Month: August 2023

I listed Sebastian Walcott as an OF yesterday. He’s a shortstop.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, Albuquerque (COL) 5
Round Rock: 16 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-17, 5 GB, 61-47 overall

SP Owen White: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 75 P / 42 S, 5.18 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.83 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.06 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 3-4, 2B, HR (20), BB, .236/.360/.484
1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, .280/.385/.501
LF Dustin Harris: 1-5, HR (4), .263/.386/.465
3B Dio Arias: 3-5, 2B, .264/.331/.381
C Matt Whatley: 2-4, 2B, HR (3), .213/.290/.317

Owen White was okay, working through some occasional control lapses. What was categorized as a four-seamer had the lowest average velocity of his six AAA appearances: 91.9 MPH. Early on, I wondered on twitter whether they were actually sinkers because of the lack of usual ride. Reviewing the data today, I found an additional three inches of drop compared to his previous appearances, but none of the extra run of his sinker. So, a standard, “old-fashioned” fastball, if you will. Ultimately, the opposition didn’t trouble him too deeply, but in terms of thinking about an injury-replacement call-up or 2024, it wasn’t a standout performance. In 24.1 AAA innings, White has walked or hit 16 and struck out 13.

Chase Lee struck out the side in order on 13 pitches in the 9th. The Isotopes swung at five pitches without so much as a foul. Lee doesn’t become a Rule 5 situation until the end of 2024, but he’ll be up before then. Like Grant Anderson, on his lesser days you’ll wonder how he ever gets anyone out, but when he’s on he’s downright scary.

Say a little prayer for Josh Rogers, who reached the Majors as an 11th-round pick but is homer-prone in the best of circumstances and now finds himself pitching for Albuquerque in the PCL. Rogers has allowed 25 homers in 80 innings this season. In the 4th, he allowed five elevated shots over 100 MPH in a stretch of seven batters, resulting in three homers and two doubles. Four of those hits came after a visit from the pitching coach. The ‘Topes really wanted him to finish four innings. He did not.

During that 4th, Matt Whatley and Davis Wendzel smacked 89 MPH mid-mid sinkers over the wall. Dustin Harris turned on a slider. Watch them all here.

AA: Frisco 6, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 6 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 1 hit, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 19-15, 1 GB, 50-52 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 6.69 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.75 ERA
RP Triston Polley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.48 ERA
DH Trevor Hauver: 1-2, 2 BB, .258/.374/.429
RF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, BB, .234/.339/.320
2B Frainyer Chavez: 1-4, HR (1)

A trio of Riders held the Hooks to a lone hit, a one-hop double over the fence in the 7th. Ryan Garcia didn’t allow a run for the first time this season. His previous best start (7 IP, 1 R) was two months ago in the same location. That was also the last time any Frisco starter lasted at least six innings.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, at Asheville (HOU) 1
Hickory: 7 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 26-10, 4 GB, 53-44 overall

SP Jose Corniell: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 86 P / 61 S, 4.02 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 5.95 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (19), .316/.371/.673
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-4, HR (7), .258/.275/.404
C Cooper Johnson: 3-4, HR (1), .241/.388/.329

Hickory has three seven-inning starts this season, one from Josh Stephan in April and back-to-back outings from Jose Corniell.

Abimelec Ortiz has 26 homers between Hickory and Down East. The last Texas minor leaguers with at least 30 were the elder Matt Davidson and Patrick Wisdom in AAA in 2019. The last who you would consider a traditional prospect was Joey Gallo with 42 in 2014.

Lo-A: Down East 1, at Kannapolis (CHW) 3
Down East: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 18-19, 6 GB, 55-43 overall

SP Luis Ramirez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 28 P / 17 S, 4.31 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.05 ERA
RF Jojo Blackmon: 1-2, 2B, BB, .192/.293/.335

Luis Ramirez returned from a month-long IL stint. Jojo Blackmon is the only hitter with an OPS above .700 in the second half (.267/.364/.384).

Today’s Starters
AAA: Otto
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Teodo
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Off-days and rain, mostly. Hickory’s Demarcus Evans struck out four in two scoreless innings. Since mid-May, he had an 0.76 ERA with a 53% strikeout rate in 23.2 innings.

