Month: July 2024

Trade 3
Texas acquired LHP Andrew Chafin for RHP Chase Lee and RHP Joseph Montalvo. Texas also designated RHP Jonathan Hernandez for assignment.

Chase Lee returned to Round Rock at the end of June. In eight appearances covering 10.2 innings, Lee has a 1.69 ERA but a line of .273/.373/.364. He’s avoided dangerous contact but has been walk-prone, although his overall strike rate has been fine. Lee is eligible for the Rule 5 draft if unprotected. I wouldn’t expect him to be protected in the fall, which is not to say he has no shot at the Majors. Indeed, he could be in Detroit before then. Lee is the type who probably needs a hot streak in AAA and/or an opening to get the call, after which he could an up-and-down reliever or, if all goes well, steady middle relief.

I wrote about Montalvo yesterday. He’s a legitimate starting pitcher candidate, albeit with a wide gap between present state and ceiling.

The deal seems reasonable. The Rangers gave up a couple of guys who might reach the Majors, but any significant contribution at that level is far from assured.

The surprise, I suppose, is designating Hernandez for assignment. In case you’ve forgotten, Hernandez is out of options. Regarding relievers, a theme of these reports is consistency. One can visit a Triple A park on any given night and see a reliever with MLB-worthy stuff, maybe even better than some relievers you see on tv. The problem is they look the part only half the time or thereabouts. In other appearances, they’re getting themselves into trouble, and wriggling out is so much harder at the MLB level. They just can’t be trusted, and they don’t get the call. Hernandez got the call years ago, but in other respects he’s fitted that description lately. Hernandez has ERAs of 5.40 and 5.05 the past two seasons, and while ERA is often a dubious stat for relievers, in this case I think it encapsulates his performance pretty well. Despite closer-worthy stuff, his inconsistency became too much to bear. That said, if I’m a GM on another team and have room, I’m certainly contemplating a waiver claim.

Also, Texas traded recently designated IF Davis Wendzel to the Reds for cash.

Review Follow-Up
The first comment I received about yesterday’s prospect review was “this report makes me want to go drink.” I get it. I had many more downs than ups. And, to be clear, my opinion is 2024 hasn’t been a great year for the farm overall. However, I want to offer some thoughts to leaven what might have come across as overly pessimistic.

The very nature of professional baseball is going to produce more downs than ups. Most prospects don’t pan out. Most prospects can’t pan out. There isn’t room. Each club has up to 165 domestic minor leaguers (plus more in injured lists, plus the DSL roster), only 26 spots on an MLB roster, fewer still in starting roles. Thus, at some point, the down arrow arrives for most prospects. Also, injured players almost categorically receive down grades.

“Down” does not equal “done.” Had I performed this exercise in late July of 2022, I would have had no better than a “down slightly” on Cody Bradford, who’d been hammered for much of the season in AA and sported a 6.26 ERA. Less than a year later, he was unhittable in AAA and making his MLB debut. Performances and outlooks can change in a hurry.

One issue might be the nature of my grading. For example, Gleider Figuereo leads the organization in homers and is at a higher level than when the season started, but I rated him “even.” That’s because he’s had the quality of season I more-or-less envisioned. In my head, anybody on a top-30 list is already fairly well regarded, so in that respect, continued progress is the baseline for an “even” rating. In retrospect, perhaps an “up slightly” grade is deserved for Figuereo, and some of my grades might be too harsh.

The review was limited to whoever appeared on the MLB list a few months ago. Unmentioned were Alejandro Rosario, Winston Santos, Skylar Hales, some rookie-league standouts, several others who might have caught your eye.

Others Released
RHP Collin Wiles — Texas’s 2013 supplemental first-rounder had joined to assist a shorthanded Round Rock in April, was injured, and then pitched in Arizona for a while.

RHP Michael Reed — 29-year-old converted outfielder struck out 38 but walked/hit 32 in 28.2 innings.

RHP Brendan Morse — Last year’s 18-rounder out of Niagara County Community College, allowed 79 runners in 34.1 innings at the complex.

RHP Logan Bursick-Harrington — 23, undrafted out of Davenport University (MI, not IA), 38 runners in 18 innings in Arizona.

RHP Biembenido Brito — The 21-year-old has been around a while and struck out near;y a third of his opponents, but control was a persistent problem.

RHP Jackson Leath — 2021 12th-rounder found occasional success at Down East and Hickory but spent most of 2024 on the shelf, threw two innings in Arizona.

C Efrenyer Narvaez — In the US since 2021, couldn’t take advantage of an extended look in Down East in 2022, hadn’t played very often since.

IF Marco Soto — organizational acquisition from the Phils for C Jose Godoy, an offseason signing.

I can’t recall Texas ever releasing so many players in late July. Two reasons: 1) the new 165-man domestic minor league roster limit. Texas has signed 18 draft picks and at least four others recently. Somebody has to create room for them. 2) The rookie season ended three days ago instead of late August.

Other Moves
To Round Rock: LHP Walter Pennington (trade), IF Frainyer Chavez (from Frisco), C Andrew Knizer (optioned), IF Justin Foscue (optioned), IF Jonathan Ornelas (optioned)

To Frisco: LHP Mitch Bratt (from Hickory), OF Luis Mieses (from Hickory)

To Hickory: RHP Izack Tiger (from Down East), 1B Arturo Disla (from Down East)

To Down East: LHP Thomas Ireland, RHP Kyle Larsen, OF Yeremi Cabrera, OF Jose De Jesus, 1B Pablo Guerrero (all from AZ)

Time To Fetch My Dueling Glove
Per Jamey Newberg: “According to Scott Lucas, the Rangers are promoting first baseman Arturo Disla to High-A Hickory. He’s fun. Arturo, that is.”

