Rangers Farm Report: Games of Saturday 19 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 27-17, tied for first, 71-47 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 89 P / 61 S, 3.24 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 3-5, 2B, .289/.390/.500
DH Justin Foscue: 1-3, HR (12), 2 BB, .257/.383/.440

Cody Bradford rebounded from a couple of off starts and allowed only one scary ball in play (102 MPH, 37 degrees to left-center) that would have been out of some parks but not Sugar Land. Dustin Harris isn’t the most graceful outfielder you’ll ever see, but he he raced into position and was set to catch it in plenty of time. Bradford missed bats on nine of 17 swings against his changeup.

Since returning from a two-week IL stint, Justin Foscue is hitting .226/.348/.365 in 36 games.

Round Rock has won 11 straight. Six games out less than two weeks ago, the Express are now in a three-way tie for first. Neither Sugar Land nor preceding Albuquerque is very good, and Round Rock has made sure it stayed that way.

AA: Frisco 4, Tulsa (LAD) 10
Frisco: 10 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 11 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 23-21, 4 GB, 54-58 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 0.2 IP, 2 H (7.02 HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 1 SO, 37 P / 16 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.73 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2B, .204/.358/.306
3B Chris Seise: 2-4, 2B, .221/.285/.338

The game lasted three hours and 32 minutes; the pitch clock shrugged sheepishly as Frisco threw 206 pitches including 82 outside the strike zone. Since the All-Star break, Ryan Garcia has allowed 17 walks and six homers in six outings, leading to a .260/.402/.562 opposing line.

Hi-A: Hickory 2, Rome (ATL) 5
Hickory: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 31-15, 4 G up, 58-49 overall

SP Nick Lockhart: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 47 P / 26 S, 4.64 ERA
RP Luis Tejeda: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.37 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.75 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, SB (27), .255/.269/.402

A messy 2nd set the tone, as Rome scored four on three singles, two walks, an error, and four stolen bases.

Wyatt Langford drew a walk in four trips to the plate.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 4
Down East: 7 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 23-24, 6 GB, 60-48 overall

SP Brock Porter: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 57 P / 37 S, 2.49 ERA
RP Kohel Drake: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 6.39 ERA
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, 2B, .477/.511/.545
DH Anthony Calarco: 2-3, BB, .200/.256/.200

The usual for Brock Porter: five strikeouts and 14 swinging strikes against 15 batters, just two hits (both singles), but also three walks. Porter actually started the 4th but walked two straight after a Danyer Cueva error. Two runs would score on a Eury Rosado wild pitch and a sac fly.

Quincy Scott is off to a crazy start in Down East, batting .656 when he doesn’t strike out, reminding me of Ledarious Clark, a 2015 pick who began his pro career with a 19-game hit streak and a .377/.428/.685 line after 30 games. Scott will cool off, of course, but let’s hope he can avoid what happened to Clark next. The rest of that year, Clark hit only .173/.281/.252, and his career full-season line was .223/.324/.396. Clark had a couple of impressive seasons in the Atlantic League post-covid.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Teodo
Lo-A: B. Mendoza

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Spokane lost its fifth of six games at Vancouver minus the services of JP Martinez, Diosbel Arias, and Hasuan Viera, all Cubans and presumably unable to work in Canada at the time.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Friday 18 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 13 hits, 5 walks, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 26-17, 1 G up, 70-47 overall

SP Zak Kent: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 53 P / 28 S, 2.38 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.34 ERA
RP Yerry Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.03 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-5, HR (24), .238/.368/.499
3B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (11), .256/.380/.432
CF Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 2B, BB, .255/.370/.364
LF Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .264/.382/.450

Cole Winn as a starter: 45.1 IP, 8.74 ERA, .307/.439/.526 oppo line, 19% BB/HBP, 19% SO, median exit velo 93.7 MPH
Cole Winn in relief: 37 IP, 3.41 ERA, .176/.294/.282 oppo line, 14% BB/HBP, 22% SO, median exit velo 87.8 MPH

So, much better. The control is still below average, and even with the large drop in exit velo, I think there’s a little luck in his low oppo hitting and slugging rates. But still, much better.

Round Rock has won ten straight.