Rookie: 3-9 since last check-in, 18-28 overall, 8 GB
LHP Thomas Ireland (21): 8.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, BB, 11 SO, 1.42 ERA
RHP Dianye Florentino (23): 5.2 IP, 2 H (HR), 3 R, BB, HBP, 6 SO, 5.87 ERA
RHP Ivan Oviedo (20): 6.2 IP, 4 H (HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 5.82 ERA
RHP Skylar Hales (21): 2.1 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 3 R, 4 SO, 11.57 ERA

Five of Texas’s 11 pitchers signed from the 2023 draft have debuted professionally. Last year’s total was zero. 2022’s low-key version of the de-load program was apparently a one-year phenomenon. The five:

Skylar Hales (4th round): listed above
Izack Tiger (7th): one scoreless inning, two hits, one strikeout
Paul Bonzagni (12th): one scoreless inning at the complex, now at Down East
William Privette (13th): 1.2 IP, one hit, five walks, three runs
Josh Trentadue (14th): one scoreless inning, two strikeouts.

Tiger is 22, the others are 21.

Ireland was drafted in 2021’s 13th round but was inactive until this summer. He’s fanned 29 versus only five walks in 25.1 innings.

OF Wyatt Langford (21): 5-13, 3 2B, HR (1), BB, SB (1), .385/.429/.846
OF Sebastian Walcott (17): 6-35, 2 2B, HR (7), 6 BB, .293/.354/.569
IF Echedry Vargas (18): 13-44, 4 2B, HR (7), BB, 9 SB (14), .309/.375/.521
OF Wady Mendez (18): 11-30, 4 2B, HR (1), 3 BB, 3 SB (4), .267/.360/.392
OF Jose De Jesus (18): 11-38, 3 2B, 3B, 9 BB, 2 HBP, 0 SB (11), .229/.337/.350

Langford is in Hickory now.

Walcott endured a ten-game stretch in which he struck out 24 times in 43 trips to the plate (56%). Nevertheless, he still ranks fifth in the league in slugging.

Vargas leads the team with 21 extra-base hits. His 14 doubles rank second in the league.

The only 2023 pick active in Arizona is 11th-rounder Max Martin, who was 2-4 with a homer in last night’s pro debut. Catcher Julian Brock (8th) is the only drafted position player awaiting his turn.

The Texas Rangers have recalled Jonathan Ornelas from AAA Round Rock to replace the injured Josh Jung.

Texas drafted Ornelas in 2018’s third round, and he’s climbed one organizational level each subsequent year. Only three other high schoolers were taken that round, and Ornelas is the first to reach the Majors.

Where he’s played has sometimes depended on his teammates, but he’s spent 72% of his AAA starts and 57% of his professional career at short. In 2023, he’s manned third less than ever, only four starts out of 88 in the field, but again, I think the roster composition is at least partly driving that. Second base is another option, as is center field, although his experience there has been limited to just 11 games during 2022-2023. He’s favorably resolved questions about his positional flexibility.

Entering 2022, Ornelas was a marginal 40-man candidate, absent from the top-30 rankings of Baseball America and MLB.com. He’d received an aggressive assignment to AA as 21-year-old after a .261/.310/.394 season at high-A Hickory. In Frisco, he began making a case for himself immediately, hitting .370/.387/.452 in April, and ended up leading the team in average, hits, and runs. My 40-man preview write-up: “The thought of Ornelas facing MLB pitching next April doesn’t inspire confidence quite yet, but he sure seems like the type who’d get swiped and hang on in a utility role. A contact-oriented bat, some power, some speed, positional flexibility including proficiency at short and center that extends beyond ‘he can play there if he has to.’ “

In AAA, Ornelas has been reasonably successful at the plate (.250/.360/.348), albeit more than a little strange. His walk/HBP rate in full-season ball has jumped from 9% in 2019-2022 to 15% this season, an astounding jump for anyone, much less a 22-year-old in AAA for the first time. Perhaps Ornelas has been able to take advantage of the automated AAA strike zone. Ornelas will try to work the count, arguably to a fault. He’s swung at only 13% of first pitches, easily the lowest on the team, and has seen the most called first strikes. The additional walks have fueled the same .360 OBP as the year before despite a 49-point decline in batting average.