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, Sugar Land (HOU) 1
Round Rock: 9 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-13, 4.5 GB, 51-50 overall

SP Tim Brennan: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 49 P / 22 S, 4.43 ERA
3B Andrew Knapp: 2-4, 2B, .290/.370/.435

In 1,143 games in 14 years across the pros, college, winter and summer leagues, Andrew Knapp had played one game at third base. He doubled that figure last night. That plus Frainyer Chavez up from Frisco to play second gives the impression that recently optioned Justin Foscue and Jonathan Ornelas were only nominally active. Knapp handled a couple of grounders without incident.

AA: Frisco 4, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 11 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 17-11, 1 GB, 61-36 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 54 S, 3.75 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
RP Robbie Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.90 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.27 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-5, 2B, .262/.312/.397
1B Josh Hatcher: 3-4, .292/.338/.434
RF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, 2B, .317/.418/.573
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 3 BB, .217/.336/.300

Frisco scored on two sac flies, a fielder’s (understandable but incorrect) choice, and Cooper Johnson’s 10th-inning RBI single, the team’s first hit with a runner in scoring position. Ben Anderson pitched a gem. Skylar Hales, Robby Ahlstrom, and Seth Clark split three perfect innings and struck out seven.

Hi-A: suspended

Completed today.

Lo-A: Down East 9, @ Augusta (ATL) 5
Down East: 10 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 4.5 GB, 50-45 overall

SP Paul Bonzagni: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 10 SO, 87 P / 51 S, 3.68 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.38 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-4, HR (10), HBP, SB (19), .264/.317/.435
1B Pablo Guerrero: 1-3, 2B, BB
LF Marcos Torres: 2-4, 2 HR (6)

12 days ago, Paul Bonzagni’s high in strikeouts was six. He fanned nine last week and ten last night. He also walked a career-high four, but let the man have his moment. Two weeks ago, Bonzagni had a 21% K rate, not bad but lower than the league rate of 25%.

CF Jose De Jesus was 1-5, and RF Yememi Cabrera went 0-3 with a walk, HBP, and steal. As part of the Arizona Complex League’s best offense, De Jesus batted .335/.407/.455 with 21 steals. Cabrera was .201/.438/.571 with a team-best nine homers and 40 walks, and he swiped 17 bases. The two were also co-leaders with five triples. Vlad’s son spent only three ACL games on the grass versus 36 at first and another 13 at DH. He hit .301/.367/.522 with seven homers and 17 other extra-base hits.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Rosario
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco’s SS Yonny Hernandez improved to .294/.412/.353 with two singles and a walk. Milwaukee released him from AAA Nashville yesterday.

Trade 1
Texas acquired catcher Carson Kelly from the Tigers for catcher Liam Hicks and RHP Tyler Owens.

I assume Kelly will replace Andrew Knizer and perhaps have a more active role behind Jonah Heim, who’s having a down year in the midst of being one of baseball’s busiest catchers the past two years. Even if Kelly backslides some, he’ll be a better hitter than Knizer and rates better defensively as well. He could be worth an extra win above replacement to the Rangers, meaningful in the context of continuing the fight for the division. Kelly is a free agent this fall.

Texas acquired Owens for OF JP Martinez last winter. Owens’ K rate of 25% was very close to the average for a Texas League reliever, and he excelled at keeping runners off the bases and was handling Frisco’s high-leverage situations. I’d half-expected him to be in Round Rock by now. That said, I wasn’t optimistic that he’d gain a 40 spot this fall.

Hicks was Texas’s 9th-rounder out of Arkansas State in 2021. With good contact and a tremendous batting eye, Hicks posted a .403 overall OBP at various levels including .385 at AA Frisco. He drew some attention in 2023’s Arizona Fall League for a .449/.553/.522 line. Any power is incidental. Like Owens, I was lukewarm about his 40 chances this fall, but Hicks has a legitimate shot at the Majors, most likely as a third catcher or just-in-case type.

Trade 2
Texas acquired LHP Walter Pennington for RHP Michael Lorenzen.

I’m going to type this and see whether I’m struck by lightning: The Rangers had a surplus of starting pitchers.

Still here. Even with Jon Gray potentially on the shelf, Texas has Eovaldi, Heaney, Scherzer, Dunning, Mahle on the way, Bradford on the way, deGrom on the way eventually.

KC signed Pennington as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and purchased his contract earlier this month for a two-batter MLB debut. In AAA Omaha, Pennington had a 2.26 ERA in 59.2 innings (no Texas minor league reliever has more the 50) with a 9% walk rate and 33% strikeout rate. Opponents are hitting .181/.255/.282.

His repertoire:
Slider (51%): average 83 MPH, 81-85 range, not the sweepy type, misses on 27% of all pitches (!) and 48% of swings (!!), the finishing pitch to 58 of his 79 strikeouts;
Cutter (26%): average 88.1 MPH, 86-90 range, below-average miss rate but hitters aren’t doing much against it;
Sinker (21%): average 91.1 MPH, range 89-93, average 13″ of horizontal movement, not much of a bat-misser and can be hit hard but very difficult to elevate.

Pennington also has a small number of pitches classified as four-seamers and changes. He’s improved his control in 2024, bringing his walk/HBP rate down and getting ahead in the count much better than the league average. He’s traditionally handled lefties much better, although this year is an exception. He was assigned to AAA Round Rock.

Released
RHP Austin Pruitt — His rehab assignment had concluded. He was on the 60-day IL, so his dismissal doesn’t open a 40 spot.

OF Geisel Cepeda — Signed out of Cuba last year. .205/.293/.286 as a 26-year-old in AAA.