AA: Frisco 10, Tulsa (LAD) 12
Frisco: 12 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 4 GB, 54-57 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 79 P / 54 S, 5.43 ERA
RF Evan Carter: 1-4, BB, SB (20), .281/.413/.449
LF Trevor Hauver: 3-4, 2B, .257/.374/.430
DH Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2B, BB, .199/.356/.299
C David Garcia: 2-5, HR (2), .214/.337/.310

Aidan Anderson, Matt Bush, and John “don’t call me Terry” Matthews all allowed runs in relief. Tulsa’s last seven outs were recorded by Ricky Vanasco and Kevin Gowdy. I mentioned Vanasco’s resurgence earlier in the week. Gowdy became a free agent last fall and has pitched better than his 5.72 ERA, but not enough to miss him.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, Rome (ATL) 10
Hickory: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 31-14, 4 G up, 58-48 overall

SP Winston Santos: 2.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 51 P / 30 S, 6.02 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Wyatt Langford: 1-4, HR (2), BB, .261/.414/.565
DH Abi Ortiz: 2-5, HR (21), .294/.344/.629
SS Max Acosta: 1-3, HBP, 3 SB (23), .256/.304/.386
2B Ben Blackwell: 1-3, BB, SB (1), .269/.345/.423

Wyatt Langford broke a string of 12 hitless at-bats. Abimelec Ortiz hit his 28th homer (including seven at Down East), fifth-most in all the minors.

Really, the whole season hasn’t been kind to Winston Santos, but the second half in particular has been a challenge: 9.26 ERA, .379/.423/.641 opposing line, 15% SO rate.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 5
Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 23-23, 6 GB, 60-47 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 2.83 ERA

Recent additions Skylar Hales, CJ Widger, and Paul Bonzagni all threw scoreless innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Bradford
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Lockhart
Lo-A: TBA (Porter’s turn)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
A slow day. Spokane turned two crazy double plays: 6-3-6-3-4-2-5-3 and a 1-4-5-6-3-4-3-6.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Thursday 17 August

Sean Bass, Michael Tepid and I have a new Diamond Pod. JPM, Carter, Zavala, Leiter, much more.

Rookie-level shortstop Echedry Vargas drove in seven on two homers and a double to fuel a 15-7 victory.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 7 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 25-17, 1 GB, 69-47 overall

SP Owen White: 3.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 71 P / 37 S, 5.53 ERA
RP Glenn Otto: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 3.96 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.54 ERA
C Sam Huff: 1-3, 2 BB, .295/.391/.536
DH Davis Wendzel: 1-3, HR (23), HBP, .235/.367/.491
3B Dio Arias: 2-3, BB, 3 SB (4), .272/.344/.412

Owen White’s basic stats were no better than last week, but some of the velocity and all of the rise on his four-seamer returned. Last week’s average speed of 91.9 increased to 93.8, and the median drop decreased three inches to the usual level. (There’s also a possibility that some of last week’s so-called four-seamers were really miscategorized sinkers; Statcast isn’t infallible.) His didn’t miss any bats with it, instead depending as usual on on the slider and cutter most of his swinging strikes.

Opponents are missing Glenn Otto’s sweeper on 29% of all pitches and 58% of swings. Absurd. On the downside, since returning to AAA, his control has wavered (18% BB/HBP rate), and half of his hits allowed have been doubles or homers.

Jonathan Hernandez pitched two days after throwing 30 pitches. Unusual under current usage patterns, if not a tell. He’s retired 13 straight over his last three outings, eight via strikeout. I don’t know what, if any, role he has to play for the 2023 Taxes Rangers, but he is at least building a case for addition if needed.

Diobel Arias had averaged one steal per 39 games in full-season ball. He stole three last night off three different pitchers and catcher Andrew Knapp, who was making his first appearance in the Houston system and a lengthy history of being adequate against the running game. No idea what all that’s about.

AA: Frisco 3, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 23-19, 3 GB, 54-56 overall

SP Dane Acker: 4.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 78 P / 42 S, 3.00 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.46 ERA
DH Liam Hicks: 2-2, 2B, BB, .273/.399/.401

Staked a two-run lead in the 9th, Antoine Kelly allowed a double a RBI single but worked a save. In his previous 20 outings, Kelly had allowed three unearned runs, walked four, and struck out 31 in 25.2 innings. Evan Carter tripled and scored on a wild pitch.

Hi-A: Hickory 2, Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-13, 4 G up, 58-47 overall

SP Jose Corniell: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 58 P / 43 S, 3.57 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, SB (20), .256/.302/.386

A three-run homer off Gavin Collyer (following an error by Collyer himself and a hit batter) in the 8th proved fatal. Jose Corniell was excellent yet again in the early innings.

Wyatt Langford is 0-11 with two walks and four strikeouts in his last three games. Pro baseball is hard. Incidentally, the Angels are calling up 1B Nolan Schanuel, the 11th-overall pick in the draft. A 12-man panoply of wretchedness has combined for a .239/.290/.385 line at that position for the Angels in 2023. LA is seven games behind Toronto for the final wild card spot, with 40 to play.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 7
Down East: 4 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 23-22, 5 GB, 60-46 overall

SP Thomas Ireland: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 54 P / 34 S, 3.38 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierez: 1-4, HR (2), .262/.326/.342
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, 2B, .221/.304/.340

Uh oh. After last week’s outburst at Kannapolis, Down East has resumed not scoring, with three runs in three games against Charleston.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Kent
AA: Nordlin
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: Montalvo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
The absence of Scott Heineman and Willie Calhoun in Round Rock forced a starting outfield of James Jones (second OF start since converting to relief in 2016), Nick Torres (plenty of OF experience but first professional CF start), and Christian Lopes (second career OF start). Jones was soon injured tracking a shallow fly and would miss the rest of the season. Lopes took Jones’s spot, and reliever Brady Feigl played RF for an inning, then replaced by Hanser Alberto (sixth career OF appearance).  