Ornelas’s hard-hit rate of 34% and other exit velo stats are near the middle of the Express pack. He has become an extreme ground-ball hitter, leading the Pacific Coast League in that category. Ornelas is batting .225 and slugging .241 in the 55% of his plate appearances with a launch angle of +4 degrees or lower. When he elevates to +5 degrees or better, he’s hitting .477 and slugging .761. No, Ornelas is not  Adolis Garcia, and not every hitter should be aiming for the cheap seats every swing. But Ornelas can drive the ball capably, and all the extra grounders have cost him some hits and extra-bases.

Ornelas isn’t the bat-first choice among potential call-ups but offers the most flexibility. Other 40-man options were OF Bubba Thompson and 1B/OF Dustin Harris. Thompson is a reasonable bench choice but obviously doesn’t aid the infield situation. Harris is fairly new to AAA and best suited to 1B. Off the 40, Justin Foscue has hit better than Ornelas but has less defensively proficiency and at fewer positions. Davis Wendzel is the anti-Ornelas, an extreme fly hitter. He’s improved on 2022 but not enough to justify a 40 move, I don’t think.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 17
Round Rock: 11 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 22 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-17, 6 GB, 60-47 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 3 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 50 S, 2.74 ERA
3B Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, HR (15), .276/.385/.489
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-4, HR (19), .229/.355/.461

OKC has the league’s best offense (adjusted for park) and took advantage of a Cody Bradford who threw more center-low strikes than I’m accustomed to seeing. Good as he’s been, Bradford is going to have occasional days like this. Danny Duffy (1.1 IP, 2 R), Jonathan Hernandez (2 IP, 1 R), Yerry Rodriguez (0.2 IP, 4 R), and Chase Lee (0.1 IP, 3 R) couldn’t do much more than watch the fire, although the latter two were also hurt by the defense.

The Dodgers won the first half and are leading the second. If that holds, the team with the next-best record gets the other playoff spot. Right now, that would be the Express.

AA: Frisco 2, Midland (OAK) 4
Frisco: 7 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 18-15, 2 GB, 49-52 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 74 P / 47 S, 5.63 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.10 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 7.00 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.18 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, HR (5), BB, .203/.362/.304

Antoine Kelly hasn’t allowed an earned run in 18 appearances covering 20.1 innings. Three unearned runs have scored, consisting of an extra-inning gift runner and two who originally reached on errors. Honestly more impressive are the three walks in this span. He’d walked or hit 19 in the previous 21 innings.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Aberdeen (BAL) 1
Hickory: 9 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 25-10, 4 G up, 52-44 overall

SP Nick Lockhart: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 38 P / 22 S, 1.86 ERA
RP Luis Tejada: 3 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4.76 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 HBP, 3 SO, 5.40 ERA
DH Wyatt Langford: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (2), .375/.524/.688
2B Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, HR (7), .255/.303/.370
RF Geisel Cepda: 3-4, SB (8), .287/.371/.367
3B Jayce Easley: 2-3, 3B, BB, SB (23), .194/.356/.252

Hickory swept the six-game series. Wyatt Langford has six hits and five walks in four high-A games.

Larson Kindreich walked or hit six batters in a stretch of ten faced, but none scored.

Lo-A: Down East 0, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2
Down East: 8 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 18-18, tied for first, 55-42 overall

SP Brayan Mendoza: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 73 P / 45 S, 3.12 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 6.00 ERA
RF Tommy Specht: 3-4, .248/.363/.331
1B Anthony Calarco: 2-4

Down East’s offense:
1st half: .237/.329/.380 (111 OPS+), 4.9 runs per game
2nd half: .217/.310/.311 (85 OPS+), 3.6 runs per game

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Northwest League All-Stars: 1B Curtis Terry and 3B Dio Arias (starting), C Francisco Ventura, pitchers Hans Crouse and Emmanuel Clase.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 3
Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 16-16, 5 GB, 60-46 overall

SP Zak Kent: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 35 P / 21 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 3 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 7.05 ERA
RP Jake Latz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.40 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2B, .276/.385/.489
LF Sandro Fabian: 2-4, HR (15), .287/.330/.536

Obliques and Hamstrings. My old line was that whenever someone suffers one of those injuries, add 2-3 weeks to the whatever timetable you hear, because they always seem to linger. I don’t recall hearing a recovery period for Kent’s oblique, but I don’t know that anyone was expecting four months between AAA appearances. Kent threw a four-seamer, sinker, and cutter in the 89-94 range, a mid-to-upper-80s slider, and some low-80s curves. No changes, just like his first start in April. (My characterization of Kent’s pitches doesn’t quite match Statcast, but sometimes the computer’s designations bother me.)