RHP Michael Brewer — The 2019 32nd-rounder had struggled at Frisco last year. On the shelf early and then at the complex for a month, the reliever posted a walk-heavy 4.86 ERA at Hickory.

IF/OF Jayce Easley — Easley was Texas’s 2018 fifth-rounder. He played everywhere but catcher with a plurality at second. Easley led Down East’s record-setting base-swiping squad of 2021 with 70 steals. In four full seasons, he has always finished with more combined walks and HBPs than hits, and he managed a .372 OBP despite a .226 average. He would have become a free agent after the season.

IF Ben Blackwell — Undrafted out of Clemson last summer, Blackwell played all over the infield mostly at high-A Hickory, hitting .213/.293/.274 in 87 games.

OF Jojo Blackmon — Blackmon signed for an above-slot $250k as Texas’s 11th-round pick in 2021. He was fun to watch, for a while an interesting combination of speed and progressing power. He could take a pitch but struck out nearly 40% of the time, swamping whatever he accomplished wen putting the ball in play. He spent part of 2024 at the complex wasn’t making headway toward high-A.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, @ Albuquerque (COL) 11
Round Rock: 12 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-12, 3.5 GB, 51-49 overall

SP Adrian Sampson: 3.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 80 P / 47 S, 5.91 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 2-5, HR (7), .287/.370/.405
SS Ezequiel Duran: 3-5, 3B, HR (2), .277/.302/.554
1B Blaine Crim: 1-2, 2 BB, .264/.374/.414
2B Jax Biggers: 2-4, 2 2B, .262/.390/.382

Ezequiel Duran’s five homers this week:
99 MPH / 23 degrees
99  / 28
101 / 21
101 / 23
111 / 20

Yesterday, I implied these would be homers in any PCL park, but I was going on general observation. As it turns out, some of these velo/angle combinations don’t leave the park as often as I suggested, but only for having slightly low angles, not for lack of velocity. Regardless, Duran had the type of week (.480/.500/1.700) that can’t simply be attributed to a friendly park.

AA: Frisco 4, Tulsa (LAD) 14
Frisco: 8 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 20 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 16-11, 2 GB, 60-36 overall

SP Winston Santos: 2.2 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 67 P / 40 S, 8.16 ERA
3B Josh Jung: 2-3, 2B, HBP
1B Abi Ortiz: 3-5, 2B, HR (8), .217/.290/.367
DH Aaron Zavala: 2-4, BB, .215/.329/.299

Abimelec Ortiz is on a tear: .391/.451/.674 in his last 12 games, three of his season’s eight homers.

Not on a tear: Winston Santos. All but one of his four AA starts has been beset by homers, walks, HBPs, combinations therein. We’ve been here before and have to be patient.

Incidentally, a little over five years after reaching AA, Tyler Phillips threw a shutout for the Phils. He truly spent most of those five years looking nothing like what got him to AA in the first place. The control-over-command repertoire led to a bevy of extra-base hits in AA. His control evaporated in 2021 along with his 40-man spot. 2022 was on the shelf, and 2023 and early 2024 gave the appearance of AAA depth at best.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 8 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 4.5 GB, 43-53 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 49 P / 31 S, 2.44 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 4.2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.96 ERA
DH Cam Cauley: 3-4, HR (7), .246/.297/.410
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, HR (1), .249/.302/.333

Anthony Gutierrez hit his first homer since last August. Although never placed on the IL, Cam Cauley hasn’t played much the last three weeks and only at DH. Nevertheless, two homers give him a .269/.321/.500 line in that limited span.

Lo-A: Down East 2, Fayetteville (HOU) 5
Down East: 4 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-15, 5.5 GB, 49-46 overall

SP Jose Gonzalez: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 55 P / 40 S, 2.08 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, HR (11), .281/.359/.438
RF Wady Mendez: 1-2, BB, 2 SB (18), .220/.330/.277

Arturo Disla has four homers in nine games since the All-Star break.

The top three in the organization in strikeouts are Kohl Drake (108), Jose Gonzalez (100), and Alejandro Rosario (99), just as I predicted in March. But seriously, if I’d offered a guess back then, I’d probably have said Leiter, Teodo, and Santos, who occupy the 4th through 6th spots. It’s probably not coincidence that the three leaders are 22-23 and did most or all of their damage in a low-level, pitcher-friendly league, but regardless, all have had fine seasons also unmarred by excessive walks.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas acquired Ian Gibault from Tampa Bay. Nashville’s final game at New Orleans was rained out and wouldn’t be rescheduled. The Baby Cakes (né Zephrys) would relocate to a new park in Wichita in 2020, ostensibly as a member of the PCL.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, @ Albuquerque (COL) 5 (completion of suspended)
Round Rock: 16 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

SP Steven Jennings: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 32 P / 25 S, 4.00 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 4-5, 2B, HR (4), .250/.278/.487
LF Dustin Harris: 2-5, 2 2B
CF Sandro Fabian: 1-4, HR (13)
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4

Ezequiel Duran is hitting .450/.476/1.100 with a double and four homers in five games at Albuquerque. Yes, Albuquerque, where pitches flatten and balls soar, and The Isotopes’ pitching is dreadful. That said, Duran’s exit/angle combos indicate his homers could have left any park, and nine of his 16 balls in play were at least 95 MPH. Meanwhile, Blaine Crim is making up for months of bad luck on balls in play, hitting a rec-softball-worthy .667/.706/1.133 this week.

AAA: Round Rock 11, @ Albuquerque (COL) 3 (7)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 14-11, 2.5 GB, 51-48 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 90 P / 55 S, 3.72 ERA
RF Sandro Fabian: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (4), .280/.346/.476
1B Blaine Crim: 2-2, HR (9), 2 BB, SB (6), .258/.363/.401
CF Dustin Harris: 2-3, HBP, SB (26), .282/.365/.393

Jack Leiter picked the wrong venue to strike out fewer than usual, but he escaped without excessive damage, which is all I care about in these instances. The park-adjusted league average runs allowed per nine innings in ABQ is 7.2, which would be four runs in five innings.

