly
Infielder Justin Foscue

Available in the Rule 5 draft will be IFs Blaine Crim and Davis Wendzel, SP prospect Dane Acker, and numerous relievers including Justin Slaten, Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa.

At present, the Rangers have roster space to participate in the Rule 5 draft.