A “Victory” Lap
From August:
I’d spent all of 2025 and a decent chunk of 2026 watching with ever-increasing agitation what I truly believed was an underperforming squad. No longer. The Rangers were average. They might make the postseason, they might not, but regardless, they were average. I accepted that. I haven’t reduced my watching and listening… I just became a Stoic. In the past two months, both the Rangers and my emotions have hovered within a few games of .500.
Down the stretch, I read others’ analyses of Texas’s performances on the road versus home, scoring first versus last, against good teams and bad, and so forth. Ordinarily, I would be the guy providing those analyses, if only to see what might be a genuine performance issue versus 2025’s rampant bad luck. I certainly don’t blame others for delving into those stats, but this time I bowed out, other than a quick study of the costliness of Texas’s silence in bases-loaded situations (roughly 20 runs below average, equivalent to two wins that would’ve come in handy). I was committed to the idea that the 2026 Rangers weren’t a puzzle to be solved. They just… existed. Also, last I checked, teams don’t receive extra credit for winning on the road or after falling behind or against the Rays instead of the A’s. Those splits are just the residue of the team’s overall quality. It doesn’t really matter from where or against whom the wins come. Good teams just win more. And the Rangers weren’t good.
I did pay attention to run differential, which was telling. Last year’s Rangers outscored the opposition by 79 runs. The 2026 group was outscored by 46. The offense posted a significantly better OPS than last year but scored slightly fewer runs, partly because of poor bases-loaded output. The pitching and defense allowed an additional 114 runs. Last year’s squad was unlucky to have won only 81 games. This year’s version was fortunate to reach 80. They attained that 80 by going 23-17 in one-run games, better than every team in the AL save Tampa Bay.
More from August:
If the Rangers do reach the postseason, maybe we’ll see some stories about finally playing up to expectations or perseverance or (God forbid) destiny. No. They’re an average club. Even if they do some damage in October, which is quite possible given the nature of baseball plus the loopy playoff format, they’re average.
The final week of rival Houston’s season was instructive. The Astros won the division fair and square, but they weren’t really any better than Texas, and their season lasted only an extra three days consisting of two demoralizing losses to the upstart White Sox. Houston did at least have an opportunity to move on to face Cleveland, but here and now, as the World Series is about to begin, can we say the Astros had a better season than Texas? They can boast about the title in the context of a decade-long era of contention, but as for 2026 on its own, their response was canning the GM, field manager and much of the coaching staff. The banner should probably stay unfurled in a cardboard box.
One more callback to August: “It’s possible that playing mostly .500 ball but reeling off nine wins in 12 somewhere in there could be enough to get in [the playoffs].”
That quasi-prediction worked out pretty well. In fact, the West was so blah that nobody bothered with a hot streak. Neither Houston, Texas, nor Seattle won nine of any 12 games in the final six weeks. After I posted that missive, Texas closed the season at 19-18, Houston 18-19, Seattle 17-20. Texas remarkably had the league’s fifth-best record in that span but to no avail. Aside from the Rangers and especially the Guardians (who usurped the division tile from Chicago), every would-be contender for the final wild card spot was below .500 down the stretch.
Okay, I nailed the situation and outcome, saving myself some emotional distress while others wept and gnashed their teeth. Hooray for me, I guess.
But now what? (Note: I’m ignoring the possibility of a lockout as well as seismic changes to the CBA. This thing’s already long enough.)
The Roster
Even though the current roster has few remaining pieces from 2023, it still feels of that era. Every subsequent year has been an effort to repair or augment the existing roster in order to maintain a contending run. Things haven’t worked out, there’s nothing left to hang on to, and it’s time to move forward.
Easier said than done, though. Let’s take a look at the 40-man roster:
Under Contract: deGrom (1 more year / $37mm), Eovaldi (1/$24), Jansen (1/$7.25), Seager (5/$157.5), Nimmo (4/$82)
Under Reserve: Pitchers Ahlstrom, Baumler (also subject to Rule 5 restrictions), Collyer, Corniell, Davalillo, Gray, Leiter, L. Lopez, Macko, Otanez, Peoples, Rocker, Santos, Silseth, Teodo, Winn, position players Cauley, Freeman, Foscue, Helman, Osuna.
Arbitration-Eligible: Bradford (1st year), Garcia (1), Gore (3/last), Latz (1st Super 2), Burger (2), Carter (1st Super 2), Duran (2), Jung (2), Langford (1), O’Hoppe (2nd Super 2)
Impending Free Agents:, Alexander, Beeks, Junis ($5mm option, $1.25 buyout), Montgomery, Quantrill, Williams, Diaz, Higashioka ($7 mutual, $1 buy), N. Lopez, Pederson ($18.5 mutual)
There is no roster crunch. Assuming no signings of mutual options, Texas can tender contracts and arbitration offers to everyone and still trim the roster to 36. Additionally, the Rangers might not add a single Rule 5-eligible player to the roster.
If, say, Texas extends arbitration offers to everyone but O’Hoppe, the top eight positions players are already in place plus Justin Foscue as a righty DH/PH/2B. That does affix Zeke Duran to second base, at least against righties. The only glaring absences on the batting side would be another catcher and a lefty DH (or a regular right fielder if Nimmo becomes that lefty DH).
The Rangers miraculously received 153 starts from just seven pitchers in 2026, and six responsible for 138 of them are under team control. The problem is only one finished with an above-average ERA, and he’s presumably out the door. Cal Quantrill is extremely unlikely to repeat last year’s 2.86 ERA, but regardless, he’s not re-signing on a minor deal.
The bullpen was heavy on mercenaries the past two seasons and probably will be again in 2027, hopefully with a success rate more akin to 2025. For example, declining arbitration to boring but competent Jacob Webb and instead talking Chris Martin off his recliner and signing Alexis Diaz to an MLB deal didn’t work out at all. Texas does have a whopping 14 MLB-experienced relievers (including a few with SP potential) already under contract. How many new relievers are needed depends on how many of those 14 you trust. It is deeply frustrating that Corniell, Santos and Teodo exited 2026 with the same uncertainties as when they entered. Or, to the extent we have answers, they aren’t reassuring.
Not long after O’Hoppe was acquired, I’d speculated favorably about him getting arbitration. I doubt he’d cost more than $3 million, so he’d be cheaper than the typical second catcher on the market, although the cheapest option would involve a half-dozen NRIs in their thirties fighting for a spot. (Texas has no internal options.) He and the coaching/development staff appear to have improved his standing at the plate. As for behind the plate, the Rangers really didn’t want him there, did they? He played in ten MLB games but caught only one inning, the 9th of a 9-1 loss at Arizona.
I did say offering arbitration to almost everyone would result in eight defensive positions filled, but not without caveats. WAR understates Duran’s value in 2026. Whenever anyone else was hurt or lacking, he was there. Duran made at least 14 appearances at six different positions. If he’s locked into one spot in 2027, who fills his role? Probably someone inferior. I would love Duran to keep his current role as everyday utility player, which would require someone else to man second on a regular basis against righties.
Likewise, CF isn’t really filled because while I would offer arbitration to Carter, I’d expect him to begin 2027 in Round Rock in a final attempt to get something, anything, from him against lefties. It’s also worth noting Carter was barely adequate against righties. Carter is the rare player with enough defensive value to compensate for what he did at the plate in 2026, but at some point, writing his name in the lineup becomes untenable.