Incidentally, the ‘Topes have surrendered 8.7 runs per nine innings in their home park, and opponents are hitting .319/.397/.576 there. Just staggeringly poor.

AA: Frisco 5, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 16-10, 1 GB, 60-35 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 5.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 87 P / 63 S, 3.95 ERA
RP Tyler Owens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.80 ERA
DH Josh Jung: 1-4
LF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, BB, .320/.416/.587
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-2, HR (7), 2 BB, .210/.285/.348

Texas has some 40-man decisions upcoming. Josh Jung could be back very soon, Tyler Mahle’s rehab assignment expires in less than a week (barring a extension), and Cody Bradford has pitched on rehab twice this week. A path of least resistance would involve shifting injured pitchers Marc Church and Jose Corniell to the 60-day IL, which would allow them to accrue MLB service time but would not erase the option already used on them. Another possibility is Evan Carter, who hasn’t played in 63 days but remains on the ordinary IL for now. The Rangers also have some feasible DFA choices.

The active roster situation is tricky. I’d guess Justin Foscue or Jonathan Ornelas heads back to Round Rock when Jung is activated, but which current pitchers vacate for Mahle and Bradford? Those decisions could have impact well beyond a simple option.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-15, 4.5 GB, 42-53 overall

SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 51 S, 3.42 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, SB (12), .228/.362/.297

Unfortunately, the story of the week is the bullpen: 19.2 IP, 20 H, 21 R, 22 BB, 21 SO.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 2
Down East: 5 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 13-15, 6.5 GB, 48-45 overall

SP David Davallilo: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 51 S, 1.95 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1.88 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.60 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.59 ERA
1B Beycker Barroso: 1-2, HR (3), BB, .250/.412/.500

Fayetteville scored two and loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Bryan Magdaleno entered to strike out the next two batters.

Complex : Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 7
Rangers lose league semifinals 0-1
Rangers: 16 hits, 4, walks, 9 strikeouts
Diamondbacks: 10 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts

SP Collin Wiles: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, HBP, 2 SO
RP Thomas Ireland: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO
LF Yeremi Cabrera: 3-5
1B Pablo Guerrero: 3-4
2B Antonio Macias: 3-3, 2B, 2 BB
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5
RF Hector Osorio: 3-4, BB

A tough end to a fine season. After a double and two-out intentional walk, 22-year-old Angel Anazco walked the next two batters to force in the winning run.

30-year-old “rookie” Collin Wiles drew the start but had some trouble, including allowing a homer to Abdias De La Cruz, who didn’t go deep in 52 regular-season games, although he did manage 20 extra-base hits. Wiles is in Arizona on rehab. Texas had signed him to assist what was a badly shorthanded Express staff in April, but he suffered an injury in his second start. Fellow rehabber Larson Kindreich couldn’t complete an inning and surrendered three more runs. Down 6-1, Thomas Ireland (who spent all of this season at the complex after last season at Down East) was nearly flawless as the offense mounted a comeback. The Rangers had 21 runners compared to the Snakes’ 15, but the single-heavy attack left them wanting in the run column. Antonio Macias led off the 9th with a double, the only extra-base hit, but was stranded.

Sunday, the Diamondbacks will face the Dodgers, owners of the league’s best record at 40-20 and a 7-1 winner over the wild-card Giants.

Draft
Texas 20th-round pick C Mac Rose announced a commitment to Vanderbilt. He’d played at McLennan Community College, where 18th-round pitcher Kadyn Leon could play next spring. Texas conceivably could still sign Leon down the road as a draft-and-follow.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Sampson
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA (Gonzalez)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco’s Brock Burke allowed a run in 5.2 innings and fanned seven versus zero walks. Leody Taveras was 2-4.

Box Scores

AAA: suspended

The Express lead 3-0 in the 4th.

Texas released lefty Triston Polley, The 2019 16th-rounder didn’t throw terribly hard but had a sneaky slider. Unfortunately, intermittent control issues became much more pronounced in 2024, as he walked or hit nearly one of every five batters between AA and AAA.

AA: Frisco 0, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-10, , 59-35 overall

SP Kumar Rocker: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 37 P / 26 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Cody Bradford: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.25 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-3, 2B, BB, .310/.405/.592
3B Josh Jung: 1-3

Kumar Rocker excelled in his AA debut. The dominant pitches were fastballs (two and four-seamers, 96-99, steadily 97) and power sliders. He added a change, and few other pitches may have been slider variants but flirted with curve status. The tally: 37 pitches, 26 strikes. 11 balls, 6 called strikes. 20 swings, 8 misses, 6 fouls, 6 balls in play. Rocker still has what appears to be a fairly short stride to the plate but nothing like the stiff, halting delivery of 2022’s Arizona Fall league. Particularly compared to his days as Vanderbilt, the delivery is relaxed, lacking the obvious max-effort and falling off the mound. Video.

Josh Jung lined a single to left in his first at-bat, followed by a groundout and swinging K against Dodger prospect Chris Campos.

Hi-A: Hickory 0, Greenville (BOS) 10 (7)
Hickory: 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 11 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 3 GB, 42-52 overall

SP DJ McCarty: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 69 P / 41 S, 3.53 ERA

They pulled the tarp in the middle of the 7th. I assume the weather was poor, but after 11 walks (four of which plated runners), two hit batters, two wild pitches, and an error, maybe the grounds crew just said “we’re done” and dared anyone to argue.