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Wednesday 16 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 24-17, 1 GB, 68-47 overall

SP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 6 SO, 92 P / 49 S, 4.54 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.27 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 1-3, 2B, BB, .254/.367/.363
2B Dio Arias: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), .268/.338/.409

Down 3-0 early and limited to a single hit through six, the Express recovered via Dio Arias’s three-run homer in the 7th and Davis Wendzel’s RBI single in the 8th. Kyle Cody’s scoreless streak reached five outings and 10.1 innings. Yerry Rodriguez, scored upon in seven consecutive outings, entered with runners at the corners in the 9th and recorded the final out.

I neglected to mention yesterday that the Rangers had signed infielder Josh Harrison. Although usually an infielder, Harrison does have outfield experience, and I assume he’s here mostly to help out at that position with JPM on the parent club and Bubba Thompson in Omaha. The Phillies released him earlier this month.

AA: Frisco 2, Tulsa (LAD) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 22-19, 4 GB, 53-56 overall

SP Michael Bremer: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 50 P / 32 S, 6.14 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-2, 2B, 3 BB, SB (19), .282/.414/.448
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, BB, SB (7), .327/.411/.531

I hadn’t written much lately about Evan Carter, who wasn’t having a bad August entering the night (.239/.436/.391) but was beset by strikeouts (32% of all PAs) and depending more on walks than hits to reach base. Carter collected his second multi-hit game of the month and drew three walks. His version of “not doing that well” is still pretty good. Perhaps he reaches AAA this season, but in the short run that possibility seems to have been answered by the new 36-year-old utility player manning left field for the Express last night.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Rome (ATL) 6
Hickory: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 31-12, 4 G up, 58-46 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 27 P / 9 S, 40.50 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.06 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, HR (20), .295/.348/.632
3B Jayce Easley: 4-4, 2B, .210/.366/.271

Homers by Age-21 players in the minors:
27, Abi Ortiz (TEX)
22, Orelvis Martinez (TOR)
20, Thomas Saggese (STL)
20, Tyler Soderstrom (OAK)
20, Coby Mayo (BAL)
20, Jhonkensky Noel (CLE)
20, AJ Vukovich (ARI)

Ortiz’s three-run blast in the 7th put Hickory ahead after trailing 5-0 early and 6-3 at the stretch.

Josh Gessner hadn’t pitched in full-season ball in nearly three months. I don’t know what ailed him. Gessner didn’t walk any of 17 batters faced in the rookie league on rehab, but control has usually eluded him.

Lo-A: Down East 0, at Charleston (TAM) 1 (5)
Down East: 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-21, 5 GB, 60-45 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 64 P / 43 S, 2.37 ERA

Rain shortened this game to a bare-minimum 4.5 innings. Ian Moller’s one-out single in the 5th prevented a cheap no-hitter.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Corniell
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Curtis Terry hit his 15th homer in a 3-2 win for Spokane. Now in his fourth season, and fourth of short-season ball, Terry was hitting .340/.432/.665 but remained in Spokane because Tyreque Reed manned first base in low-A. The difference in what i saw in person in March of 2017 and 2018 was dramatic. Terry always had power, but his contact ability had increased drastically. His time in MLB ended up being fairly short and unsuccessful, but he made it, and seeing the improvement in person on the back fields is a fond memory.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Tuesday 15 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 23-17, 2 GB, 67-47 overall

SP Alex Speas: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 32 P / 21 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.25 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.61 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, HR (6), BB, HBP, .254/.366/.360
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2B, .287/.391/.503
C Matt Whatley: 2-4, HR (4), .222/.299/.341

Alex Speas and company held the vanilla Sugar Land offense in check. Speas became Round Rock’s 27th starting pitcher of the season. Despite or perhaps because of that, the Express have the league’s best nominal and park-adjusted run prevention in the league. The cutter reigned supreme. Speas, Church, Hernandez, and Scott Engler combined to throw 54, of which 28 (52%) resulted in a called or swinging strike. That’s about double the team rate for all pitches.

In his first AAA appearance since September 2021, Scott Engler allowed two runs in an inning. Engler had undergone elbow surgery in 2022. The 2016 16th-rounder offered a 93-96 fastball, 88-93 cutter, and a few upper-80s sinkers and changes. Engler had a decent chance at reaching the Majors before the injury and is trying to regain that status. He’s been around long enough to have become a free agent and re-sign.