The Farm
Any direction the Rangers choose for 2027 would be more promising if Texas could count on meaningful on-field contributions from prospects, but that’s unlikely beyond the singular Sebastian Walcott. Texas received little from true rookies in 2026, and expanding the 2027 list beyond Walcott is more hope than plan.
Are Dylan Dreiling and Rafe Perich upcoming everyday players who’ll provide dividends in 2027? Paxton Kling? Malcolm Moore? Those are big asks. On the pitching side, David Davalillo and Dalton Pence are back-of-rotation types who aren’t quite there yet. Winston Santos is probably a reliever. It’s hard to know what Emiliano Teodo and Jose Corniell are at this point. Anyone else is at least one extra year away. Sure, someone is likely to break through, but the Rangers can’t prepare for 2027 with any expectation of it.
So if Texas can’t count on much from the farm in terms of actual production next season, what about trades? It is not quite a system built for a win-now push. Assuming Walcott is off-limits, the Rangers do have other worthy prospects to dangle if desired, but upgrading through trades will shove the system’s quality back among the bottom few clubs in the league.
I still haven’t answered my question: Now what? I see three paths.
Sigh… The Middle Path?
The Rangers aren’t being gutted by free-agent losses this fall. They’re sitting on perhaps 75 wins right now and can rebuild to 80-82 with a handful of relatively inexpensive free-agent relievers, a second catcher, another decent bat. Not necessarily no meaningful trades, but generally a reliance on existing personnel. Then play some games, assess the situation and trade with an eye on genuine contention if the situation is promising.
On an emotional level, this path is terrible, borderline indefensible. In a division with zero winning clubs, the Rangers would be saying “okay, things haven’t worked out, but maybe this time.” Good luck selling season tickets for that. Prepare for stories about how the infirm will try to stay healthier, how some hitters are working to shrink massive platoon splits, how the squad will try to emulate those who advanced deep into the 2026 postseason. The atmosphere would be stale heading into spring training and increasingly sour if the style and results of the past two years persist.
This is more than just the easy path, though. Following it wouldn’t just be laziness or inertia. A vexing issue is Texas isn’t running out zero-WAR players at multiple positions. Instead, they have many at or just below average plus a fair number who are better yet still disappointing. In the short run, the team feels stuck in place, or perhaps I just lack the vision to see otherwise.
For example, maybe you want someone better than Jake Burger. He led the team in homers and RBI but still comes across as underwhelming. He posted a 1.7 WAR (average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs), just on the shy side of league average. But there’s no one in the system ready to replace him, so absent some luck, simply acquiring equal production could cost either prospects or more than the $6.9 million (as estimated by MLB Trade Rumors) he’s expected to make in 2027. Evan Carter’s negligible offense is almost completely offset by stellar defense. Brandon Nimmo is extremely okay; mainly, he’s not Marcus Semien, who could very well be out of baseball by this time next year.
MacKenzie Gore did not become the pitcher worthy of a five-prospect trade, but he’ll provide 170+ so-so innings for $8-9 million. You’re not getting that in free agency. Wyatt Langford is solid but neither as good nor healthy as hoped. Corey Seager is still good but seems a lock to miss at least a quarter of the season, and his 2026 at the plate was his worst in eight years.
With Burger and others, addition by subtraction might not accomplish as much as hoped. We needn’t look far into the past for similar instances. I obviously approved of waving goodbye to Adolis Garcia, and the Semien trade made sense, but both were strong defenders in 2025, and their absence weakened Texas’s run prevention last year. One possibility is non-tendering Burger or executing a sign-and-trade, then shifting Jung to first and installing Duran at second and Sebastian Walcott at third (assuming he’s ready). That might work, but it creates the problem of leaving Duran’s critical 2026 role to someone likely inferior.
I am assuming under this scenario that budgetary constraints will be just as tight as 2026. This would involve arbitration (or pre-arb agreements) for almost everyone, because as I said, everyone has at least some value and would be less expensive than open-market acquisitions. So, if not O’Hoppe as second catcher, someone similarly priced or an NRI casting call. No full-time DH, which might be for the best regardless of money in order to give some injury-prone players quasi-rest days. A cavalcade of non-roster depth SP options who mostly take their opt-outs and are replaced by opt-outs from other clubs as the season progresses. Several one-and-done free-agent relievers.
Doesn’t exactly get the blood pumping, does it?
Go For Broke
This is tricky. The free-agent market isn’t strong, especially for hitters. Weak enough, in fact, that Joc Pederson’s $18.5mm mutual option is actually worthy of discussion. (This piece on available DHes will not make your day.) He was pretty good in 2026. He’s also about to be 35. Do you sign that check? As I said, I think Texas is better off using a rotation at DH, so maybe not Pederson per se, but you’re looking at players of that ilk. A final push likely means spending medium-to-large amounts on short-term deals, which usually means old folks and bounce-back candidates. A huge risk, ripe for obvious failure and derision. “Wow, the Rangers signed a bunch of broken down players and they stayed broken.”
The other acquisition path is trades. Every prospect but Walcott is on the block. Caden Scarborough. Yolfran Castillo. Last year’s top picks. All available for win-now players. This would leave an already ordinary system in tatters.
Three-fifths of the rotation is gone after 2027, and several others are approaching the end of their arbitration years, so this strategy is either a one-and-done followed by a tear-down or an obligation for continued profligate spending to keep the competitive window open. Maybe it works, and the Rangers are a squad others fear to face next October. Maybe.
Someone else could probably describe this situation more appealingly. Heck, maybe the Rangers sign Tarik Skubal the night before the lockdown. Regardless, the downside of this path sets the organization back for years, which is why I say a “middle path” isn’t negligence on management’s part. Deviating from it is hard.
Tear It Down
This is the path I offered in August if a larger budget isn’t forthcoming, regardless of whether Texas had advanced to the postseason. I did say a “strip-to-the-studs rebuild” wasn’t necessary, but no, let’s tear down the studs as well, maybe even pour a new foundation.
Inform deGrom, Eovaldi and Seager of the team’s direction and then get what’s gettable for them. Possibly keep Gore into the season because he’s still fairly cheap and the innings have to come from somewhere, but consummate at some point. Returns for these players aren’t going to be great and will depend on how much salary Texas is willing to absorb. Extend arbitration to (nearly) everyone, because (nearly) everyone has some value and won’t be too pricey. Then, explore deals on all those guys except for Duran. Attempt an extension on Duran, then ship him as well if one can’t be reached.
By season’s end if not April, that would result in a roster stuffed with the 2027 equivalents to Jarred Kelenic, Jonah Bride, Marco Gonzalez (gulp), etc. It could also mean wasting some of Walcott’s cheapest seasons, although a tear-down strategy almost certainly entails him spending enough time in AAA to delay his eventual free agency. Never in recent history have the Rangers been guilty of manipulating a player’s service time, but unless he displays Langford-like readiness next March, he needs to hang out with me in Round Rock for at least a month.
In the short run, the Rangers would be posting triple-digit losses, but they’ll have a rejuvenated farm and eventually a younger, more dynamic core ready to be augmented with premier free agents.
This all presumes that when the moment is right, Texas will resume spending like a big-market club as it did in the offseason preceding 2022. I’ve seen some articles suggesting Texas wants to be more than Milwaukee or Cleveland or Tampa Bay. Sure, great, whatever. But if this retrenchment includes a cynical feint to thriftiness for its own sake, why bother. May as well keep building 81-win teams and hope for the occasional 86.