Cole Winn had a successful if not especially strike-heavy outing that included his fastest pitch of the season, 97.1 MPH.

Sandro Fabian’s skyscraping grand slam off a middle-high changeup held up, barely. Down three in the 9th, OKC began with three hits off Ian Kennedy and scored twice.

AA: Frisco 6, Midland (OAK) 2
Frisco: 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 18-14, 2 GB, 49-41 overall

SP Matt Bush: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 35 P / 21 S, 0.84 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3.72 ERA
RP Terry Matthews: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 8.59 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, 2B, BB
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, HR (12), 2 BB, .285/.414/.456
DH Liam Hicks: 2-4, HR (3), .276/.397/.421
C David Garcia: 2-3, HR (1), BB, .212/.321/.288

Evan Carter’s 1st-inning homer put the Express ahead for good. Ten Texas League hitters with at least 200 PA have an OBP of .400 or better. Carter is 20 months younger than anyone else.

Hi-A: Hickory 13, at Aberdeen (BAL) 5
Hickory: 16 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 24-10, 3.5 G up, 51-44 overall

SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 72 P / 44 S, 5.82 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 4-6, .262/.279/.402
1B Tucker Mitchell: 2-5, 3B, BB, .267/.366/.435
LF Wyatt Langford: 2-5, 2B, BB, SB (1)
RF Geisel Cepeda: 2-5, HR (5), 2 SB (7), .280/.366/.362

Wyatt Langford settled for a double on a shot down the left side.

Winston Santos didn’t allow a homer after giving up five in the previous two starts, but he was again hittable.

Aberdeen began the second half 17-7 but has lost ten straight including five to the Crawdads.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2
Down East: 5 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 18-17, 4 GB, 55-41 overall

SP Kohl Drake: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 54 S, 7.79 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 5.01 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.04 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-3, SB (23), .255/.323/.325

Fresh off the IL, LF Tommy Specht doubled in the go-ahead run in the 6th, and Down East would allow only one runner to reach scoring position, and then only briefly, in the final four innings.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I don’t know. Nothing of interest happened in the system, and as a joke I intended to use some actual news from that day, but all the stories were upsetting or depressing. Let’s just enjoy today instead.

Welcome back, Eric.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 7
Round Rock: 3 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-16, 6 GB, 59-46 overall

SP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 80 P / 46 S, 4.68 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 3.70 ERA

Round Rock was no-hit for 7.2, mostly behind Gavin Stone (6 IP, 10 K), who’s been up and down for the Dodgers this year (and absolutely walloped at the higher level).

Much as I’ve commented about the bare-bones rotation of the Express this year, they’ve pitched very well. I re-ran the numbers yesterday, and the Express are allowing 18% fewer runs than average adjusted for park, best in the league.

AA: Frisco 0, Midland (OAK) 5 (2)
Frisco: 6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 1 strikeout
Record: 17-14, 2 GB, 48-51 overall

SP Dane Acker: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 75 P / 48 S, 3.80 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 5.17 ERA
RF Evan Carter: 0-1, 3 BB, SB (14), .285/.412/.447

Leadoff hitter Chris Seise ended the no-hit threat in the 1st, but in other respects this games played out like the one above. Dane Acker allowed four runs of the first time this season.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Aberdeen (BAL) 5
Hickory: 8 hits, 9 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 7 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 23-10, 3.5 G up, 50-44 overall

SP Juan Mejia: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 55 P / 30 S, 2.12 ERA
RP Yohanse Morel: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.03 ERA
DH Max Acosta: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (17), .249/.300/.355
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (7), .259/.315/.388

Eight Crawdads divided the hits. In April and May, Max Acosta was hitting as well as ever, but he’s wound down since then: .200/.250/.286 since June 1.

Wyatt Langford had the night off.