After a trip out west with no plate appearances, Jonathan Ornelas’s bat awakened refreshed and eager to work.

Texas released catcher Kevin Plawecki.

AA: Frisco 2, Tulsa (LAD) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 22-18, 2 GB, 53-55 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 49 S, 6.55 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, SB (18), .278/.407/.442

The option of Jonathan Ornelas pushed Jax Biggers back down to AA and Jayce Easley to high-A. Also back in Frisco is reliever Danny Duffy, while Florencio Serrano returned to Hickory.

Ex-Ranger Ricky Vanasco threw a scoreless 9th for Tulsa, his tenth in a row without an earned run. In that span, he’s fanned 19 and walked four in 14 innings. He topped out at 98 last night. The Dodgers successfully ran Vanasco through waivers after acquiring him in trade for Texas when the Rangers designated him for assignment. Vanasco didn’t pitch in a real game for nearly a month after switching clubs. I believe he can become a free agent this fall if unprotected on the 40.

Hi-A: Hickory 9, Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 30-12, 4 G up, 57-46 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 9 SO, 74 P / 49 S, 4.69 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, HR (9), .253/.300/.381
DH Geisel Cepeda: 2-4, 2B, .296/.375/.380
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .274/.336/.472
2B Benjamin Blackwell: 3-4, 2B, .278/.316/.500

Emiliano Teodo delivered his best outing of the season.

Wyatt Langford was 0-4. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel rated him baseball’s #6 prospect, best among the elite top tier of the 2023 draft class. Evan Carter is 14th, and Sebastian Walcott comes in at 38th.

Texas released RHP Wyatt Sparks. Drafted in 2018’s 23rd round, Sparks tossed only 87 innings due to injuries and the covid-lost 2020. Back in 2023, Sparks struggled to retire batters outside of low-A Down East.

Lo-A: Down East 3, at Charleston (TAM) 1
Down East: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 4 GB, 60-44 overall

SP Luis Ramirez: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 29 P / 21 S, 4.01 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.94 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, .219/.303/.337
RF Quincy Scott: 1-3, BB, SB (1), .500/.541/.559
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, SB (22), .211/.308/.366

Adrian Rodriguez entered with an out in the 9th up 3-0 but a pond filled with ducks (not Wood Ducks). Rodriguez walked a batter but retired the other two. Dylan MacLean had retired 16 straight before surrendering three singles, and the outing was his longest of the season despite the late trouble. Blackmon and Scott maintained last week’s hot hitting.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Dugger
AA: Bremer
Hi-A: TBA
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
As you probably heard, Bubba Thompson was claimed by the Royals and assigned to AAA Omaha. Five years ago, Thompson was 2-5 with a triple for low-A Hickory. Sam Huff and Matt Whatley, current teammates in AAA, were both 2-4.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Sunday 13 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Albuquerque (COL) 6
Round Rock: 4 hits, 10 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 2 GB, 66-47 overall

SP Yerry Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 22 P / 18 S, 4.21 ERA
RP Glenn Otto: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 4.30 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-3, HR (22), BB, .234/.367/.489
RF Sandro Fabian: 1-2, 2 BB, .302/.346/.558

Round Rock swept the six-game series by a score of 56-26. Through six, the Isotopes led 4-0, held Round Rock hitless, and faced only two batters over the minimum.

But the 7th! Homer, walk, single, RBI single, hit batter, RBI hit batter, RBI walk, RBI sac fly, passed ball, two-RBI single, walk, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, RBI walk, RBI walk, strikeout. Pitches: 64. Time elapsed: 39 minutes, 27 seconds.

Glenn Otto’s sweeper foiled the opposition again, generating eight swinging strikes out of 12 swings.

Former Rangers prospect Osleivis Basabe, part of the Nathaniel Lowe trade, was 1-3 with a double in his MLB debut for the Rays.

AA: Frisco 9, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 11
Frisco: 12 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 18 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 2 GB, 53-54 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 47 P / 29 S, 6.75 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-4, 2 BB, SB (17), .277/.406/.443
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 4-5, 2B, HR (1), 2 SB (6), .310/.396/.500
2B Jayce Easley: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .167/.333/.250

A wild one. Frisco took and lost leads after the 1st, 2nd, and 4th, regained it in the 5th, and lost it for good in the 6th. Reliever Florencio Serrano had to wait an extra ten minutes to throw his first pitch because the plate ump was either injured or ill from the heat, and that first pitch was taken deep to center. Frisco loaded the bases in the in 8th and had two aboard with one out in the 9th but came up empty both times.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, at Asheville (HOU) 6 (7)
Hickory: 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts

SP Nick Lockhart: 0.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 21 P / 6 S, 3.66 ERA
RP Luis Tejeda: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 4.60 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 1-3, HR (8), .250/.298/.371A leadoff homer, three walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch. Get ’em next time, Nick.