Choose Your Own Adventure
I haven’t covered everything, and I’m sure you’ve thought of things I’ve neglected, but I think this lays out the three basic paths. Going for broke seems the least feasible. The money doesn’t appear to be there, and money might not be enough regardless. Even a lavishly funded 2027 could result in an AL version of the Mets. A rebuild makes more sense to me. A bunch of players are out the door soon, and it’s time to work on their replacements. The Rangers can briefly bide their time with the middle path, but change is coming.
Next Up
Trade reviews, fall ball, 40-man deadline preview, analysis of whatever the Rangers do between now and the lockout.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Sunday 20 September
The minor league season is never really over, just less active during portions of the year, but with Round Rock’s season coming to an end, today is the last of my daily reports. I expect to publish intermittent updates throughout the offseason per usual, maybe some thoughts at the conclusion of Texas’s regular season (which will be a pause, not an end, hopefully). Thank y’all for subscribing and reading, and thanks to all who’ve donated this season. I’ve provided donation links at the bottom in case anyone else gets the urge.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 2, Tacoma (SEA) 3
Round Rock: 8 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 73-77 overall, fifth place in ten-team league
First half: 31-44, 14 GB, last place
Second half: 42-33, 6 GB, 3rd place
SP Trey Supak: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 45 P / 30 S, 5.90 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.67 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.79 ERA
RP Ben Peoples: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 6.23 ERA
LF Cameron Cauley: 1-4, HR (16), .276/.366/.470
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4
DH Kyle Higashioka: 2-4, .261/.346/.435
1B Jonah Bride: 2-4, .279/.406/.410
Playing shortstop in his second AAA game, Sebastian Walcott scorched a couple of pitches, one for a groundout and another into right for a single. He took two bottom-of zone pitches for strikeouts. He also ran into an unusual out. On a run-and-hit, Walcott slid into second on Kyle Higashioka’s soft liner in front of LF Nolan Jones, but Walcott might have been fooled by Jones raising his glove in the air as if to catch it on the fly, or perhaps Walcott saw nothing and was simply unsure. In any case, he relinquished the base to run back to first, came to a halt when he realized his mistake and was tagged out.
Cam Cauley homered to center and missed another to the same spot by about five feet. He hit 16 homers between Round Rock and Texas after knocking 15 each of the previous two years.
In the 9th, a bad-hop grounder evaded 3B Keyber Rodriguez to plate the go-ahead runner from second. In the bottom half, Tacoma RF Connor Joe snared a tailing Jonah Bride liner for the final out of 2027; had it skipped past, pinch-runner Aaron Zavala would have scored from first.
Five Years Ago, The Rest
Low-A Down East would go on to lose the “Low A East” Championship in five games to Charleston. IF Thomas Saggese batted .333/.364/.619 with a double, triple and homer. Three of the five starting pitchers — Owen White, Mason Englert and Gavin Collyer — would eventually reach the Majors.
Round Rock split the final two games and then went 6-4 over the additional ten-game Final Stretch, a convoluted extra tier of competition that for practical purposes was just another ten games tacked the schedule. Texas promoted RHP Cole Winn, C Sam Huff and IF Davis Wendzel for these games. After a 4-for-5 performance from Josh Jung, I wrote: “I get him for five more home games in my backyard, and then you can watch him in Arlington in 2022. Opening Day, I’d wager.” Instead, Jung underwent shoulder surgery late in the offseason, didn’t return to Round Rock until August, and made his MLB debut in Texas’s 137th game.
Texas’s minor league players of the year were:
Tom Grieve Player: CIF Dustin Harris
Nolan Ryan Pitcher: RHP Cole Winn
Defender:MIF Luisangel Acuna
Reliever: RHP Nick Snyder
True Ranger: OF Bubba Thompson and IF Keyber Rodriguez
Texas protected IF Ezequiel Duran and pitchers Ronny Henriquez and Ricky Vanasco on the 40-man roster but exposed lefties Cole Ragans and Jacob Latz plus OF Bubba Thompson. I’d expected all to be selected, probably my worst success rate in all my years. I at least had the unselected players as the “bottom three” on my list. Because of a freeze on transactions, the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft would be postponed and eventually cancelled the next March. We might face a similar situation this winter.
The Rangers were 55-95, needing eight wins in the final 12 to avoid their first 100-loss season since 1973. They did not succeed. They signed Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray early in the offseason ahead of a shutdown. Manager Chris Woodward was extended trough 2023 with a 2024 option.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Saturday 19 September
Sebastian Walcott was promoted to AAA Sunday morning and debuted as the DH. That is the story more than the the game itself, in which accomplishments were limited. Against ex-Ranger Nolan Kingham, Walcott grounded medium-hard to third his first time up, then waved at two low-outside sliders for strikeouts. Later, he topped a grounder to third for an infield hit and took a five-pitch walk.
The takeaway? Baseball is hard, and even someone of Walcott’s caliber isn’t necessarily going to stroll into the Dell Diamond and lord over opposing pitchers. Kingham probably isn’t the best pitcher Walcott has faced in a real game this season, but he’s up there. As for Walcott’s future after today’s concluding game, who knows. I’ve always felt he would have been handled more aggressively if Arlington were in the cards, but I’m not certain, even today.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 6, Tacoma (SEA) 2
Round Rock: 13 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 42-32, 73-76 overall
SP Joe Ross: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 29 P / 18 S, 4.76 ERA
RP Josh Sborz: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.95 ERA
RP Alexis Diaz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.58 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.37 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.73 ERA
3B Cameron Cauley: 2-5, 2 2B, SB (39), .276/.367/.464
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, BB, SB (1)
LF Michael Helman: 3-5, 2B, .211/.297/.367
1B John Taylor: 2-4, SB (18), .249/.380/.390
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, 2 2B, 2 SB (11), .243/.311/.439
Winston Santos was scratched about 20 minutes before the start of the game, coinciding with Cal Quantrill’s injury removal. No word yet on whether Santos will actually replace him. Santos has been intermittently okay lately (sorry, that’s the best I can do). His primary qualifications are being 1) on the 40, and 2) fully rested. He’s evidently considered more trustworthy than Emiliano Teodo or Gavin Collyer, the other reasonably rested 40 members. Carter Baumler is in that group too, but he’s on injury rehab with the complication of his Rule 5 status. Just-purchased Michel Otanez suffered an injury without pitching and was IL’ed. Adam Macko took his place.
As for the game, the bullpen was terrific, both keeping the game well in control and preventing the aggravation of an undermanned staff on the final day of the season. Sunday was already intended as a bullpen day. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a transaction for a reinforcement.
The Express named Cauley the team’s MVP, and he played like it. Logan O’Hoppe was hitless but drilled two pitches well over 100 MPH into waiting gloves. Following Friday’s stout homer, John Taylor had the night’s hardest contact (107.4) for a single.
Round Rock is tied for the second-best second-half record and will finish with the second-best run differential (currently +31) barring something ridiculous.
Today’s Starter
AAA: Bullpen
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East won 5-2 on the last day of the regular season to finish 72-48 and advanced to the postseason when Salem lost 9-7 after blowing a 6-1 lead. Owen White tossed 7.2 innings with two runs, no walks and 11 strikeouts. Through seven, the only safe batter reached on an error. Over his final three starts, White walked two and struck out 33 in 18.2 innings.
