Month: March 2023

The minor league season begins at 700pm CDT in Round Rock. The weekend rotation will be Cole Winn, Cody Bradford, and newly acquired Robert Dugger.
Minor League Roster Assignments

We’ll see some changes before tonight and next week’s commencement of AA and the A levels. For example, the Express have 31 players listed on a 28-man roster. That doesn’t mean three players have been assigned to AAA only to be cut two days later, but not all will be active tonight.

Red = new to the level, bold = on 40-man roster, numbers in parentheses = prospect ranking at MLB.com

AAA — ROUND ROCK EXPRESS
Location: Round Rock, Texas
Stadium: Dell Diamond (opened 2000)
Affiliate since: 2021 (also 2011-2018)

Pitchers
Grant Anderson
Joe Barlow
Jacob Barnes
Cody Bradford (27)
Kyle Cody
Robert Dugger
Bernardo Flores
Lucas Jacobsen
Zach Kent (22)
John King
Jake Latz
Chase Lee
Dominic Leone
Zack Littell
Fern Ozuna
Daniel Robert
Yerry RodriguezCole Winn (14)

The rotation has three top-30 prospects topped by Winn, who’ll try to rebound from a semi-lost 2022. Any of four homegrown relievers (Anderson, Jacobsen, Lee, Robert… and maybe Ozuna as a fifth) has a shot at an Arlington debut, and four more (Barlow, Cody, King, Rodriguez on his last option) are looking to get back. The nature of relief pitching in the 2020s insists that a decent number of these pitchers will log some innings with the Rangers. It’s just a question of who’s hot and giving the appearance of consistency at the particular time of need. I’m stretched to find six starting pitchers in this group, but we’ll see. Sometimes, Texas’s AAA and AA squads would shift to a five-man rotation, but in general the weekly six-on, one-off schedule fosters a six-man rotation.

Catchers
Sam Huff
Sandy Leon
Matt Whatley

At some point, Texas will probably need a third catcher or injury replacement. Whether the Rangers call up Huff (already on the 40, on his final option) or the more experienced Leon may provide some insight into Huff’s future with the club. Matt Whatley hasn’t hit enough to warrant a Major League debut but is well-regarded within the organization.

Infielders
Diosbel Arias
Blaine Crim
Justin Foscue (7)
Jonathan Ornelas (18)
Yoshi Tsutsugo
Davis Wendzel

On any given night, the right-to-left infield could be the quartet of Crim, Foscue, Ornelas, and Wendzel. None is banging on the MLB door as of Opening Day, not that the Rangers have a spot for them in any case. They and several other prospects are in the quirky situation of finding a home in Arlington only if they don’t develop into everyday players. If they do, they’re blocked and become trade chips (excepting a move to the outfield, a major injury to a current Texas infielder, or something unfortunate like Jung failing to maintain his spot). Positional flexibility contributes to their possibility of actually playing for the Rangers. That especially favors Ornelas, who can play just about anywhere, and Wendzel, who can handle short. Foscue spotted at third last year (his most frequent college position) and could conceivably handle first as well.

Outfielders
Sandro Fabian
Clint Frazier
Elier Hernandez
Julio P. Martinez

Texas cleared an excess of potential AAA outfielders by adding Travis Jankowski to the Major League club, releasing Joe McCarthy, and placing Dustin Harris and Josh Sale in AA. Frazier is trying to rebound from a dismal 2022. Hernandez is likely the best of the group.

AA — FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS
Location: Frisco, TX
Stadium: Riders Field (opened 2003)
Affiliate since: 2003
Pitchers
Marc Church (20)
Ricky Devito
Ryan Garcia
Antoine Kelly (24)
Nick Krauth
Jack Leiter (5, 78th in MLB)
John Matthews
Theo McDowell
Triston Polley
Tekoah Roby (12)
Justin Slaten
Alex Speas
Nick Starr
Owen White (3, 66th in MLB)
Grant Wolfram

My guess at the rotation is Garcia, Krauth, Leiter, Roby, White, and… I’m not sure. One among Devito, Kelly, Slaten, and Wolfram, all of whom have starting experience? A bullpen day? Leiter’s second full season is a big one for him and organization. While there’s no rush to get him to Arlington, he does need to make forward progress after an occasionally disquieting 2022. White just needs to stay healthy. Up from high-A, TK Roby pitched better than his 4.64 ERA and in particular has better control than the average starter, but homers sometimes troubled him.