Hi-A: Hickory 8, at Asheville (HOU) 5 (7)
Hickory: 12 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 29-12, 3 G up, 56-46 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 24 P / 12 S, 5.53 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-4, HR (8), .254/.270/.402
C Cody Freeman: 2-3, 2 2B, .230/.294/.403
DH Wyatt Langford: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (3), .355/.500/.710
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, SB (19), .250/.298/.371
LF Yosy Galan: 3-3, 2B, HR (2), BB, SB (9), .272/.330/.447

Yosy Galan is more-or-less continuing his low-A production: decent power, steals, a ton of strikeouts.

Max Acosta’s bat quieted down after the first month of the season, but yesterday was nice. Acosta is due for 40-man protection this fall. That’s not happening, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he began 2024 in Hickory. He doesn’t turn 21 until October, so there’s time.

Lo-A: Down East 5, at Kannapolis (CHW) 2
Down East: 9 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 22-20, 5 GB, 59-44 overall

SP Bryan Chi: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 78 P / 53 S, 3.86 ERA
SS Miguel Villarroel: 2-5, 2B, SB (8), .242/.273/.349
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, BB, .516/.545/.581
CF Jojo Blackmon: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (21), .207/.305/.360
1B Zion Bannister: 0-2, 2 BB, HBP, 3 SB (16), .204/.311/.299

Bryan Chi pitched very well for the third time in four low-A appearances.

2023 9th-round OF Quincy Scott’s week: 14-22 with a triple, walk, and two strikeouts.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
3B Jonathan Ornelas reached safely five times for the rookie squad. Ten years ago, Texas released Manny Ramirez from AAA. He wasn’t good. 15 years ago, I saw Derek Holland in person outside of Surprise for the first time. In his AA debut, at the age of 21, he threw 107 pitches. Imagine that today. His shortstop was Elvis Andrus. 2008 was a long time ago.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Saturday 12 August

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, Albuquerque (COL) 7
Round Rock: 15 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 21-17, 2 GB, 65-47 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 4 IP, 10 H (1 HR), 7 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 81 P / 53 S, 3.53 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.95 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.59 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.86 ERA
CF Elier Hernandez: 2-4, BB, .306/.364/.521
3B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B, BB, .263/.388/.444
1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, .286/.389/.503
RF Sandro Fabian: 3-5, .301/.341/.558

Cody Bradford allowed ten balls in play under 85 MPH off the bat, and seven became hits. Just one of those nights.

Kyle Cody’s 6.59 ERA is accurate, but he’s looked better lately with a little more pep in the fastball and more chases against the slider.

Down 7-4 in the 8th, the Express scored six on six singles and Albuquerque (46-67) doing some of what got them 20,000 leagues under .500. The prime victim was Fernando Abad, who at the age of 37 accepted an outright assignment to Albuquerque three weeks ago. That’s unusual. Abad signed with the Astros in 2002 and has bounced around nine MLB organizations, Mexico, indy ball, and probably some other places that I missed because his Baseball Reference season register has 62 lines.

If the Rangers decide they need a fresh arm, Jonathan Hernandez might be the best choice. Another is Glenn Otto, who threw 45 pitches four days ago. Alex Speas and Cody Bradford pitched last night. Yerry Rodriguez isn’t eligible until Wednesday (and isn’t pitching well in any case). Owen White pitched five days ago, but he wouldn’t be my first pick right now.

AA: Frisco 0, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 2
Frisco: 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-16, 1 GB, 53-53 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 58 S, 5.44 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.30 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.95 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, .277/.405/.442

Some solid pitching was for naught, as the offense couldn’t capitalize on serious threats in the 4th and 5th.

I’ve been asked about Jack Leiter from several folks. I hadn’t written about him because there’s been nothing to say. The only words I’d heard were “no rush.” Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning news wrote about the situation at length. Leiter is fine physically but again, no rush for him to return. Indeed, I’m not saying he won’t be back in 2023, but you might want to at least contemplate the idea.

Hi-A: rain

Two today. Not ideal for getaway day, but at least the game is at nearby Asheville.

Lo-A: Down East 11, at Kannapolis (CHW) 2
Down East: 19 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-20, 6 GB, 58-44 overall

SP Brock Porter: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 42 P / 29 S, 2.47 ERA
RP Kohl Drake: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 6.75 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-5, 2B, HBP, SB (28), .266/.332/.333
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (9), .218/.305/.340
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, BB, .206/.304/.361
C Ian Moller: 3-5, .190/.225/.300
RF Quincy Scott: 4-5, .481/.500/.556
1B Anthony Calarco: 3-4, .240/.296/.240

Kannapolis has a decent pitching staff but has allowed 34 runs in the last four games to a suddenly torrid Down East. The Woodies scored five against Peyton Pallette, the former Razorback who in 2022 was one of college baseball’s best arms but underwent elbow surgery before the season and fell to 62nd overall in the draft. I hadn’t thought of him in a while, but you don’t forget a name like Peyton Pallette.