Frisco suffered what I still consider the most painful regular-season loss in my 20 years on the beat. Needing a victory (or losses by two rivals that weren’t forthcoming) to advance to the postseason, Frisco recovered from an early 6-2 deficit and then scored three in the top of the 9th to take a 10-7 lead. Having already recorded four outs, Chase Lee’s attempt to lock down the win was thwarted by a three-homer by Ryder Jones. Diosbel Arias singled home David Wendzel to put Frisco back ahead in the 10th. In the bottom half, Daniel Robert took the mound on no rest for the first time in his career. (Frisco’s bullpen was perilously thin behind Lee and Robert.) Alas, the tank was empty, and the Poodles attacked his enervated stuff. A first-pitch double tied the game, and after a hit-by-pitch, Stone Garrett took Robert deep (again on the first pitch) to knock Frisco out.
Hickory didn’t play the finale or the two prior games because of threatening weather and a covid outbreak.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Friday 18 September
Frisco’s season is over. I’ll be on the call with Rylan Kobre tonight in Round Rock.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 5, Tacoma (SEA) 2
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 41-32, 72-76 overall
SP David Davalillo: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 57 P / 32 S, 5.09 ERA
RP Ben Peoples: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.87 ERA
RP Janser Lara: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.35 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
DH Kyle Higashioka: 1-3, BB, .238/.333/.429
2B John Taylor: 1-4, HR (8), .246/.378/.389
SS Frainyer Chavez: 2-3, SB (3), .293/.354/.341
For 2.1 innings, David Davalillo looked as good as I’ve seen him. By that I mean he could have dealt his pitches to Toronto hitters and made out just fine. The Rainers swung at six out-of-zone splitters and missed them all. Fastballs accounted for only a quarter of his pitches. He mesmerized Tacoma with bendy and trapdoor stuff.
Annnnnd then it all fell apart. He walked four of the next five batters and was pulled. I hate to see his season end that way, but at the same time, the season is probably ending at the right time for him. Rest, reset, start work toward 2027.
Taylor’s homer (107.1 MPH, 26 degrees, 424 feet) was recognizable instantly, a noisy burst of contact in a noist Friday-night park. In the 8th, Round Rock scored four after two out and none on, aided immensely by two full-count challenges that turned would-be strikeouts into walks. (In fairness to the ump, both pitches were barely wide.) 
AA: Frisco 7, Amarillo (ARI) 8
Frisco: 11 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Amarillo wins best-of-three 2-1, season over
SP Blake Townsend: 0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 24 P / 14 S
RP Leandro Lopez: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO
RP Ismael Agreda: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, 2 SB
RF Dylan Dreiling: 1-5, HR
2B Max Wagner: 2-5
1B Arturo Disla: 1-4, BB
3B Rafe Perich: 3-4, HR
This game was yesterday in reverse, with the exception of one team completing the comeback. I was fully on board with Blake Townsend returning to AA to pitch in the playoffs, and although most of the hits weren’t that hard, his stuff looked awfully inviting. Leandro Lopez produced a superficially strong line, but his first two results were a bases-loaded walk and two-run single (all runs charged to Townsend). 6-0 Amarillo before Frisco batted.
In the 3rd, singles by Paxton Kling and Max Wagner plus an Arturo Disla walk preceded a blast from Rafe Perich. Gleider Figuereo hit a sac fly in the 5th to reduced the margin to one.
Meanwhile, Ismael Agreda had a career night. Only once previously this season in any lengthy outing had he allowed zero runs, and his three baserunners were a season low. Last night was only his second AA appearance, and the first resulted in seven runs in three innings. Agreda is highly doubtful to make the 40, in my opinion, because he’s just too inconsistent to stick on an MLB roster, but he is worth some attention.
In the 9th, Amarillo scored two insurance runs off Bryan Magdaleno that would prove fatal. Instead of ending the game, Dylan Dreiling’s homer after a Sebastian Walcott only cut the deficit to one. Max Wagner’s poke off the end of the bat died just short of the track for the second out, and Arturo Disla struck out.
Both Perich and Kling batted .417 with a homer. Malcolm Moore had a funky .500/.800/.500 line with five walks and an HBP. Walcott was .364/.533/.636 with a homer and four steals. Dylan Dreiling had a rough series outside that homer: eight strikeouts in 15 other plate appearance plus a missed catch in right. Because of the Townsend and Agreda outings, Frisco ended up with a higher ERA amongst the starters than relievers, but in any case, the late-season issues of a makeshift rotation and thin pen really came to bear in the series. Still, a fun, engaging season, more so than I was expecting at the outset, to be honest.
Like Charleston in the series against Hickory, Amarillo always had something to say at the right time. Six Sod Poodles posted an OPS in excess of 1.000. They’ll face St. Louis-affiliated Springfield Cardinals, who knocked off Tulsa, the class of the league, in two straight.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco defeated Amarillo 5-3, trailing 3-2 in the 8th but scored two on a bevy of Poodle mistakes and adding another in the 9th. Frisco held a half-game lead for the final playoff spot. Ronny Henriquez had a Henriquez-y start: no walks, seven strikeouts and two homers in 5.1. Daniel Robert covered the last two innings.
Down East fell to Charleston 6-0 and would need a win plus a Salem loss on the season’s final day to reach the playoffs. Starter Nick Krauth (5 IP, 4 R) was the only Texas minor league to reach 100 innings in a season abbreviated to 120 games.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Thursday 17 September
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 9, Tacoma (SEA) 3
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 40-32, , 71-76 overall
SP Dalton Pence: 4 IP, 2 H (2 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 84 P / 50 S, 2.09 ERA
RP Joe Ross: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.91 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.79 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 2-5, HR (15), SB (37), .275/.368/.462
DH Kyle Higashioka: 3-5, HR (2), .231/.318/.436
2B Frainyer Chavez: 2-3, 2B, BB, .263/.333/.316
For the 29th consecutive season, Texas’s AAA squad will not finish ten or more games under .500. That’s the longest steak in baseball, followed by the Yankees with 24, Pirates (!) with 22, and the Brewers and Athletics with 11. It’s a weird stat, I admit, but to me it signifies putting a reasonably competitive team on the field year after year.
Dalton Pence had a so-so finale. The slider looked as good as I’ve seen in person, generating a bunch of calls and avoiding damage. Pence is known for a rising fastball, but I’ve noticed a high induced vertical break on everything he throws. For example, the average break on his slider was ten inches, in line with some pitchers’ fastballs. One in particular unexpectedly zipped over the bat of slugger Patrick Wisdom for a third strike. Wisdom gained revenge later with a moonshot homer. Pence walked three consecutive batters in a 32-pitch 4th and was done. Pence is a deserving organization pitcher of the year, but his dwindling ratio of strikeouts to combined walks and hit batters is something I’ll be watching in 2027:
Hi-A: 3.8
AA: 2.5
AAA: 1.4
Higgy looked great at the plate. He’s still not catching, though.
AA Semifinals: Frisco 7, Amarillo (ARI) 12
Frisco: 9 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 10 walks, 8 strikeouts
Best-of-three tied 1-1
SP Cole Stasio: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 56 P / 36 S
RP Austin Roberts: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 SO
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, HR, BB, SB
1B Arturo Disla: 1-3, 2 BB
C Malcolm Moore: 2-3, 2 BB
2B Max Wagner: 1-3, 2B, BB
Frisco losing the David Hagaman start wasn’t a shock, but the manner of the loss was. Hagaman suffered his worst start of the year, walking three (Walcott, Perich, Disla) in front of two hits (Figuereo, Moore) and leaving down 3-0 after 30 pitches. Two more would score on a Max Wagner double. Frisco led 5-0, had chased Amarillo’s best pitcher and could feast on the dubious bullpen. Walcott hit a solo homer in the 2nd to stretch the lead to six. I was half-expecting Amarillo to eventually match those six runs, but I assumed Frisco would keep scoring as well.