Lo-A: Down East 7, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 1
Down East: 10 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-17, 4 GB, 54-41 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 65 P / 44 S, 2.42 ERA
RP DJ McCarty: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.83 ERA
SS Danyer Cueva: 1-3, 2B, BB, .259/.309/.372
RF Jojo Blackmon: 2-3, 2B, .192/.228/.333

2021 20th-rounder Joseph Montalvo ranks fifth in the system with 74.1 innings and tied for second with 88 strikeouts. Given that the leader in both categories is AAA vet Robert Dugger, you can bump the 21-year-old Montalvo up a spot if you’d like. Like Hickory, Down East spread the hits among eight batters.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
After a franchise-worst 24-46 first-half record, Frisco led the division outright with a second-half record of 26-17. The Riders would not go on to win the title, and 2018 is the only season I’ve covered in which at least one of Texas’s full-season affiliates did not make the playoffs.

Early March 2021:
Rob Manfred: We want to reduce the number of domestic minor leaguers under contract to 150.
Tony Clark: What? Absolutely not.
Manfred: Okay, 180. But the Royals have to carry a Barlow. Like, if Scott Barlow is traded or becomes a free agent, they have to get another Barlow.
Clark: (rolls eyes) Fine, whatever.

Kansas City claimed RHP Joe Barlow after trading reliever Scott Barlow at the deadline. Drafted in 2016’s 11th round, Joe’s vertically-oriented fastball-curve combo amassed a ton of strikeouts (and walks) during 2017-2018. Seemingly on the cusp of MLB in 2019, Barlow hit an exceedingly rough patch in AAA. In 2021, he introduced a slider that became his go-to, and his control improved significantly. Within six weeks of his MLB debut, he gained the closer role and saved 24 games between August 2021 and June 2022. Barlow wasn’t really bad in 2023, just not as good, but that was enough for him to lose his spot on a contending team.

Cole Hamels has retired. Hamels spent two full and two partial seasons with the Rangers, throwing 547 innings plus 16.2 more in three postseason starts.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 7 (10)
Round Rock: 9 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 5 GB, 59-45 overall

SP Glenn Otto: 3.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 70 P / 42 S, 4.58 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1.56 ERA
LF JP Martinez: 1-5, HR (12), .318/.432/.579
CF Bubba Thompson: 3-4, BB, 2 SB (15), .272/.387/.408
1B Dustin Harris: 1-4, HR (3), BB, .265/.394/.461

OKC scored three in the 9th to send the game to extras and another in the 10th. On for the save, Yerry Rodriguez surrendered a two-run homer before recording an out. With two out and the tying run on second, 3B Justin Foscue fielded a check-swing grounder and threw slightly errantly to Dustin Harris, who couldn’t quite fully grip the ball in his glove until the runner had crossed first. Meanwhile, the tying run scored all the way from second. The Express are 1-8 versus the Dodgers and play them nine more times, all on the road.

Here’s a list of Texas’s recall/option activity involving relief pitchers since June 5th:
6/05: Spencer Howard (spent 5 days on roster)
6/10: Yerry Rodriguez (3 days)
6/13: Owen White (1 day)
6/14: Joe Barlow (20 days)
6/24: Yerry Rodriguez (6 days)
6/30: Glenn Otto (23 days)
7/04: John King (3 days)
7/15: John King (4 days)
7/19: Alex Speas (6 days)
7/22: Yerry Rodriguez (9 days)
7/23: Owen White (4 days)
7/25: Spencer Howard (6 days)
7/30: Grant Anderson (ongoing)

Why June 5th as a starting date? That’s when Jonathan Hernandez was optioned, so he’s had two months of watching someone else get called up every few days. Hernandez has a 1.56 ERA in 17.1 innings at Round Rock. Opponents are hitting only .180 and slugging .246 against him. His velocity is fine. On the downside, opponents are still reaching at a .333 clip because of his 19% walk rate, and he’s walked a batter in ten of his 14 outings. He also has an unexpectedly low 19% strikeout rate. Hernandez is wiping out batters with his slider (50% miss rate when they swing, 24% of all sliders) but not getting results with the sinker (only a 52% strike rate and 4% swinging strike rate).

AA: Frisco 7, Midland (OAK) 6 (11)
Frisco: 11 hits, 7 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-13, 2 GB, 48-50 overall

SP Noah Bremer: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 78 P / 50 S, 7.90 ERA
SS Jax Biggers: 3-5, BB, .229/.344/.356
LF Evan Carter: 1-4, BB, HBP, .286/.408/.449
C Liam Hicks: 2-5, 2 2B, .270/.398/.401

Trevor Hauver ended the game with a double off a position player in the 11th.