After being skipped last week, Brock Porter returned, briefly, and struck out four of nine batters. His sometimes-iffy control was fine, although he did unleash a wild pitch that scored a runner from third.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Corniell / TBA
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco lost its fifth of six on the final northern road trip to fall two back of first. Hickory was shut out by division-leading Lakewood. Down East lost 2-1 to reach something of a nadir, 20-48 after a 30-22 start. The Woodies would play close to .500 ball the rest of the way. 2018, baby!

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Friday 11 August

Yesterday, OF JP Martinez was added to the 40-man and active rosters, replacing both OF Travis Jankowski (paternity leave) in San Francisco and OF Bubba Thompson on the 40.Martinez started in left and batted 6th in his MLB debut, collecting a walk in four trips to the plate.
I wrote about Martinez Thursday. As for Thompson, I had three guys in mind for possible removal from the 40, and he was one. So not a surprise, but for Thompson, it has to sting a little extra to lose his spot to his direct replacement. Thompson wasn’t hitting well (better in AAA, but not to league average), and the backing data wasn’t promising. Perhaps in a year like 2022, Texas could have afforded more time for potential improvement, but not now.

Because the trade deadline has passed, Thompson cannot be traded even though he was designated for assignment, if I’m understanding Major League Rule 6(d)(3) correctly. He’ll either be claimed or outrighted. Thompson is in his seventh pro season and can become a free agent after the season if outrighted. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, 3 GB, 64-47 overall

SP Zak Kent: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 46 P / 30 S, 1.00 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 6.64 ERA
RP Jake Latz: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 5.11 ERA
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (5), BB, .273/.392/.488

Zak Kent was solid for three innings, surrendering a solo homer to Wynton Bernard and not much else. Kent was most effective with the cutter, getting three misses and three calls out of 13 thrown, including both strike threes.

Cole Winn held ABQ scoreless for almost five innings, looking quite sharp for the first 3.2, after which his his control promptly disappeared. Winn finished his fourth inning with a walk and a strikeout that began with a 2-0 count, and I thought he was done for the night. Instead, he returned for the 8th and began the inning with nine straight balls. After a double steal, Albuquerque had runners at second and third with none out and Round Rock clinging to a 2-1 lead. Relying mostly on a a slider over which he still had good feel, Winn induced a popup and struck out a batter on nine pitches. Lefty Jake Latz entered to strike out Albuquerque’s lone lefty Daniel Montano to end the threat, and in the 9th he warded off a collection of righties for the save. Winn was solid more often than not and fought through a tough spell, but the control lapse was especially hard on his fastball, which ended up a strike only 43% of the time.

Dustin Harris homered to center, 422 feet at 101.7 MPH, his second-hardest hit in AAA.

AA: Frisco 2, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 1
Frisco: 5 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 22-15, tied for first, 53-52 overall

SP Dane Acker: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 42 S, 3.16 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.01 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (4), .235/.350/.353

Frisco scored both runs on a dismal error by Corpus Christi’s Jonathan Sprinkle in the 7th. With no score and runners at the corners, recently promoted Jayce Easley bunted to Sprinkle, whose throw to first bounced several feet in front of the fielder and then down the line. Both runners scored, and Easley reached third.

At last calculation about two weeks ago, the Riders had allowed 7% more runs than the park-adjusted league average, but they’ve held Corpus to three runs and 14 hits in the first four games of the series.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Asheville (HOU) 3
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 28-11, 3 G up, 55-45 overall

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 78 P / 51 S, 5.69 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2 BB, .270/.321/.459
RF Angel Aponte: 2-4, 2 SB (6), .205/.273/.291
1B Tucker Mitchell: 1-4, HR (9), .264/.359/.449

Winston Santos tied a season-high six strikeouts. Jackson Kelley and Gavin Collyer added scoreless innings.

Wyatt Langford did not play. As well as the Crawdads have played lately, they’re not adding to their lead because Bowling Green has stopped losing. Hickory had a 4.5-game lead with a 17-6 record, won 11 of the next 16, and lost 1.5 games in the standings.

Lo-A: Down East 7, at Kannapolis (CHW) 8
Down East: 5 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-20, 6 GB, 57-44 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 52 S, 2.75 ERA
RP Eury Rosado: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, HR (7), SB (19), .202/.299/.360

Down 6-0 in the 6th, the Wood Ducks flapped back and took the lead in the 9th on a two-run homer by Jojo Blackmon. Before him, Quincy Scott (1-4) hit a fly down the opposite line. RF Drake Logan took a very creative route and then had the ball bounced over his head, and Scott was credited with a triple. Some crazy fielding by the opponents last night. (Logan also has the second highest K rate in all the minors at 46%. Best wishes to him.)