Sebastian Walcott and Yosy Galan doubled.

Lo-A: Down East 1, Fayetteville (HOU) 0 (7)
Down East: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 11-15, , 46-45 overall

SP Bryan Mendoza: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 68 P / 50 S, 2.54 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.49 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, 2B, .277/.358/.426
2B Chandler Pollard: 2-2, 2 SB (30), .232/.311/.283

With two out and none on in the 4th, Arturo Disla reached on an infield single and advanced on a balk, wild pitch, and strikeout/wild pitch. Fayetteville had the game’s only hit with a runner in scoring position, but LF Erick Alvarez threw out Chase Jaworsky at the plate.

Brayan Mendoza and Victor Simeon combined on a mini-shutout. Simeon, who impressed me in Surprise, has struck out 31 in 21 innings and allowed only nine hits. His control isn’t good (16% BB/HBP) but good enough when combined with so few hits.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 2 (7)
Down East: 3 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 12-15, 6.5 GB, 47-45 overall

SP Kolton Curtis: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 41 P / 24 S, 3.05 ERA
RP Willan Bormie: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.54 ERA
CF Marcos Torres: 1-2, HR (4), .181/.284/.306

Marcos Torres knocked a three-run homer.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Drake
Lo-A: TBA (Davalillo)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Josh Jung was 3-4 for low-A Hickory. Las Vegas hit 11 home runs in defeating El Paso 20-11. with 36 days remaining in the season, every PCL team had already allowed more homers than the previous year.

Sorry for the delay. I’ve been dealing with computer virus trouble and lost a mostly completed report, and I had to care for other tasks before renewing this one.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Albuquerque (COL) 6
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 12-11, 3 GB, 49-48 overall

SP Owen White: 6 IP, 7 H (3 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 83 P / 52 S, 5.67 ERA
SS Ezequiel Duran: 1-4, HR (3), .211/.243/.408
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, SB (25), .280/.365/.387
1B Davis Wendzel: 1-4, HR (6), .293/.387/.517

Owen White deserved better. One of his three homers is catching up to the Voyager probe, but the other two were at speed/angle combinations that had left the yard only 14%-17% of the time in the PCL so far this season. The homers by Duran and Wendzel were not park-aided.

AA: Frisco 9, Tulsa (LAD) 3
Frisco: 8 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-9, tied for first, 59-34 overall

SP Tyler Mahle: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 55 P / 34 S, 4.50 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 4.10 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 2-2, 2B, HR (12), 2 BB, SB (10), .277/.336/.471
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, SB (5), .252/.303/.386

Tyler Mahle retired his final ten batters, but a single, walk, and two doubles in the 1st sullied his line. Bryan Chi produced a nearly identical line to last night in 2023 but in low-A, so Thursday represents a career outing. The 25-year-old Cuban had bounced all over the system in the season’s first month before settling in at Frisco, arguably a tougher-than-preferable location, but he’s slowly acclimating.

Cody Freeman’s 146 bases on hits are the best of his career, and we’re still in July. At 23, he’s still fairly young for the level.

Kumar Rocker will start tonight as an ordinary roster member, no longer on rehab.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-12, 2.5 GB, 42-50 overall

SP Alejandro Rosario: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 79 P / 55 S, 3.86 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 3-5, HR (9), SB (13), .195/.247/.414
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (6),

Hi-A: Hickory 6, Greenville (BOS) 7 (11)
Hickory: 7 hits, 10 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 14-13, 2.5 GB, 42-51 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 55 S, 3.03 ERA
RP DJ Peters: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.48 ERA
2B Jayce Easley: 1-2, 3 BB, 2 SB (16), .176/.316/.200
SS Sebastian Walcott: 0-2, 3 BB, .247/.344/.426
1B Luis Mieses: 3-5, 2B, SB (3), .275/.306/.483
LF Quincy Scott: 1-3, 2 BB, .209/.314/.275

A pity. Hickory went 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position in the two games. In the conclusion of the rain-suspended Wednesday game. the Crawdads had the tying run in scoring position in the 8th and 9th to no avail. In the regularly scheduled contest,  Hickory had the winning run on third in the 10th and tying run in the 11th but couldn’t get either across.

For the first time with Hickory, Alejandro Rosario avoided walking anyone, a commonplace occurrence in Down East. The updated Fangraphs top-100 prospect list contains Sebastian Walcott at #26, and, in a mild surprise, Rosario at #82. Rosario has certainly been story of the season in terms of prospects on the rise, but I wasn’t expecting such a lofty ranking so soon, although I was duly impressed  during my in-person visit in June.

June 6th was the last time Mitch Bratt allowed more than two runs or one walk.

Lo-A: wet

Two today.

Rookie: Rangers 2, Guardians 3
Record: 36-24, division champion

The Rangers concluded the regular season with a loss but ran away with the division, besting the M’s by eight games. They’ll play the Diamondbacks (39-21) tomorrow in a one-and-done, and if victorious they’ll face either the Dodgers (40-20) or Giants (33-27) in the championship. 

Brock Porter’s final complex-league appearance found a middle ground: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 0 SO. He allowed his first homer, but the combined four BB/HBP were actually a mild improvement on what came before. He exits with a 7.36 ERA and bizarre .150/.393/.225 opposing line. 16 of 56 batters (29%) reached via walk or HBP., and 10 (19%) struck out. The question now is whether Porter remains in Arizona or is given the chance to continue pitching in real games. I don’t have a good feel for that. Obviously, the control is dire, and he’d probably necessitate a another reliever warming before he even took the mound, but he has always been extraordinarily hard to hit, so heading to Down East isn’t automatically a much more difficult situation.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Rocker
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: TBA x 2

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I expanded on the organizational rankings provided by Fangraphs (12th) and Baseball America (28th). “The short, oversimplified version: FanGraphs acknowledges the lack of stars but credits the impressive depth. Baseball America acknowledges the lack of stars, glances askew at the depth, and decries all the injuries, which to be sure are numerous and gobsmacking.” I found a middle ground, predictably. Maybe too predictably. Fangraphs was an outlier on Solak, more confident than anyone I can recall that he’d become an everyday player, and that impression had an outsize effect on the rankings. Using the value system assigned to scouting grades, I found that decreasing him from a 50 to a 45 dropped the entire system from 12th to 17th. Regarding Baseball America, I felt the system had improved from a nadir of circa 2017, so if the Rangers were 28th in 2019, what were they then?