That assumption proved false. In particular, Amarillo received four scoreless from Brian Curley, last year’s third-rounder and one of several “promising but lacking results” types on the Poodle roster. Frisco was limited to five singles after the Walcott homer and plated just one more on a game-tying Paxton Kling knock in the 7th.
Cole Stasio was solid through three, allowing only a solo homer by Alberto Barriga. Stasio wasn’t efficient and had exceeded three innings only once this season, but in the moment, I wondered about trying to squeeze at least another out or two from him, if not a full frame.
Instead, top reliever Austin Roberts appeared early again to prevent Amarillo from getting any ideas. Unfortunately, Roberts was shaky, as was the defense with one exception*. Roberts walked two, a liner sneaked under RF Dylan Dreiling’s glove for a double, and 1B Arturo Disla couldn’t corral a wide throw from 2B Max Wagner (ruled an error on Disla but definitely a team effort). Roberts was pulled after 20 pitches, nine for strikes. Erratic though he was, I worried about leaving so many innings to others. On five previous occasions, Roberts had thrown more than 20 pitches on one day’s rest, although most of the front-end outings involved fewer than the 31 pitches he threw Tuesday. Getting a total of 11 outs from Stasio and Roberts would turn out to be critical.
Against Joey Danielson, Jean Walters fouled off four two-strike fastballs and ignored a slider in the dirt before punching a breaker through the hole for a single. Frisco led 6-3. Kai Wynyard took over in the 5th and surrendered a leadoff homer. After two outs (both beginning with 3-0 counts), a single, walk and wild pitch, Brock Porter came on and ran the count to 3-1 before retiring Danny Serretti. 6-4 Frisco.
The 6th was a mess. Porter missed on 20 of 31 pitches, Amarilllo took a 7-6 lead on Jones’ two-run single, and replacement Zach Bryant walked another before fanning Serretti on a full count. Bryant was sharp in a brisk 7th, and Frisco tied the game after the stretch, but trouble returned in the 8th. Wily Villar entered with two out and two on, walked the bases full and yielded a clearing double to Serretti. A single and homer off Villar in the 9th widened the margin.
Frisco’s bullpen threw 180 pitches in six innings, issued nine walks and reached three-ball counts to eight other batters. Danielson, Porter, Bryant and Villar all entered with two outs and runners at first and second.
The good news is Josh Trentadue, Leandro Lopez and Bryan Magdaleno, three of Frisco’s four most effective relievers, didn’t pitch and will be on two days rest tonight, as will Jonathan Brand, the relief hero of Game 1. Neither team has announced a starter. I assumed Blake Townsend would start since he was assigned to Frisco from Round Rock on Tuesday, but Ismael Agreda was also activated fro the development list. Reliever J’Briell Easley is the only other Rider yet to appear.
* (The “one exception” was a nice nab of speedy Druw Jones by Malcolm Moore on a stolen base attempt. I’m 90% sure Jones was safe, but still, Moore did well to snare a low/outside pitch and deliver on point to second.)
Other News
Baseball America’s list of ten “sleeper AL prospect to watch in 2027” included two Rangers, infielders Rafe Perich and Pablo Guerrero. Guerrero was terrific (.331/.455/.567) but missed all but 37 games to knee trouble, and I wasn’t sure want to think of that short sample in comparison to a longer and much rougher 2025, but the article points out a trifecta of high exit velocities, good swing decisions and steady contact on swings. Another nae to watch in ’27.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Davalillo
AA: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco lost 6-1 to Amarillo but maintained a half-game lead for the final playoff spot because every rival lost as well. High-A Hickory snapped a 16-game losing streak. Low-A Down East defeated Charleston again behind six scoreless with eight strikeouts from Mason Englert plus a double, single and HBP from DH Thomas Saggese.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Wednesday 16 September
Report Card
Baseball America bestowed season grades on all the farm systems based on system rank, graduations, breakouts, disappointments, injuries and key additions. Before looking, I gave Texas a C+. BA thinks I’m too generous, giving the Rangers a C-, above only three other teams and tied with two others.
That strikes me as a bit harsh, particularly since BA upped Texas’s farm ranking from 24th to 20th in a midseason update. Certainly, the most frustrating aspect is several upper-level pitchers exiting 2026 with the same questions and uncertainties as before (Teodo, Corniell, Santos). Also high on the list are the injuries to Caden Scarborough and Izack Tiger. On the other hand, Sebastian Walcott has played more and better than I expected. Guys like Josh Owens, Seong-jun Kim, Yolfran Castillo, Dylan Dreiling, Rafe Perich, Malcolm Moore, AJ Russell, Dalton Pence and Hector Osorio are better-positioned now than six months ago. I don’t think 2026 has been great, but I feel better about the system now than prior to Spring Training.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 5, Tacoma (SEA) 6
Round Rock: 8 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 39-32, 70-76 overall, eliminated
SP Anthony Veneziano: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 84 P / 52 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Carter Baumler: 2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.42 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
2B Cameron Cauley: 1-3, BB, SB (36), .273/.367/.455
DH Kyle Higashioka: 1-4, HR (1), .176/.282/.324
Carter Baumler has been a little walk-prone but otherwise solid overall in seven rehab appearances. His rehab began on the 30th of August, so it could run to the conclusion of Round Rock’s season on Sunday. Beyond that, I’m hesitant to say. Remember, as a Rule 5 pick, Baumler can’t be optioned.
Kyle Higashioka hit his first rehab homer. He’s played eight games, none behind the plate. Higgy has outhit Danny Jansen in Texas (a low bar to clear) and is a power threat against lefties, but if he can’t catch, he’s not of much use to the Rangers. He could DH against lefties (with Foscue at second), but against righties he’s what, a second right-handed bench bat after Foscue? Plus, Elias Diaz has been a better version of what Higgy provides against lefties.
Oklahoma City clinched the second-half title last night and will face Las Vegas. Round Rock cannot finish at .500 or better.
AA: off
Frisco hosts Amarillo tonight in Game 2 of the Texas League semis. Cole Stasio will start for the Riders. Amarillo is sending ex-Ranger David Hagaman to the mound.
If you’re at the Express game tonight and see a goofball in Section 119 with a laptop and headset and coffee mug (despite the hot weather), one eye on Dalton Pence, the other on the Riders, and ears absorbing the Texas radio feed, that would be me, come say hi.
Elsewhere
The Texas Rangers are tied for first place in the AL West.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Pence
AA: Stasio
Five Years Ago Yesterday
I got my days mixed up yesterday, accidentally reporting Frisco’s win on the 14th. On the 15th, the Riders were swept in a doubleheader at Amarillo to fall out of second place and the final playoff spot. Frisco scored four in the 1st and a total of seven through the 3rd, but Amarillo pinned back-to-back fours on Cody Bradford to take the lead. Blaine Crim pushed Frisco back ahead with a two-run homer, and on came Chase Lee, drafted only two months prior, for a two-inning save. The first inning went to plan, but a single-double-single sequence brought in the tying and winning runs for the Sod Poodles. In the nightcap, Frisco couldn’t plate any of 12 runners in a 3-0 loss.