In seven games since returning from a facial injury on a diving catch attempt, Aaron Zavala has seven walks but is 3-for-27 with 14 strikeouts. His average has dipped to .199, and his strikeout rate has ballooned to 36%, a shocking increase from his college days and the 21% rate in full-season ball entering 2023. Zavala had brace surgery in the offseason for a partially torn elbow ligament.

Hi-A: Hickory 15, at Aberdeen (BAL) 2
Hickory: 12 hits, 7 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 22-10, 4 G up, 49-44 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 69 P / 41 S, 5.13 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-3, 2 BB, HBP, 2 SB (24), .255/.273/.399
LF Wyatt Langford: 2-5, 3B, BB
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (18), .324/.379/.692
C Cody Freeman: 3-4, 2B, HR (10), BB, HBP, SB (6), .238/.294/.417

As I mentioned last night, Wyatt Langford has tripled in 20% of his high-A plate appearances, the highest rate in that classification by a huge margin. Let’s not quibble with him only having ten plate appearances. His second triple of the season smacked off the wall just left of the “404” sign in left-center. One curious aspect of Langford’s play at Florida was that his excellent speed didn’t manifest to the expected extent on the bases or in the field. Both of his triples were high, deep flies. It’s easy for a hitter to jog rather than sprint on such hits because they almost always result in a coast into second or a homer, but Langford legged out an extra base using his speed and awareness that a triple was possible upon contact.

Only three people have more homers than the 25 of Abimelec Ortiz, and they’re all at least three years older.

Larson Kindreich, Jackson Leath, Ricky DeVito, and Gavin Collyer provided scoreless innings.

Lo-A: Down East 0, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 6
Down East: 8 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 16-17, 4 GB, 53-41 overall

SP Wilian Bormie: 4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 68 P / 35 S, 7.56 ERA
RP CJ Widger: 3 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1.74 ERA
SS Devin Hurdle: 2-4
C Ian Moller: 2-4, .181/.326/.301
DH Miguel Villarroel: 2-4, 2 2B, .225/.265/.331

Down East puts runners in scoring position in six of nine innings but couldn’t bring anyone home.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Dugger
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Kindreich listed, but he threw an inning yesterday
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Taylor Hearn (5 IP, 1 R, 8 SO) and Wei-Chieh Huang (2 IP, 0 R, 3 SO) had fine organizational debuts in Frisco. CD Pelham earned the save in a 2-1 win over Corpus Christi.

Box Scores

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.

Hedges
Texas acquired catcher Austin Hedges for international pool money. Hedges is batting .180/.237/.239 this season. He’s at 187 plate appearances now, and assuming he reaches 250 and hits the same, his OPS+ of 28 would be the seventh worst in the 55 years of division play among hitters with at least 250 PA. His career OPS+ of 55 is fifth worst among hitters with at least 2,000 PA in the divisional era. Hedges used to be good for a homer every ten games or so, but he doesn’t even do that anymore.

So why bother? Hedges has 5.8 career WAR despite that awful batting. He’s still among the very best in baseball at framing and blocking. His caught-stealing rate is only 14%, but his teammates aren’t much better at a collective 17%, and the Bucs have allowed only five more steals than the league average. On the whole, he remains one of baseball’s premier defensive catchers.

Texas understandably made this trade despite cautiously optimistic news on the likelihood of Jonah Heim’s return. Optimism doesn’t equal certainty, and Heim’s availability, role, and quality could be significantly curtailed. The trade doesn’t speak highly of Sam Huff, although that may be too harsh an assessment. Had Heim’s injury occurred at this time last year, Huff would be getting all the action he could handle. In 2023, he remains a third catcher, fourth if Heim returns.

Howard
Texas traded RHP Spencer Howard to the Yankees for cash. I still believe Howard could figure it out and become a useful MLB pitcher, but I’m fine with no longer having to report on that process. The Gibson trade didn’t work out well for either side. Free-agent-to-be Ian Kennedy did his part, at least. Gibson chewed innings but was barely above replacement and wasn’t a consequential part of Philly’s 2022 postseason roster. I remember the shock of learning Hans Crouse’s inclusion in the trade after the initial announcement. By then, the guy with the upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider was gone, but he’d surprisingly built himself into a well-rounded starting candidate. High risk remained, though, and despite a stunningly quick MLB debut, his production above AA has been uniformly poor and interrupted by injuries.