Texas’s top 17 picks have signed. Unsigned are #18 RHP Kadyn Leon, #19 Iowa LHP Cade Obermuller, and #20 C Mac Rose. The Rangers went well over slot to signed 5th-rounder Devin Fitz-Gerald and also spent $350,000 on 11th-round LHP Dalton Pence. As best as I can tell, they have very little extra money to entice Obermuller, who was ranked much higher on prospect boards than where he was eventually picked.

I had an idea that Kumar Rocker might reach AA this season after working his way through Down East and then Hickory, where he was stationed before the injury. Texas’s idea is to put him in AA now. Interesting timing. He’s scheduled to pitch Friday, joined by rehabbing 3B Josh Jung. Probably as good a day as any to go see a game if you’re in the neighborhood.

I also had an idea that Dane Dunning wouldn’t need more than one rehab appearance after I saw him on Saturday. He’s been activated, and Gerson Garabito was optioned.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, @ Albuquerque (COL) 6
Round Rock: 14 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 12-10, 2 GB, 49-47 overall

SP Tim Brennan: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 55 P / 34 S, 3.48 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 2-4, HR (2), BB, SB (5), .209/.243/.373
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .277/.363/.385
C Sam Huff: 3-5, 2B, .250/.324/.439
1B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, BB, .295/.391/.500
DH Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, .252/.359/.396

I mentioned yesterday that Ezequiel Duran’s exit velocities were slightly down in AAA. Last night’s 111.5 MPH, 441′ homer will help.

Six liners, five flies, just one one grounder, and one strikeout in Albuquerque from Tim Brennan. A recipe for disaster? Actually no, as the hardest-hit ball was the grounder, and the rest was a mix of singles and outs. The Express have closed the division gap from six games to two in four days.

AA: Frisco 5, Tulsa (LAD) 4
Frisco: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-9, 1 GB, 58-34 overall

SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 44 S, 3.72 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.01 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 1-3, HR (11), BB, .273/.328/.455
RF Abimelec Ortiz: 2-4, HR (6), .211/.282/.341
C Scott Kapers: 1-4, HR (2), .121/.167/.333

Abimelec Ortiz snapped a 23-game homerless streak. Obviously, power largely defines his prospect status, but he did bat a reasonable .269/.348/.333 in that dry spell.

Hi-A: suspended

They’ll finish today. Greenville leads 5-4 in the 8th. Sebastian Walcott is 3-4 with his ninth homer and 13th steal.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 6
Down East: 7 hits, 5 walks, 18 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 10-15, 6.5 GB, 45-45 overall

SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 2.41 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.21 ERA
C Julian Brock: 1-4, 2B, BB, .214/.299/.317
1B Arturo Disla: 2-2, HR (10), BB, .279/.358/.429

Adonis Villavicencio entered the 9th with a one-run lead, but his first four opponents reached safely, and all would score. Arturo Disla is the fifth Ranger to reach ten homers, following Gleider Figuereo (18), Sandro Fabian (12), Alejandro Osuna (12), and Cody Freeman (11).

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
“FanGraphs and Baseball America re-ranked teamfarm systems. FanGraphs placed the Rangers an optimistic 12th, while the venerable BA has them all the way down at 28th. That’s a two with an eight after it.”

Texas’s A-Level Affiliates Switch Again
Me, May 2023: “Unlike so many moves of yore (‘South Atlantic’ teams in New Jersey, western Kentucky, northern Ohio), relocation to Spartanburg doesn’t create a scheduling headache. Spartanburg could conceivably rejoin high-A, creating a rival just down the road in Greenville, and Hickory would fit comfortably in the low-A Carolina League if desired.”

I can’t remember if someone else floated the idea or it just popped into my head, but in any case, the new Texas affiliate in Spartanburg (Hub City) will indeed become a member of the high-A South Atlantic League in 2025, while the Crawdads drop to low-A, where they played from 1993 through 2019. While Spartanburg proper actually has a smaller population than Hickory, the general area has more people (although not by a huge margin). The distance between Texas’s A-level affiliates will decrease from 260 to 90. Hickory will lose nearby rivals Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro but gain Kannapolis. Hub City has a natural rival in Greenville; per the linked story, they’ll meet 24 times next season.

As for Kinston, once again losing MLB-affiliated baseball, I wrote about that situation last May. To my eyes (which don’t have a law degree but frequently peruse contracts), the Rangers lease with Kinston appeared very easy to break. Kinston was also likely facing a massive capital outlay to bring the stadium up to required standards, and I wondered whether that would be a worthwhile use of public funds. Asheville recently approved $38.5 million in renovations to McCormick Field. Modesto, a much larger city, will be losing its low-A club because of a purported $32 million in needed park improvements.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, @ Albuquerque (COL) 7
Round Rock: 10 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 11-10, 3 GB, 48-47 overall

SP Adrian Sampson: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 38 S, 5.83 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.86 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 1-5, HR (1), .190/.215/.317
RF Sandro Fabian: 1-5, HR (12), .285/.353/.480
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, HR (8), .249/.358/.393
LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (4), BB, .194/.325/.208

I’m glad I’m not reporting this from Albuquerque/Colorado’s perspective, mainly for how this specific game transpired, but also, imagine covering the Rockies. Down two in the 9th, Jax Biggers singled. With one out, Ezequiel Duran barely beat out a potential double-play grounder, and CF Greg Jones couldn’t execute a sliding catch of Andrew Knapp’s two-out shallow fly. Up stepped Sandro Fabian, who smacked a very mid-mid fastball 441 feet for a go-ahead two-run homer.