Alas, the bottom half. In his full-season debut, 2023 4th-rounder Skylar Hales began the inning with a walk. After deep out to center, catcher Calvin Harris’s opposite fly cleared the short porch in left (roughly 335′ about 50 feet inside the pole) to end the game.

Joseph Montalvo had better control than usual but allowed his most runs of the season.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Bradford
AA: Nordlin
Hi-A: Lockhart
Lo-A: Porter

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hans Crouse held low-A Lakewood to a run in six innings. Yerry Rodriguez, who replaced Crouse in Spokane, struck out eight and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Thursday 10 August

Sean Bass, Michael Tepid and I have a new Diamond Pod. Links are in the signature below. I want to correct two items. I’d said the Rangers have already outscored their 2022 run total. Actually, it’s 2021 they’ve outscored, 659 to 625. Also, TK Roby didn’t have Tommy John surgery, but he did miss the last four months of 2021 with an elbow issue.
MLB Pipeline updated their Texas top 30 and overall top-100 rankings. OF Evan Carter is listed 9th, OF Wyatt Langfield 13th, IF Sebastian Walcitt 67th, and RHP Brock Porter 98th. I’ll have more on that Monday.No word yet on the addition of OF JP Martinez or who he’s replacing on the 40-man roster.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 15, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 14 hits, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 3 GB, 63-47 overall

SP Robert Dugger: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 101 P / 63 S, 4.46 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.77 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4.15 ERA
CF Bubba Thompson: 2-5, 2B, BB, SB (16), .260/.362/.378
RF Elier Hernandez: 3-6, 2B, .304/.360/.520
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-1, HR (21), 4 BB, .237/.371/.492
1B Blaine Crim: 1-4, BB, HBP, .285/.390/.504
DH Justin Foscue: 1-4, 2 HBP, .262/.386/.444
LF Sandro Fabian: 3-6, 2 2B, HR (17), .297/.338/.558

I imagine the Albuquerque Isotopes’ brass around a conference table, someone saying “our park is so hitter-friendly, can we do anything about that, like move the fences back?” Someone else says “that would be too expensive. What if we solved the problem for free, mathematically, by giving up a zillion runs on the road to even things out?”

The Topes have allowed 35 runs in the first three games of the series at Round Rock. Sandro Fabian had a day: four balls hit over 103 MPH, resulting in two doubles, a homer, and a groundout. Everybody listed above plus Dio Arias (2-4, BB) and Matt Whatley (1-4, BB) reached at least twice. Conversely, releiver Jonathan Hernandez had his first three-strikeout inning in Round Rock.

AA: Frisco 5, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 4 hits, 7 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 21-15, 1 GB, 52-52 overall

SP Noah Bremer: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 66 P / 42 S, 6.66 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 3.52 ERA
RP Terry Matthews: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 8.15 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.13 ERA
DH Evan Carter: 1-4, 3B, .280/.406/.447
RF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (11), BB, .263/.381/.443
C Liam Hicks: 1-2, 2 BB, .278/.401/.417

Frisco shut out Corpus for a second straight night and reached .500 overall for the first time in over three months. Reliever Justin Slaten struck out six batters in a row, and Antoine Kelly retired the side in the 9th on just six pitches.

Hi-A: Hickory 5, at Asheville (HOU) 3
Hickory: 9 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-11, 3 G up, 54-45 overall

SP Juan Mejia: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 48 P / 29 S, 1.71 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Wyatt Langford: 1-3, 2B, BB, .400/.545/.800
C Tucker Mitchell: 3-4, HR (8), .264/.358/.437
2B Benjamin Blackwell: 1-4, HR (1)

Wyatt Langford has only played left field so far, in keeping with his usual position in college.

Benjamin Blackwell is a 24-year-old undrafted infielder out of Clemson, born at Fort Bragg (now Liberty) in North Carolina, so he had the pleasure of knocking his first professional homer in his home state.

Lo-A: Down East 6, at Kannapolis (CHW) 4
Down East: 8 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-19, 6 GB, 57-43 overall

SP Thomas Ireland: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 61 P / 40 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.03 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 2.93 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, BB, SB (26), .263/.330/.329
C Ian Moller: 0-1, 3 BB, .185/.332/.298
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, .444/.474/.444
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, .197/.296/.341

Among the best pitchers at the Surprise complex in 2023, 21-year-old lefty Thomas Ireland had a successful full-season debut. Texas drafted him in the 13th round of 2021 out of Polk State JC.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Kent
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: Montalvo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
JP Martinez, Dio Arias, Jax Biggers, and Curis Terry all had three hits in Spokane’s 14-7 drubbing of Boise.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Wednesday 9 August

Per local reports, the Rangers plan to call up outfielder JP Martinez from Round Rock. Texas has today off and doesn’t need to add him until tomorrow evening. His addition will require a 40-man move.