On the 16th, Frisco defeated Amarillo 4-1 while every competitor lost, regaining the second and final playoff spot with three games to play. JP Martinez hit a grand slam, and Cole Winn tossed three scoreless with five strikeouts. Meanwhile, Down East defeated a fantastic Charleston club 6-5 to claim a tie for the second-best record but not the second postseason spot because the tiebreaker favored Salem. DH Luisangel Acuna was 2-3 with a walk. High-A Hickory lost a 16th-straight game. A scheduled doubleheader after the previous day’s rain was reduced to one ordinary game. The final week of the season at Rome was pretty grim.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Tuesday 15 September
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 9, Tacoma (SEA) 2
Round Rock: 9 hits, 9 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 39-31, 70-75 overall, eliminated
SP Michel Otañez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 29 P / 21 S, 4.42 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.20 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.75 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.00 ERA
C Logan O’Hoppe: 2-4, 2B, BB, .303/.398/.566
DH Kyle Higashioka: 0-5
2B John Taylor: 2-4, 2B, BB, .247/.381/.381
CF Michael Helman: 2-4, HR (6), .207/.296/.370
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .267/.353/.431
A very successful bullpen night. Round Rock hasn’t announced a Sunday starter but has Anthony Veneziano, Dalton Pence, David Davalillo and Winston Santos lined up for the next four days.
Michael Helman made his first appearance since mid-June, when an errant pitch broke his hand. Kyle Higashioka is hitting .167/.286/.233 in seven games solely as a DH. He did miss a stretch in the middle of last week, but I don’t recall his rehab assignment being stopped and restarted, so I believe it will reach its limit the Thursday before Texas’s final regular-season game.
AA Semifinals: Frisco 8, at Amarillo (ARI) 7 (10)
Frisco: 11 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 9 walks, 12 strikeouts
Frisco leads best-of-three 1-0
SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 62 P / 43 S
RP Austin Roberts: 1.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
RP Leandro Lopez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO
RP Jonathan Brand: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
SS Sebastian Walcott: 0-2, 3 BB, SB
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, 2 BB
DH Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, HR
C Malcolm Moore: 0-1, 3 BB, HBP
CF Paxton Kling: 3-4, 2B, HR, HBP
This was one of the craziest games I’ve ever watched. Baseball has no clock, but I don’t think either team won or lost so much as the clock just expired with Frisco ahead. The Riders used their best starter and all four of their best relievers but would have lost had the wind been blowing out two MPH harder in the bottom of the 10th. I rarely write traditional game summaries and don’t go looking for narratives, but Frisco has a dark history in Amarillo (just keeping reading the the Five Years Ago segments) that nagged me in the late innings.
Frisco jumped to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd on a solo shot by Gleider Figuereo and two-run blast by Paxton Kling. Frisco’s goal of outslugging the competition had started well. In the 4th, Malcolm Moore reached on an error and would score on a Max Wagner single that followed a Paxton Kling double. A chance for more was squandered when Kling hesitated from third on a grounder and was tagged at the plate. Still, Frisco chased starter Junior Sanchez that inning to reach the shaky bullpen. Amarillo turned to quasi-closer Alfred Morillo for his earliest appearance of the season, and he retired two batters.
A solo homer by 1B Ben McLaughlin and a couple of other hits chipped Frisco’s lead to two after four, and Aidan Curry was done. Curry had tossed an inning Saturday and was presumably on a pitch diet. Like Amarillo, Frisco turned to a late-inning arm in the form of Austin Roberts, but he surrendered a solo homer to Avery Osuwu-Aniedu, who had hit far, far better in AA than high-A and would seem due for a crash, but he doesn’t care. (Incidentally, MiLB pitcher usage in the regular season can be static and boring at times, so I greatly appreciate that both managers have leeway to employ MLB-level tactics in this series.)
Up 4-3 in the 7th, Frisco squandered a chance when Sebastian Walcott walked and stole second but was then nabbed easily attempting to steal third with none out. Walcott, still acclimating to the field, would be replaced by Luke Hanson in the 8th.
Frisco plated three in the 8th with help from the hosts. After a Figuereo single, both Moore and Kling were hit by pitches. LF Angel Ortiz’s hesitant read on Marcus Lee Sang’s sharp oppo liner resulted in a two-run double, and Rafe Perich singled home another. The Riders returned all favors in the bottom half. Leandro Lopez was removed after a leadoff walk, and Bryan Magdaleno would yield three runs on a single, wild pitch, walk, a Perich error on an easy grounder, another walk and sac fly. (Kling thought his catch of that fly was the third out, but the runner would have scored regardless.) Kai Wynward, long in the system but not especially effective at high-A Hub City, fanned Danny Serretti for the final out.
In the 9th, Frisco had runners at second and third, but Amarillo shortstop Cristofer Torin kept two runs off the board by snaring a scorched Wagner liner and doubling off the lead runner Moore. In the bottom half, Torin walked to lead off. With one out, Josh Trentadue replaced Wynyard but surrendered a walk and game-tying single. After another walk to load the bases, Trentadue’s 3-2 fastball caught three microns of the bottom edge of the zone for the second out. Jonathan Brand replaced him and sent the game to extras with another K.
Amarillo turned to closer Carlos Rey in the 10th. Rey is exceptionally hard to hit but hideously wild (59 walks or hit batters in 54.2 IP), and after a Luke Hanson bunt single, Rey’s pitch to the backstop brought gift-runner Max Wagner home from third.
Brand stayed on in the bottom of the 10th. After an Amarillo sac bunt, Frisco chose to walk Serretti to face Torin and Owusu-Aniedu. That brought a favorable platoon advantage for Brand at the great expense of putting the winning run on first for free. Torin flied out too shallow for the runner on third to try for home. Owusu-Aniedu then lofted a 3-2 pitch to right that looked easy off the bat but quickly terrifying as it cut through the thin air. Dylan Dreiling caught the ball comfortably but a mere step from the fence.
Dreiling was 0-6 with five strikeouts, only the second Texas minor league to don the platinum visor in 2026. Dreiling manned CF for the first 101 of 104 starts in the field in Frisco, but since Kling joined the squad a week ago, Dreiling hasn’t started there once.
A correction: Somehow I got the idea in my head that Frisco would play two of a potential three games of the series on the road. Last night was in Amarillo, and the teams will head to Frisco for one or two games.
Elsewhere
Charleston (TAM), victorious over a tremendous Hickory squad in the Carolina League semifinals, fell in two straight to Fayetteville (HOU) in the finals. Winston-Salem (CHW), division mate of Hub City, won the high-A South Atlantic League title with series victories over Bowling Green (TAM) and Greensboro (PIT).
Today’s Starters
AAA: Veneziano
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco defeated Amarillo 14-6 to maintain a half-game lead for the final playoff spot in the Texas League with six to play. Daniel Robert fanned three in 1.1 scoreless innings. Justin Foscue, Josh Smith, Sam Huff and Bubba Thompson were major contributors on offense.
Luisangel Acuna hit a walk-off grand slam for low-A Down East.