New York optioned Howard to AAA.
Langford
Per local reports, OF Wyatt Langford is headed to high-A Hickory. Langford batted .385/.429/.846 in three games at the rookie complex. Nothing official yet.

Elsewhere
OF Willie Calhoun elected free agency after being outrighted by the Yankees. OF Rafael Ortega, an offseason signing who played 44 games for Round Rock before taking free agency, has been called up by the Mets. The Mets also traded righty Dominic Leone to the Angels. Another Texas offseason signing who eventually departed after not being called up, Leone had a 4.40 ERA with a good BB/SO ratio but seven homers in 30 MLB innings.

On the whole, Texas hasn’t missed any of the experienced relievers who took elected agency during the season when a call-up wasn’t forthcoming. Zack Littell probably comes closest. After leaving the Rangers, Littell had a short, unsuccessful spell with the Red Sox and then joined the Rays. He’s struck out 28 versus only two walks in Tampa Bay, but he’s been hittable (.299/.313/.443). He has pitched well enough lately to join the rotation, however. I suppose there’s an alternate universe in which he joins the Rangers and pitches well enough to obviate the need for Chris Stratton. Ex-Angel Ryan Tepera joined St. Louis after leaving the Express; he’s allowed four runners and two runs in two innings.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 2
Round Rock: 10 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
Record: 15-13, 3 GB, 59-43 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 63 P / 41 S, 4.79 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 3-4, HR (11), BB, 4 SB (32), .323/.435/.579
LF Dustin Harris: 2-5, 2B, 3B, .271/.407/.448

JP Martinez continues to hit, and I’m occasionally asked about him. July’s .268/.358/.549 was actually his worst month.

Martinez’s batted-ball stats are decent but hover near the mid-range of the team. They don’t leap off the page. As I’ve mentioned, his hit rate on poorly hit balls (grounders, soft airborne shots) is far above his teammates. Speed accounts for some of that but not all. Part of the problem is that for how he’d be likely be used, his skill set is largely redundant with Bubba Thompson’s. Would Martinez be better than Thompson? Possibly. Is that worth someone else’s 40 spot? Not an easy decision. For the Rangers in 2022 or on some other bad club this year, he’s probably getting a look in the Majors. Texas’s current situation would seem to preclude that.

AA: Frisco 5, Midland (OAK) 6 (10)
Frisco: 6 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 15-13, 3 GB, 46-50 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 74 P / 44 S, 7.24 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.30 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 7.88 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.29 ERA
1B Josh Hatcher: 1-4, HR (7), BB, .322/.360/.567

IF Keyber Rodriguez replaced Luisangel Acuna in Frisco. I’ll confess that the first time I saw him, from the back while Frisco was in the field, my immediate thought was “… Guilder?”

Hi-A: Hickory 5, at Aberdeen (BAL) 2
Hickory: 6 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Record: 20-10, 2.5 G up, 47-44 overall

SP Nick Lockhart: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 62 P / 40 S, 2.20 ERA
RP Luis Tejada: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 4.91 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.15 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (6), .310/.356/.619
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, 3B, .252/.263/.392
2B Jayce Easley: 0-1, 3 BB, 3 SB (21), .191/.350/.241

Cam Cauley spent the first ten games of the season rousing himself from a deep slumber (.132/.175/.211) but has batted .272/.357/.472 since. In Hickory, he’s still striking out more often than you’d like but is batting .481 with a .962 slugging percentage on contact.

Texas released RHP Spencer Mraz, drafted in 2019’s 33rd round. Mraz saved 12 games over the course of three A-level seasons, but his walk rate kept moving in the wrong direction. RHP Jackson Leath was promoted from Down East.

Lo-A: suspended in 1st

Two today. Some good news: IF Danyer Cueva was back in the lineup. Cueva suffered a head injury in a collision on the bases 12 days ago and was carted off to the hospital with a possible concussion.

12th-round righty RHP Paul Bonzagni was promoted to Down East after one single-inning performance in rookie ball.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Corniell
Lo-A: McCarty / TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Chris Tillman threw 1,145 MLB inning for Baltimore and only Baltimore, but he (probably) finished his career as a Texas Ranger. Texas signed him to a minor league deal after his release back in 2018. He pitched sparingly for Round Rock and became a free agent again. Tillman had shoulder surgery in 2019 and has sporadically attempted comebacks ever since but hasn’t signed a contract to my knowledge.