Martinez has enjoyed a breakout year in his first full season in Round Rock, batting .312/.427/.565 with 20 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, and 33 steals in 67 games. He’s spent a small majority of his field starts in center. He’s improved both his walk and strikeout rates this season, swung at better pitches, and garnered better results across the board. Ages ago, a slightly older-than-average and previously underwhelming prospect who did the same was Craig Gentry.

Some caveats:

1. He’s 27, only eight months younger than Nathan Lowe, nearly three years older than Leody Taveras.

2. As I’ve mentioned, while his resurgence at the plate this season is genuine, he’s also been a little lucky. He’s hitting .401 on balls in play, 55 points above his full-season average entering 2023. On grounders and generally soft contact, he’s hitting .317. His teammates are hitting .177. Sure, he’s faster than most, but that only goes so far, and he did not hit better than average in those velo/angle categories last year.

3. Sad to say, there are many, many examples of hitters doing unexpectedly well in the hothouse PCL environment only to hit at a sub-replacement level in the Majors.

As a role player, JPM could be a great addition. He runs well and can play center. His batted-ball data doesn’t leap off the page, but he hits hard at a decent rate and isn’t too prone to grounders or pops. 

The choice over Thompson is telling, given the 40-man ramifications. Thompson has an adequate slash line (.254/.357/.369) but isn’t hitting nearly as hard. His 75th percentile exit velo of 94.4 MPH is the lowest on the team. Thompson’s top-tier velocity is better than Martinez but less frequent.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, Albuquerque (COL) 6
Round Rock: 12 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 10 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 18-17, 4 GB, 62-47 overall

SP Glenn Otto: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 45 P / 22 S, 4.50 ERA
DH Blaine Crim: 3-4, .285/.389/.507
2B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, BB, .263/.384/.447
1B Dustin Harris: 2-4, .271/.389/.466
LF Sandro Fabian: 3-4, HR (16), .293/.335/.543

Glenn Otto threw fewer pitches than his previous two AAA outings since being optioned. I imagine the idea is to use him as a once-through-the-order type that would be his likely role if needed again by the Rangers. His sweeper was a menace: 13 thrown, three balls, two calls, seven misses out of eight swings.

Justin Foscue was back in the lineup after being announced then withdrawn on Tuesday.

AA: Frisco 6, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 2
Frisco: 9 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-15, 1 GB, 51-52 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 6 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 64 P / 46 S, 6.66 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.75 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .262/.379/.435
RF Kellen Strahm: 4-5, HR (5), .259/.375/.370

Trevor Hauver is batting .316/.423/.526 in the second half. On the whole, Kellen Strahm hasn’t built on last year’s pretty good season in Frisco, but he’s been reaching base consistently since May.

If you’re going to put runners on base for free, it’s more efficient to hit them than walk them, and Nick Krauth worked through six innings on a spiffy 64 pitches. He’s plunked 14 batters in 82 innings, trailing only Winston Santos’s 15.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, at Asheville (HOU) 9
Hickory: 7 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 26-11, 3.5 G up, 53-45 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 2.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 55 P / 37 S, 5.23 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2.88 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, SB (9), .284/.320/.493
LF Wyatt Langford: 3-3, 2B, HR (1), BB, .409/.552/.818

Wyatt Langford collected a walk, single, double, and his first full-season homer. Langford has reached safely 15 times versus 13 outs in Hickory.

I suppose I should broach the topic of whether he’s already ready for AA. My ice-cold take on that is: possibly, but he’s fine where he is, and I’m not worried about it. He’s been a professional player for less than a month, and he’s getting acclimated to the professional system. Doing so in an “easy” environment is okay by me. In aggregate, the high-A level is not a step down from even an elite college conference like the Southeast. Josh Jung, picked 8th overall out of the Big 12’s Texas Tech, batted a decent but not awe-inspiring .287/.363/.389 in 40 low-A games straight out of college. Looking back a few years, I’m not seeing any top college hitters who reached AA the year they were picked. My expectation when he was picked was that he’d begin 2024 at Frisco. As for this year, simply being on the field somewhere is sufficient.

Lo-A: Down East 10, at Kannapolis (CHW) 4
Down East: 17 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 19-19, 6 GB, 56-43 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 54 P / 34 S, 2.38 ERA
RP Kai Wynyard: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1.57 ERA
RP CJ Widger: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.46 ERA
DH Konnor Piotto: 2-5, HR (3), .277/.361/.394
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, 2B, .220/.310/.335
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-5, 2 SB (25), .263/.327/.329
C Ian Moller: 3-5, .186/.327/.299
RF Quincy Scott: 3-5

Down East scored ten runs for the first time since June 30th, and the 17 hits were a season high.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Dugger
AA: Bremer
Hi-A: Mejia
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Jonathan Hernandez offered his best AA start, striking out nine and shutting out Arkansas for six innings.