Church is the marquee reliever. The slider is a Major League pitch, and the fastball works well, too. Kelly will try to improve last year’s woeful control. Nick Starr was Frisco’s go-to in high-leverage situations last year.

Catchers
David Garcia
Ryan Gold
Scott Kapers

Garcia is repeating a level for the first time. In the past, he’s acclimated to a new level slowly and shown second-half improvement, but that didn’t quite happen in 2022. He’s still just 23.

Catcher is not a position of strength in the system. No list I’ve seen has a Texas catcher among the top 30, and I don’t disagree. Offhand, I thought “Ian Moller’s probably somewhere around 40th,” and found him ranked 36th by Jamey Newberg.

Infielders
Luisangel Acuna (4, 71st in MLB)
Jax Biggers
Frainyer Chavez
Thomas Saggese (16)
Josh Sale
Chris Seise
Nick Tanielu

Acuna survived two months in AA as a 20-year-old (.224/.302/.349) and impressed enough to hop into top-100 lists. He should earn the majority of starts at short. Like Evan Carter, Saggese hit exceptionally well after a late-season promotion. I expect he’ll wander among third, second, and short as in past years. Biggers, Chavez, Sale, and Tanielu have experience in AAA, albeit in brief, need-filling roles for Biggers and Chavez. The 31-year-old Sale spent most of 2022 in Round Rock’s outfield.
Outfielders
Evan Carter (2, 41st in MLB)
Dustin Harris (7)
Trevor Hauver
Kellen Strahm

Carter joined late last year and batted .295/.479/.432 across ten regular and playoff games. Harris was transferred to AA after originally being optioned to Round Rock. Don’t be disappointed. He’s still working on his outfield proficiency and played only 85 games last year because of a wrist injury. Hauver’s path to the bigs runs through his bat, His ability to walk is without peer, but the challenge is handling pitchers with improved command. An AAA assignment for Strahm wouldn’t have bothered me. He’s mature and was solid in Frisco last year. Hopefully he won’t spend too long here.  


HIGH-A – HICKORY CRAWDADS
Location: Hickory, NC
Stadium: L.P. Frans Stadium (opened 1993)
Affiliate since: 2003

Pitchers
Robby Ahlstrom
Mitch Bratt (17)
Michael Brewer
Gavin Collyer
Larson Kindreich
Eudrys Manon
Yohanse Morel
Spencer Mraz
Kumar Rocker (10)
Andy Rodriguez
Winston Santos
Josh Stephan (30)
Leury Tejada
Emiliano Teodo (21)
Bradford Webb

Bratt, Kindreich, Rocker, Santos, Stephan, and Teodo would appear to be the rotation, although several others have experience and could be used in tandems. They would also appear to be the deepest rotation of the four squads, with four top-30 prospects, another who probably should be (Santos), and yet another on the cusp (Kindreich). Rocker’s assignment feels right, and not just as a cautious response to Leiter’s 2022. He had a lot of down time, and he’s kind of a two-pitch guy right now, at least based on what I saw from the AFL and in Surprise last week. Ramping up at a lower level and in a more isolated environment makes sense.

Catchers
Cody Freeman
Liam Hicks
Cooper Johnson

Still relatively new to catching, Cody Freeman repeats the level but will be in Frisco before long with a good showing. Hicks has the bat to play first and DH when not catching.

Infielders
Maximo Acosta (26)
Griffin Cheney
Jayce Easley
Josh Hatcher
Yenci Pena
Keyber Rodriguez

Acosta had a respectable showing in low-A last year, batting .261/.341/.361 with 26 doubles and 44 steals. Cheney (2B, 3B, SS) and Hatcher (1B, OF) were 5th-year college seniors drafted and signed at steep discounts last year to free money for other picks. Easley is a speedy super-utility type who has spent most of his time in the outfield.

