AAA: Round Rock 3, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 6
Round Rock: 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 15-14, 4 GB, 59-44 overall
SP Owen White: 4.1 IP, 8 H (2 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 76 P / 44 S, 5.75 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 5.23 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.81 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, .266/.383/.455
The Dodgers swung at 32 of Owen White’s pitches and put 20 in play while missing only two. (Average for a Round Rock pitcher on 32 swings would be 11 balls in play and 9 whiffs.) Of 32 Rangers with at least 40 innings in the minors in 2023, White ranks 30th in swinging strike rate (10.3%) and 31st in strikeout rate (18.3%).
Alex Speas was effective if not especially strike-prone. Since he returned to Round Rock, opponents are 1-for-8 but have a .500 OBP because of six walks/HBPs.
AA: Frisco 9, Midland (OAK) 5
Frisco: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-13, 2 GB, 47-50 overall
SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 4 S, 6.98 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.67 ERA
RP Matt Bush: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
3B Jax Biggers: 2-4, 3B, BB, SB (11), .222/.338/.351
CF Evan Carter: 3-4, 2B, BB, SB (13), .286/.407/.451
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, 2B, BB, .258/.378/.438
DH Liam Hicks: 3-3, 2 BB, .265/.398/.386
The four batters listed were the top four in the order. They combined for eight runs and seven driven in. Look at Evan Carter just sitting there all of 20 years old with a .400 OBP in AA like it’s nothing at all.
Hi-A: Hickory 6, at Aberdeen (BAL) 3
Hickory: 8 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 21-10, 3.5 G up, 48-44 overall
SP Jose Corniell: 7 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 89 P / 59 S, 4.59 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.06 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-5, 2B, SB (7), .319/.360/.617
LF Wyatt Langford: 1-4, 3B
3B Cody Freeman: 2-3, BB, .230/.285/.395
Wyatt Langford’s first swing in full-season ball resulted in an RBI triple to right-center. Here’s video. He was facing righty Daniel Lloyd, a 22-year-old from South Carolina in his third pro season. He also struck out twice and grounded back to the pitcher.
Jose Corniell reached seven innings on 89 pitches. He’ll be Rule 5-eligible this winter if unprotected and falls into that tricky “not ready for MLB but do you really want to expose him” group. I expect clubs around the league to face many such decisions. Young internationals usually don’t play in real games in their first season, so those who signed in mid-2019 had to wait two years to play a game in which stats were kept.
Lo-A: Down East 8, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 6
Down East: 7 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-16, 4.5 GB, 52-40 overall
SP DJ McCarty: 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SO, 27 P / 12 S, 2.93 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 2.95 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 7.50 ERA
2B Miguel Villarroel: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .218/.259/.313
DH Konnor Piotto: 2-4, HR (2), .272/.359/.376
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (21), .250/.321/.323
RF Jojo Blackmon: 2-3, BB, SB (18), .188/.286/.329
Lo-A: Down East 4, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3 (7)
Down East: 4 hits, 3 walks, 17 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 16-16, 4 GB, 53-40 overall
SP Aidan Curry: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 66 P / 39 S, 208.00 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 3.28 ERA
2B Devin Hurdle: 1-4, SB (1)
1B Anthony Calarco: 1-2, BB
RF Quincy Scott: 1-3
In the second game, Down East had four singles, no extra-base hits, and 17 strikeouts, and won. The Woodies featured full-season debuts from 9th-rounder Quincy Scott and undrafted 23-year-olds Devin Hurdle of Nebraska-Omaha and Anthony Calarco from Mississippi.
Texas released infielders Yenci Pena and Andres Mesa. Pena was one of the prospects caught in the scandal that earned Atlanta GM John Coppollela a lifetime ban. He’d signed with Atlanta for $1.05 million and then signed with the Rangers for $675,000, part of what Texas had in hand after Shohei Ohtani chose the Angels. Post-covid, Pena bounced around the lower levels and rookie complex. Mesa, 21, was originally signed by the Mariners and was playing full-season ball for the first time.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Otto
AA: Bremer
Hi-A: Teodo
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Leody Taveras drove in the tying run in the 8th and victorious run in the 9th in a 5-4 win for Down East.