Playoff Preview: Frisco vs. Amarillo
Arizona Fall League Participants
RHP Alejandro Chiquillo
RHP J’Briell Easley
RHP Jesus Gamez
RHP Jacob Johnson
RHP Mason McConnaughey
C Julian Brock
IF Casey Cook
OF Paxton Kling
This group doesn’t match last year’s (Walcott [briefly], Dreiling, Moore, Corniell, Santos, Teodo), but there are several names of interest. No player has even been more of a lock to play in the AFL than Kling, who’s 23, missed seven weeks to a broken hand and received a late promotion to AA. 2025 3rd-rounder Casey Cook missed even more time this year and has badly struggled with the bat in high-A. Easley reached AA at the season’s tail end while the other pitchers are mostly from low-A, and most were either limited by injury and/or restrictive workloads during 2026.
Award Winners
The Rangers announced their 2026 minor league winners yesterday:
Player – IF Rafe Perich
Pitcher– LHP Dalton Pence
Reliever – LHP Louis Marinaro
Defender– IF Yolfran Castillo
True Ranger – RHP Evan Siary
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: AA TEXAS LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
Frisco RoughRiders (73-64) vs. Arizona-affiliated Amarillo Sod Poodles (77-60)
Season Run Differential: Frisco +74, Amarillo +31
Last 20 Games: Frisco 10-10, Amarillo 15-5
Season Series: Tied 9-9, three series splits
How They Got Here
In the second half, Amarillo was tied for last with a 13-14 record but grabbed a permanent share or outright division lead just a week later. The Poodles* were 29-13 after late July.
In the first half, Frisco was 21-21 and 2.5 back on May 22nd but finished 18-8, taking the division lead outright on the 6th and never facing a serious challenge thereafter. The Riders peaked at 54-39 overall in late July and were 19-25 over the final seven weeks.
History
Frisco has been a Texas affiliate since inception in 2003, winning league titles in 2004 and 2022 and reaching the finals three other times.
Amarillo was created in 2019 when the Elmore Group moved short-A Helena to Colorado Springs, AAA Colorado Springs to San Antonio, and AA San Antonio to a new stadium in the Panhandle. I was nearby on business last week and asked three people who’d owned and worked their land for decades whether they ever used or even heard the term “sod poodle” as a synonym for prairie dog, and all said no. In any case, the Poodles have reached the postseason in four of seven years and won titles in 2019 and 2023. Frisco and Amarillo have never met in the playoffs.
Top 30 Prospects Per MLB.com
Frisco:
#1: IF Sebastian Walcott
#6: C Malcolm Moore
#13: OF Dylan Dreiling
#19: 3B Rafe Perich
#20: OF Paxton Kling
#27: RHP Leandro Lopez
Amarillo:
#4: RHP David Hagaman
#5: C Carlos Virahonda
#10: IF Jansel Luis
#15: Wellington Aracena
#16: C Alberto Barriga
#17: IF Cristofer Torin
#20: RHP Brian Curley
#23: OF Druw Jones
#26: RHP Mason Marriott
#28: RHP Junior Sanchez
Offense / Possible Position Players
Frisco: +10% runs scored vs. park-adjusted league average (+4% in 2nd half), 109 OPS+ (108 in 2nd half)
Amarillo: -1% runs scored (+1% in 2nd half), 98 OPS+ (96 in 2nd half)
Frisco lineup:
C Malcolm Moore / Ian Moller
1B Arturo Disla
2B Max Wagner
3B Rafe Perich
SS Sebastian Walcott
LF Yeison Morrobel
CF Dylan Dreiling
RF Marcus Lee Sang
Also 1/2/3 Gleider Figuereo, OF Paxton Kling, IF Luke Hanson
Most of the players listed weren’t here when the season began. The initial group was older but they sure could hit, scoring 6.3 runs per game in the first half. Over the months, the team has gained several interesting prospects but lost some runs, hitting more homers but shedding a full walk per game. The promotions of John Taylor, Keyber Rodriguez, Orlando Martinez and Frainyer Chavez have hurt a little.
Regardless, Frisco’s overall success is predicated on outslugging the opposition. That 10-8 win in the regular-season finale is the type we might well see in this series. The Riders lead the league in hits and doubles and are third in homers on a park-adjusted basis. Sebastian Walcott has been a terror since returning from elbow surgery. Dylan Dreiling has hit better in the second half, and the additions of Rafe Perich and Yeison Morrobel have helped. Luke Hanson hasn’t hit well since joining in late August (.125/.203/.172), but that might not matter if Walcott can continue to play the field as he did Sunday. Frisco hasn’t participated in the huge league-wide increase in steals but hasn’t needed to. It’s a group designed to put crooked numbers on the board.
Amarillo’s offense is just okay. As a group, they have ordinary power (adjusted for park) and don’t walk much, but they’re tough to strike out. Best are 3B Danny Serretti (.272/.418/.510, 14 HR, 126 OPS+) and COF/DH Angel Ortiz (.271/.34/.503, 13 HR, 103 PS+). SS Cristofer Torin (.281/.344/.440, 94 OPS+) has been on fire of late. 2022 #2-overall pick Druw Jones hit .271/.361/.374 (81 OPS+). Relative newcomer OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu batted .328/.423/.776 in 30 games; the power is legit but that showing vastly exceeds any other results. The Poodles run more often than Frisco but stealing isn’t a significant part of the attack.
Pitching / Possible Rotation
Frisco run prevention: Dead-even in runs allowed (6% worse in 2nd half), 101 opposing OPS+ (103 in 2nd half)
Amarillo: 5% better than average in runs allowed (+8% in 2nd half), 101 opposing OPS+ (100 in 2nd half)
The Riders haven’t had what you’d consider a rotation for a while. 13 different starters appeared in the final 30 games and averaged fewer than four innings.
Erratic though he is, Aidan Curry (5.82 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 29% SO) is Frisco’s best bet to put forth a dominant start, and he’ll lead off tonight. His peripherals are actually quite good, but a tendency to allow runners in bunches has led to an inflated ERA. Undrafted Cole Stasio (5.11 ERA, 12% BB+HBP, 30% SO) has the second-best second-half ERA (4.98) of the usual starters. This morning, Texas transferred Blake Townsend (5.06 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 19% SO) from Round Rock, where he’d held up well against tougher hitters. Here’s what I’d written about other potential starters prior to this move: Nobody else with at least three starts has an ERA below 6.51 or encouraging peripheral stats, and other starters are either very green for the level or true relievers who could provide two innings at most.
As for the bullpen, Austin Roberts has been the best second-half option. Used in two-inning bursts of the IL, Leandro Lopez has rediscovered the control that earned a 40 spot last fall. Bryan Magdaleno is effective if walk-prone. Beyond them, we have a collection with second-half ERAs of 4.67 or higher and opposing OPSs of 108 or higher. Joey Danielson, Brock Porter, Zach Bryant, Jonathan Brand and the others can be successful on any given night, but counting on two or three of them to keep runs off the board isn’t wise.
On a basic level, Amarillo’s pitching is superior to Frisco’s. They allowed 37 fewer runs during the second half in a much tougher park. But once I looked deeper, I saw much less division, plus Amarillo’s superior fielding is partly responsible for Amarillo’s run-prevention advantage.
Ex-Ranger David Hagaman (3.22 ERA, 9 BB, 36 SO in 30 IP) might start Game 2. Everyone else lacks appeal; all are quite homer-prone with a season-long ERA of at least 5.23 plus 6.70 or higher over the last month. Marriott (who started Sunday), Curley and Sanchez (tonight’s starter) are in the top 30, but actual results are lacking.
Carlos Rey (3.79 ERA, 24% BB+HBP, 36% SO) and Alfred Morillo (5.90 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 23% SO) have shared most save opportunities. Rey is tough to hit but extremely walk-prone, while Morillo has broader difficulty keeping runners off the bases. Antonio Menendez has been better than both at this level but hit the IL two days ago. Beyond them, the choices range from adequate to worrisome.