Trevor Hauver hit an inside-the-park homer. Hauver is, shall we say, not famous for his speed, but his liner to center eluded a diving CF Greg Jones and dribbled to the 428′-deep triangular cut-out.

Ezequiel Duran isn’t forcing a return to Arlington yet. Compared to his MLB figures, his exit velocity is down and his grounder rate is up. That’s probably just sample size. Some actual issues are swinging and missing first pitches at more than double the league rate (17% vs. 8%), and, not coincidentally, a 3% walk rate.

The Isotopes are 36-61. Until I read this article ($ link), I didn’t realize Albuquerque hadn’t posted a winning season since 2013. All but one of those seasons were as a Colorado affiliate. That’s hard to do. (Spanning over five decades, no Texas full-season affiliate has more than six consecutive losing seasons.) Some organizations value winning in the minors more than others, but you’d think a minor league team would occasionally finish above .500 simply by accident. Losing that consistently takes diligence. While it’s understandable that the Rockies would have trouble recruiting AAA pitching depth, they’re not alone in this regard, and fellow thin-air squads at El Paso, Reno, and Las Vegas have been competitive (Salt Lake is on a five-year losing streak).

AA: Frisco 5, Tulsa (LAD) 0
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 13-9, 2 GB, 57-34 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 22 P / 17 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Ben Anderson: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 4.09 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1.79 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.49 ERA
2B Max Acosta: 1-3, HR (4), .262/.324/.367
1B Josh Hatcher: 2-4, HR (8), .288/.330/.431
C Cooper Johnson: 1-2, HR (8), BB, .241/.342/.466

Cody Bradford’s second mound appearance since early April went swimmingly. Bradford tossed an inning in Arizona last Friday. He and his three new besties combined to shut out the team scoring a league-high 5.4 runs per game.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 5 hits, 10 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 14-11, 1.5 GB, 42-49 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 6 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 56 S, 6.95 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-5, HR (8), .242/.336/.415
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (11), .232/.362/.304

Sebastian Walcott untied the game in the 7th with a three-run homer.

Ian Moller has reached safely in 14 consecutive games (.349/.500/.442).

Aidan Curry allowed two homers but on the whole has slowly rounded into better form lately, particularly tamping down on excess walks. He could very well be someone whose end-of-season stats inspire groans but is actually on the upswing.

Lo-A: Down East 2, Fayetteville (HOU) 1 (10)
Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 17 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts
Record: 10-14, 6.5 GB, 45-44 overall

SP Paul Bonzagni: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 51 P / 38 S, 3.90 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.94 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.00 ERA
2B Echedry Vargas: 3-5, 3B, 2 SB (18), .268/.322/.432
3B Esteban Mejia: 1-4, HR (2), .219/.313/.384

A 2nd-inning single quickly erased any hope of Down East’s second no-hitter in two weeks, but Paul Bonzagni exceeded his previous high in strikeouts by three despite facing only 16 batters. Singles by Echedry Vargas and Danyer Cueva in the 10th plated the winner.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Brennan
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Rosario
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
A slow day. Ten years ago, Texas traded reliever Joaquim Soria for pitching prospects Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel. Neither would pitch in Arlington but would be included in packages for Yovani Gallardo and Cole Hamels, respectively, both crucial to Texas’s mid-2010s success. Knebel is currently with AAA Charlotte, while Thomson has spent the past four seasons in Mexico.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Oklahoma City (LAD) 0
Round Rock: 8 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 10-10, 4 GB, 47-47 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 81 P / 48 S, 3.59 ERA
RP Steven Jennings: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.00 ERA
RP Matt Festa: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 4.26 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.50 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-4, 2B, SB (3), .286/.379/.505
DH Sam Huff: 1-3, BB, .248/.325/.441
1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, BB, SB (5), .243/.354/.379
RF Kellen Strahm: 1-2, BB

Jack Leiter had a pretty good day in his first appearance since July 5th. The fastball constituted an unusually high 64% of his pitches, and he missed ten bats with it. Control was an occasional issue; he tended to miss glove-side, a persistent problem in 2022-2023. He also offered more curves (11) than any other secondary and tallied three more swinging strikes. Only one of ten balls in play was hit hard, a high fly for an easy out. The hits, all singles, came on a bloop, a medium-hard grounder, and an slow grounder.

Since rejoining the Express in mid-May, Leiter has a 4.10 ERA (park-adjusted league average is 5.32), an opposing line of .248/.359/.362, a 15% walk/HBP rate and 30% SO rate. Contra yesterday, his fastball hasn’t been an especially virulent bat-misser during this time, with a dead-average 25% whiff rate on swings and 12% overall. Opponents aren’t hitting it nearly as hard, however, slugging .436 on contact compared to a league average of .636.

Kellen Strahm saw his first action in AAA after being promoted two days earlier. Texas’s 2019 5th-rounder had spent the past two-plus seasons and 284 games in Frisco, batting .265/.371/.373 and spending a plurality of his time in center.