Outfielders
Angel Aponte
Geisel Cepeda
Daniel Mateo
Alejandro Osuna (25)
Marcus Smith

Osuna appeared larger than his listed 185 pounds last week, borderline burly. He was Down East’s best hitter last year. Osuna has played some center, but I’d expect Daniel Mateo to receive the majority of those starts. Smith received promotion despite an absurd 42% strikeout rate. Smith still reached at a .336 clip because he’s very patient, and he can steal at will. Cepeda, 25, is a recent Cuban signing.  

LOW-A – DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS
Location: Kinston, NC
Stadium: Grainger Stadium (opened 1949)
Affiliate since: 2017

Pitchers
Matt Brosky
Seth Clark
Jose Corniell
Aidan Curry
Josh Gessner
Jackson Kelley
Jackson Leath
Dylan MacLean
DJ McCarty
Damian Mendoza
Joseph Montalvo
Ivan Oviedo
Brock Porter (6, 94th in MLB)
Luis Ramirez
Adrian Rodriguez
Kai Wynyard

Four 2022 picks will make their pro debuts in low-A: Brock Porter (4th), Luis Ramirez (5th), Matt Brosky (a money-saver 8th-round pick), and Jackson Kelley (12th). Undrafted Seth Clark out of Georgia State is also new to the pros.

Catchers
Tucker Mitchell
Ian Moller
Konner Piotto

My earlier mention of Moller wasn’t a criticism. I’m actually quite fond of him, but a lot has to happen.

Infielders
Cam Cauley
Danyer Cueva (29)
Gleider Figuereo (19)
Andres Mesa
Abimelec Ortiz
Miguel Villarroel

Down East has a highly entertaining collection of position players. Will it win a bunch of games? I don’t know. It’s greener than it appears, as so-called repeaters Cueva, Figuereo, Blackmon, and Morrobel collected only a handful of low-A games last year as the season ended. Cauley and Cueva both play up the middle, and in fact they swapped positions mid-game in the outing I saw last Thursday. Figuereo will handle third.

Outfielders
JoJo Blackmon
Jeferson Espinal
Yosy Galan
Anthony Gutierrez (11)
Yeison Morrobel (13)

I didn’t get enough of a look to form an opinion, but Gutierrez’s #11 ranking may be selling him short. Morrobel (along with infielders Figuereo, Cueva, and Villarroel) lorded over complex-league pitchers last year before making a late-season jump to Kinston. Galan repeats the level but stands a good chance of being the first position player to reach Hickory.

Also

A large handful of additional players didn’t receive assignments. Some I saw in Surprise, some I didn’t, and some might be injured. I’ll keep an eye on their whereabouts.

Texas released infielder Hunter Bryan (2019, 31st round).

Mason Englert allowed a full-count homer to Wander Franco in his debut MLB appearance. No shame in that. He retired the next three, Randy Arozerena among them.

The White Sox released OF Leury Garcia.

For a lengthy reflection on what the pending minor league CBA means, for good and ill, read Michael Baumann at Fangraphs.com. Minor leaguers overwhelmingly voted to approve the contract.

Podcast

Sean Bass of the Ticket, Michael Tepid of Lone Star Ball, and I recorded the latest Diamond Pod yesterday. Thoughts on opening day, initial roster assignments, observations from Surprise, much more. Links are in my signature.

Minor League Roster Assignments

The break-camp assignments are out. I’ll cover them in a separate email. I came down with something after the podcast and have been on a couch or in bed since around 5pm yesterday, so I’m running behind. I will probably post my annual two-part primer beginning next Monday or Tuesday. Round Rock commences play tomorrow, but the others don’t start until next Thursday.