Defense
Texas’s farm clubs tend to rate well defensively, but Frisco has been an exception, mainly experiencing some difficulty turning double plays and batted balls into outs. Amarillo has been among the league’s best in those respects.
Advantages
Hitting – Frisco
Pitching – Even
Defense – Amarillo
Park Factor
Frisco’s park plays close to neutral. Amarillo’s stadium is the Coors of the Texas League.
Outlook
If you made me put $100 on the series, I’d be very upset. What did I ever do to you? Anyway, my original conclusion was “Amarillo. They’ve played better lately and have two possible games at home, plus Hagaman is the best pitcher on either roster. Close call, though.”
On further review, an even closer call. Amarillo’s run differential doesn’t support their record, and the underlying peripherals don’t support the run differential. I’ve got them as a sub-.500 club in terms of play-by-play data. Frisco’s 73-64 record isn’t spectacular, but at least it’s honest.
I really don’t have a good feel for the result, but I’ll erase the part about Amarillo being better lately and keep the rest. Hagaman plus up to two home games makes the case for the Poodles.
Post-email note: I screwed up which team had two games at home. Not that it matters, but I’ll switch my pick to Frisco.
* The accepted shorthand for Sod Poodles is Soddies, just as the Down East Wood Ducks were the Woodies, but if you’ve got “Poodles” in your name, I’m calling you the Poodles.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Sunday 13 September
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 9, at Salt Lake (LAA) 6
Round Rock: 15 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 38-31, 69-75 overall, eliminated
SP Winston Santos: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 56 P / 36 S, 6.15 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.70 ERA
RP John King: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
DH Kyle Higashioka: 1-5, BB
1B Jonah Bride: 3-4, 2B, BB, .278/.404/.413
RF Aaron Zavala: 4-5, 2B, HR (11), .266/.349/.428
CF Orlando Martinez: 2-3, BB, 3 SB (9), .280/.350/.408
Three consecutive eight-pitch plate appearances resulting in just one out forced an early exit for Winston Santos. Salt Lake had seven two-strike fouls in that span. Emiliano Teodo induced five swinging strikes on six attempts at his slider.
The Express took five of six from the lowly Bees and will conclude the season at home against Tacoma.
AA: Frisco 10, at Wichita (MIN) 8
Frisco: 14 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 17 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
REGULAR SEASON OVER
Overall: 73-64, +74 run differential
First half: 39-29, 3 G up, division champion
Second half: 34-35, 7 GB, 2nd place
SP Thomas Ireland: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 78 P / 52 S, 8.07 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, .322/.398/.586
DH Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, .312/.380/.516
1B Arturo Disla: 2-5, HR (19), .288/.361/.519
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .343/.400/.600
LF Marcus Lee Sang: 4-5, 2B, HR (16), SB (16), .307/.374/.479
Frisco concluded the regular season with a typically high-scoring affair. Wichita scored in seven of nine innings but lost.
In his first game in the field, Sebastian Walcott handled three grounders without issue.
Among league hitters playing at least half the schedule, Rafe Perich (.321), Dylan Dreiling (.312) and Marcus Lee Sang (.307) ranked second, third and fourth in batting average, respectively. Perich was fourth with a .405 OBP and second with a .576 slugging percentage. Perich will lead the organization in homers with 27, followed by Disla with 25 and Dreiling with 22.
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock’s Tyson Miller threw 69 pitches in his first two innings. Not until the 35th and final pitch of the 1st was a ball put in play, and the 2nd had no balls in play until his 25th pitch. I was there. It was awful.
The other teams were off. Frisco, clinging to a playoff spot, headed to Amarillo for a season-concluding series. (Jaws theme begins.)
Ten years ago, Bakersfield’s seven decades of affiliated minor league ball ended with a loss to Visalia. Texas-affiliated High Desert knocked off Houston-affiliated Lancaster to reach the league finals. Lancaster starter Jose Urquidy was brilliant through seven, but the Mavericks scored six against the bullpen.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Saturday 12 September
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 13, at Salt Lake (LAA) 0
Round Rock: 15 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 37-31, 68-75 overall, eliminated
SP David Davalillo: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 66 P / 45 S, 5.17 ERA
RP Carter Baumler: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.84 ERA
RP Josh Sborz: 1.1 IP, 0 H (2 HR), 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.41 ERA
RP Michel Otañez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.58 ERA
DH Kyle Higashioka: 1-4, 2B, 2 BB
2B John Taylor: 2-5, 2B, BB, .245/.379/.383
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 3B, BB, .231/.298/.431
LF Trevor Hauver: 3-5, HR (8), .258/.358/.364
Hello, David Davalillo. Five scoreless, two free passes, six strikeouts. 12 missed bats, including at least one on five different pitch types. A 57% chase rate with the splitter, and four misses on eight swings. His overall 5.17 ERA in AAA has no bearing on reality, because he’s always been significantly worse or better than that mark. Since returning to the level, the ERA is 3.67 with a combined seven walks and hit batters in 34.1 innings.
Round Rock scored six in the 1st off LAA’s Brett Kerry, who made his MLB debut this year and has 13 successful innings to his credit but has spent most of the past four years getting hammered in AAA (7.19 ERA in 324 IP).
Texas optioned Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Macko back to AAA. O’Hoppe batted .353/.333/.412 in ten games as DH/PH and one (1) inning at catcher. Maybe he’ll return if Joc Pederson has to be shelved, or possibly Kyle Higashioka, who has five appearances on rehab, all at DH. 1B Alejandro Osuna was also pulled mid-game last night.
Round Rock was officially eliminated from playoff contention with OKC’s 14th consecutive win. The Comets will clinch the second-half title with a win today.
AA: Frisco 1, at Wichita (MIN) 5
Frisco: 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 33-35, 72-64 overall, first-half champion
SP Aidan Curry: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 27 P / 12 S, 5.82 ERA
RP D.J. McCarty: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 6.51 ERA
RP Leandro Lopez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 5.81 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.65 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, HR (18), .287/.361/.512
Aidan Curry began with two walks on 13 pitches. (Sigh, get a reliever warming.) Wichita’s Brandon Winokur did Curry a favor by popping up the first pitch he saw, and Curry did complete the inning but no more. Given Frisco’s patchwork rotation, Curry might have been pulled so he can start one of the first two playoff games.
Saturday’s inning might be his last for the organization aside from these upcoming playoffs. We’ll see. I’ve written about him as a possible 40 addition to prevent him from becoming a free agent. I have mixed feelings. Sometimes he looks like he could pitch in the bigs, sometimes he looks like he did last night. He needed six years to reach AA and has a 5.55 ERA there and above, although his peripherals stats are much better. He turned 24 last month and is the type who might finally figure it out, but not until he’s 28 and in a different organization. 2026 is very light on potential picks, so in that respect, Texas has room to make a more speculative “yes” decision on Curry.
Leandro Lopez was wild but ultimately effective, while Josh Trentadue was simply effective.
The regular season ends today. Sebastian Walcott is the starting shortstop.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
AA: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock’s Josh Jung homered twice to improve to .265/.375/.559. Down East’s Owen White fanned ten in six innings after his 12-K outing the prior week. With arm surgery, covid and a self-inflicted broken hand, White had thrown all of 27 innings deep into his fourth professional season.