Major League Roster
Texas added RHP Ian Kennedy and OF Travis Jankowski to the 40 and active roster. Pitchers Spencer Howard and Jake Sborz and Spencer Howard plus OF Leody Taveras hit the Injured List, while pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Glenn Otto were moved to the 60-day IL. So, for the moment, the Rangers have avoided any 40-man subtractions while keeping Dunning, Ragans, Duran, and Thompson.

Minor League Agreement

Per national reports, the minor leaguers have reached an agreement with ownership on their first collective bargaining agreement. Annual pay will increase from a range of $4,800-$17,500 to $19,800-$35,800, depending on level, and salaries will be paid more-or-less year-round instead of only during the season. Also, players who initially sign at the age of 19 or above can become free agents after six years instead of seven (this applies only to future signings). Improvements in housing, transportation, nutrition, and publicity rights are part of the agreement.

On the downside, MLB will reduce the limit of domestic players under contract from 180 to 165. Ownership has pushed for this ever since last year’s lockout ended. MLB can’t reduce the number of minor league teams during this five-year agreement, but that’s a moot point because they had already committed to the current system through 2030 via Player Development Licenses with affiliate clubs. via  After 2030… I don’t want to think about that right now.

This is almost certainly the greatest improvement in compensation and working conditions in the history of professional minor league ball. Prior to now, minor leaguers’ conditions were up to ownership with an assist from the MLB Players Association, which, to put it politely, did not always have the interests of minor leaguers at the forefront.

Surprise

The intersquads resumed last Thursday after a day off and another spoiled by rain. One odd and slightly disappointing consequence of the schedule is that I saw the low-levels squads only once in four days. Ordinarily, I’d focus on the younger players because I’m unlikely to see them again for a year. On my first day, cancellation of one of the A-level games compelled me to stay in Surprise for the AA/AAA games. On Friday, Jack Leiter started for AA, so I watched him. Saturday morning, I grabbed the lineup determined to watch low and high-A, only to see Kumar Rocker listed as the AA starter followed by Owen White. Even though I’d seen the likes of Anthony Gutierrez and Sebastian Walcott for only a few innings, and even though Mitch Bratt and Winston Santos were starting for the A squads, I couldn’t pass on Rocker and White. (I didn’t see Santos but heard plenty. Keep him in mind.)

Photos (and one video) from Monday
Photos from Thursday and Friday
Photos from Saturday
Videos from Thursday through Saturday

Thursday

On my one day in A ball, Brock Porter and Emiliano Teodo pitched against Kansas City. Porter is last year’s fourth-rounder, a first-round talent who fell into Texas’s lap because of money issues. I liked what I saw from him, especially the changeup which is advanced for his age and is going to destroy lower-level hitters. Had I not checked his velocity, my report would be more glowing, but his fastball was in the 89-93 range, well below advertised. My understanding is I caught him on a down day; he’d been more in the 90-95 range with some higher outliers in previous efforts. Thursday’s velocity was disappointing, but it’s just one outing, and I’ve seen many pitchers in March underthrow or overthrow their usual speed.  

Unfortunately, Emiliano’s Teodo’s outing was a mess, marked by poor control, weirdly lower and wider velocity ranges (FB 92-99, CB 82-85), and baserunners stealing at will. Last year, Teodo fanned 33% of opponents with a fastball that frequently topped 100, a low-90s curve, and occasional change. In 12 of 22 outings in 2022, he allowed more walks than hits.

Top 2023 international signing Sebastian Walcott is listed at 6’4” and a sturdy 190 pounds, so he’s less boyish than your average 16-year-old. Walcott smacked a hard grounder for a single and showed off his strong arm on a slow grounder. The throw was a touch late but still impressive; it’s available for viewing in my Porter video.

I would have liked to have seen more of last year’s marquee international addition, OF Anthony Gutierrez. He drew a walk after a 1-2 count, and no balls were hit that gave him an opportunity to show off in the field.

Catcher Ian Moller rapped an opposite field double. He tended to work that direction when I saw him last May. Moller slugged only .315 last year, but I think he has more to offer.

Friday

Jack Leiter’s first inning was nearly immaculate, ended by an errant curve on his eighth pitch. He would retire that batter on a fly to left after striking out the first two. An excellent start. His first pitch of the 2nd was an elevated fastball taken deep. He retired the next three around a walk but lacked the control exhibited in the 1st. The next two innings were largely the same. Leiter’s fastball velocity was fine: mid-90s peaking at 99. His slider was often impressive. But as with much of 2022, his fastball control wavered such that the ongoing battle seemed within himself as much as against the opposing batter.

I’ve always liked Luisangel Acuna, and he’s given me no reason not to. Acuna really sells out on his contact but doesn’t strike out at an outrageous rate (23% in 2022). While not a great source of homers, he can reach out and pull a slider with authority. He’s impressed at short. Acuna’s showing in Frisco was muted (.224/.302/.349, but he debuted there at the age of 20 years, four months.

Saturday

Kumar Rocker completed three innings with relative ease. In the inning I charted, the fastball never strayed from 94-95, and the slider was mostly 87-88. Rocker also missed on what appeared to be a single curve (79 MPH) and change (84), although I leave open the possibility they were mis-gripped sliders. He missed several bats with both the fastball and slider, with the latter pitch looking more impressive. Rocker still has a fairly short stride to the plate, albeit lengthier than his initial Arizona Fall League appearance, and he still appears to be generating most of his oomph from hip rotation and little from his legs. I’m neither a scout, pitching coach, nor biomechanist, so I’m not qualified to get too deep into his throwing motion, but it undoubtedly looks different than most pitchers.

In terms of at-bat results, Owen White’s first inning was noisier than anything from Leiter or Teodo the day before: grounders just inside each line for doubles, another double off the wall, a no-doubt homer. When the inning finally ended, White screamed a word unsuitable for children that was audible in Flagstaff. The second inning was cleaner: two innocuous flies and a grounder to himself. White offered all four of his pitches that inning: FB 93-95, SL 88, CB 79, CH 85-87. Even with that first inning, he threw with conviction and appeared ready to resume his ascent to the Majors. White pitched only two of his scheduled three innings because the staff let him work through the lengthy first rather than rolling it.  

Cole Winn started for AAA. I saw Winn more than any other pitcher in 2022, and he’ll return to Round Rock, so I didn’t focus on him while Rocker and White pitched. Even in limited observation, I saw strikeouts on a fastball, slider, and curve. He seemed sound mechanically, which I’d hoped for after some time off. Recall that a comebacker off Winn’s ankle in late April 2022 didn’t seem cause more than superficial damage but precipitated a months-long decay in mechanics and loss of control.

A year out of baseball hasn’t cost Alex Speas any velocity, nor has it aided his control. He ranged from 97 to 99 with the fastball plus a 91-92 MPH slider. He missed several bats but struggled to find the plate.

The small potions of Cody Bradford’s outing I witnessed seemed effective. I don’t know how hard he threw, but velocity isn’t his forte. Hitters don’t know what he’s going to throw and probably won’t like where he locates it. Bradford didn’t earn a 40 spot over the winter but is a worthy prospect.

Dustin Harris homered while I watched Rocker on the other field. I later returned to capture video of him striking out. Such is life. Harris also dumped a short fly the opposite way for a single.

I didn’t get much of a look at IF Justin Foscue, as he was often busy with the big leaguers.

OF Yosy Galan played in Saturday’s AA game and homered. Galan is athletic, loose-limbed, and speedy, and I enjoy watching him as much as anybody. Galan also really loves to swing the bat, regardless of what’s headed his way, resulting in a 33% strikeout rate and .206 average last year in Down East.

As for Evan Carter, I’ve just never had any luck catching him on a memorable day. I’ve got video, but it’s a snooze, to be honest.

These aren’t the only folks I saw, of course, and I’ll mix in additional Surprise observations during the regular season.

Also

Per local reports, Ricky Vanasco injured his knee in his final intersquad outing and will miss several weeks.

Texas released reliever Reyes Montoya and OF Joe McCarthy. Texas also released and re-signed catcher Sandy Leon and pitcher Dominic Leone.

Nomar Mazara received his release from Baltimore. Kole Calhoun has departed Seattle. The Mariners released OF Leonys Martin. I did not import that sentence from 2018. Martin had returned from Japan and signed a minor deal with the M’s. Seattle also signed OF Delino Deshields Jr. last week.

Rule 5 selection Mason Englert has made Detroit’s Opening Day roster.

Per MiLB.com, the AAA leagues will play a split-season format for the first time in… I don’t know. At least as long as I’ve been covering the game, probably much longer, maybe ever. The first and second-half champs will meet in a best-of-three with the winners of the Pacific Coast and International Leagues meeting in a single-game championship on September 30. I don’t see any mention of divisional rounds, leading me to believe the divisions will be eliminated or won’t serve any purpose if retained. Traditionally, AAA was the only classification that didn’t employ split seasons.

Beat The Clock

You’ve probably seen or read any number of stories on how players, umpires, fans, and the media themselves will adjust to the clock. I wanted to offer my analysis and observations from watching plenty of games at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond and elsewhere in 2022.

Strange as it seems, players and umps may have the easiest task. The pitch clock has existed in upper minor league classifications since 2015, although it wasn’t enforced in its present form across all levels until 2022. Most players are already at least passingly familiar with the new rules. I analyzed lists of everyone who played in the Majors and minors in 2022 and found the following:

Number of MLB hitters in 2022: 694
Number who also played in MiLB: 475 (68% of all MLB hitters)
Number with 50+ PA in MLB and MiLB: 221 (32% of all MLB hitters)

Number of MLB pitchers in 2022: 872
Number who also pitched in MiLB: 591 (68% of all MLB pitchers)
Number with 10+ IP in MiLB and MLB: 300 (34% of all MLB pitchers)

The Rangers used 29 pitchers last year excluding Charlie Culberson. 23 threw at least one inning in the minors in 2022, and 15 of them threw at least ten. Similarly, 18 of Texas’s 26 hitters in 2022 also appeared in the minors, and 15 registered at least 100 plate appearances.

Assuming the rule is retained beyond 2023, the proportion of MLB players who will have worked under these conditions will quickly approach 100%. Admittedly, those who haven’t to date include many of baseball’s biggest names, but a significant number already have. 23% of MLB players with at least two wins above replacement in 2022 played in the minors last year.

My impression is that AAA umpires’ enforcement of the game clock was moderately strict but not punitive in 2022. Pitchers had plenty of time to retake the mound if involved in a fielding play. Hitters didn’t have to rush back to the box after running out a drive that landed foul. Pitchers could ask for a new ball, and occasionally something would happen to cause a pitcher to make a circular motion with his pitching hand, code for “restart the clock, pretty please.” Much of the time, these requests were granted. What pitchers couldn’t do was get set, let the clock dwindle to three seconds, and then claim the ball was too slick.

I did see one opposing pitcher on rehab accrue six or seven automatic balls, including two in one plate appearance. He was plainly indifferent to the clock, strictly in a rehab mindset and working at his preferred pace to the extent possible. Major Leaguers in town for the evening weren’t given leeway. When Jose Altuve played two games for AAA Sugar Land, the plate ump did not bow and say “enter the box at your leisure, my lord.”

Most of the time, the clock receded to the background, both for players and fans. Players internalized the pace it dictated. Games proceeded faster but didn’t feel rushed. As a fan or in my “official” capacity, I was never distracted by the clock even though it was almost always near my direct line of sight. The goal of the clock isn’t to saddle umps and players with nitpicky obligations. It is to create an environment in which the game flows faster organically. That said, I too had to adapt. More than once, I would study something I’d written down or glance at my phone after a pitch, only to miss the following pitch that came more quickly than expected. This year’s adaptation will be acceptance that by the time I get home from the Dell Diamond on a given night, the Rangers will probably also be done for the evening. Last year, the shorter games in Round Rock often allowed me to see an inning or two of the Rangers after I drove home.

Best as I can tell, I mentioned the clock or an automatic ball or strike only four times during the 2022 season. It just wasn’t newsworthy. Calls were rare. Calls that ended plate appearances were rarer still. Yes, an early spring game had a game-ending auto-strike, but I’d be surprised to see one in a real game, and if it happens, well, the hitter can’t say he wasn’t warned.

Undoubtedly, pitchers and hitters will try to use the clock to their advantage. Hitting is timing, pitching is disrupting timing. That type of gamesmanship has existed since the 1800s. Hopefully, pitch-clock craftiness won’t become overbearing and detract from the natural duel between pitcher and batter. Assuming clock infractions in MLB are as rare as in the minors, I don’t see the point in having the countdown clock as a tv graphic. It’s a distraction.

I’m a strong supporter of the clock rule, and I expect most of you will enjoy it too.

Jack Kruger, who caught for Round Rock in 2021-2022, offered his thoughts in a twitter thread.

Prospect Lists

MLB.com (free link) and Baseball America (subscriber link) released their top-30 prospect lists for the Rangers recently. As always, Jamey Newberg has his thorough and engaging top 72 at the Athletic (subscription link).

MLB.com rated Texas’s system the best in the division, noting the Rangers’ six top-100 prospects are one fewer than the other four teams combined. I’ll have more on these lists and others in the coming weeks.

Transactions and Other News

Texas released top 2020 signing Bayron Lora a few weeks ago, and now the priciest signing from 2018 is also gone. When signed, Jose Rodriguez was described as a bat-oriented catcher, but he never played catcher in a real game, and, unfortunately, there wasn’t much orientation to his bat. Folllowing a decent opener in the Dominican Summer League, Rodriguez lost 2020 to covid and all but 15 games in 2021 to injury. After two years with little on-field action, he joined low-A Down East and hit .197/.280/.285 with four homers in 87 games splitting time between right, first, and DH. Texas also released IF Junior Paniagua, a noteworthy signing from the same period.

LHP Joe Palumbo is back. Once among the club’s most promising prospects, Palumbo tossed 19 innings for the Rangers across 2019-2020. In 2021, Palumbo had trouble staying on the field and lacked velocity and control, leading to the loss of his 40 spot. In 2022 as a Giant, Palumbo fared no better, limited to five innings and released in July. I think Palumbo’s last fully injury-free season was 2016. Hopefully, at the least, he’ll be healthy as a returning Ranger.

2016 2nd-rounder RHP Alex Speas is also back after a year out of the system partially spent as head coach at Georgia’s Combine Academy. Speas, Demarcus Evans, and Joe Barlow made some noise in 2018 as a Hickory relief trio with otherworldly strikeout rates. Speas unfortunately needed elbow surgery by June. In 2020, he was dealing 102 on the side and rumored to be a potential MLB addition. That call never came, and he slid through the Rule 5 draft unclaimed after being left off the 40. His always-iffy control worsened in 2021 at Frisco, where he struck out 23 in 12 innings but walked or hit 24.

RHP Avery Weems underwent Tommy John surgery. Last year’s commentary ahead of the 40-man deadline: “A hard-throwing lefty with a mean slider, better control than I had in mind when reviewing his stats. He’s started most of his career, but I’m inclined to forecast him as a reliever.”

Prospect Mitch Bratt threw 1.1 scoreless innings for Team Canada in a warmup against the Cubs. Bratt, who hasn’t pitched above low-A, retired Eric Hosmer, Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, and Nico Hoerner.

Former Rangers righty Mason Englert, swiped by Detroit in the Rule 5 draft, has allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings. I’ve not seen anything noteworthy about his likelihood of making the Tigers’ roster. One article said he “came to camp ready to compete,” reassuring to those of us concerned he might have spent all winter on the couch eating lard from a bucket. As of yesterday, the Tigers still had 32 pitchers in their Major League camp including 21 on the 40-man roster.

Mitch Moreland has retired.