AA: Frisco 1, @ Wichita (MIN) 2
Frisco: 7 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 12-9, 2 GB, 56-34 overall

SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 HBP, 2 SO, 70 P / 42 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Tyler Owens: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.43 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (3), .313/.380/.609
C Liam Hicks: 1-3, BB, .264/.369/.361

Winston Santos’ first six batters included three HBPs and a four-pitch walk. Seeing an 0.2 in the innings column wouldn’t have surprised, but he survived that inning and faced the minimum over the next three.   

Hi-A: Hickory 5, Greensboro (PIT) 2
Hickory: 9 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 13-11, 1.5 GB, 41-49 overall

SP Ryan Lobus: 6 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 45 S, 3.78 ERA
C Tucker Mitchell: 2-3, 2 BB, .225/.321/.394
SS Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, BB, SB (12), .243/.338/.408
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .258/.308/.335
LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (8), .184/.287/.349

A master of efficiency, Ryan Lobus worked through the order the first time on just 25 pitches and a second with a total of 58.

In additional to his plate heroics, Sebastian Walcott made a snazzy relay throw to nab Mitch Jebb at third. The speedy Jebb had grounded sharply down the right field line to Quincy Scott. Walcott is hitting .318/.388/.500 in July.

C/1B Tucker Mitchell is back in Hickory after a seven-week injury absence and two-plus weeks of obliterating youngsters in Arizona (.390/.468/.732).

Lo-A: Down East 0, @ Delmarva (BAL) 2
Down East: 3 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-14, 6.5 GB, 44-44 overall

SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 51 P / 38 S, 2.23 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.79 ERA
RP Willian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.46 ERA
2B Chandler Pollard: 1-3, BB, SB (28), .232/.312/.284

Game time: one hour, 59 minutes. Several Wood Ducks pitched well, but the offense hit five balls out of the infield.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Short-season Spokane clinched the first-half division title with a 5-4 win over Everett. Daniel Robert pitched the last two innings. The baby Rangers also clinched with a 19-9 record. “Demarcus Evans’ last two years: 99.2 innings, 45 hits, 70 walks, 178 strikeouts.”

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Oklahoma City (LAD) 1 (10)
Round Rock: 5 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 9-10, 5 GB, 46-47 overall

SP Tyler Mahle: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 46 P / 28 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Dane Dunning: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.26 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.12 ERA
3B Davis Wendzel: 1-3, BB, .277/.375/.495
1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, 2B, BB, .242/.353/.379
C Matt Whatley: 1-4, HR (4), .198/.293/.370

OKC scored the game’s first run in the 10th. With the gift-runner aboard, Matt Whatley hit a pitch 108.7 MPH, harder than any of his previous 279 contacts in Round Rock. It carried the wall at an 18-degree angle, tied with six others for the lowest-angled homer by an Express hitter during the past three seasons.

As for the rehabbers, Tyler Mahle had a shaky 2nd, unable to control much and reaching at least three balls to four of five hitters. The other innings were fine. Dane Dunning’s velocity was down perhaps half a tick, but otherwise from my viewpoint he could have pitched in Arlington.

Facing the Express was recently optioned Bobby Miller, who after a sparkling rookie season has had trouble throwing strikes but landing mid-mid when he does. Round Rock was patient but couldn’t take genuine advantage of his in-zone offerings outside of Blaine Crim’s double.

AA: Frisco 1, @ Wichita (MIN) 4
Frisco: 4 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 12-8, 1 GB, 56-33 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 74 P / 40 S, 1.77 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.95 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1.87 ERA
RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB, .317/.388/.583
DH Liam Hicks: 1-3, 2B, BB, .264/.367/.361

Emiliano Teodo is known for the occasional control lapse, but not since last June had his total of walks and hit batters exceeded his strikeouts by three.

SP Josh Stephan has been shut down for a few weeks with elbow inflammation per local reports.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Greensboro (PIT) 3
Hickory: 10 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 12-11, 2.5 GB, 40-49 overall

SP Kohl Drake: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 74 P / 46 S, 3.10 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.74 ERA
DH Cam Cauley: 2-4, BB, .242/.293/.403
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-5, 2B, .220/.294/.315
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2 2B, SB (27), .253/.304/.332

Kohl Drake has been terrific in three of four starts.

Cam Cauley missed a week (although he wasn’t IL’ed) and has only DH’ed since. Anthony Gutierrez has matched last year’s doubles total of 11 in 24 fewer games. He’s still seeking his first homer.

Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Delmarva (BAL) 3
Down East: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-13, 6.5 GB, 44-43 overall

SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 44 S, 1.82 ERA
RP Izack Tiger: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.75 ERA
C Julian Brock: 1-4, 2B, BB, .216/.297/.318
DH Arturo Disla: 4-5, HR (9), .278/.353/.421
LF Jojo Blackmon: 1-2, 3 BB, .169/.257/.285

Izack Tiger had been starting after missing two months with elbow inflammation, but he made his first relief outing last night and retired the side on eight pitches.

Speedy Chandler Pollard has dabbled in center this season. I couldn’t speak to his level of comfort out there, but in the 9th, he and SS Echedry Vargas had a scary collision on a shallow fly in which communication was apparently either missing or unacknowledged. Both stayed in the game.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA (Gonzalez, maybe)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Nick Solak, Scott Heineman, and Patrick Wisdom homered for Nashville. “I expect Scott Heineman to make his MLB debut in September, perhaps even earlier. He’s 27 in a few months and enjoying the best stretch of his professional life. It’s getting time to find out what he has to offer.” Heineman would in fact reach the Majors 13 days later and single twice in a 5-4 win.

Ten years ago, I watched Aaron Poreda reach 100-101 MPH a few times in Round Rock (the stadium gun once read 103, but I couldn’t find a scout gun that high.) I’d seen him in the 90-96 range earlier that season, and his MLB fastball average was 95.4. Nine days later, he would throw his final pitch in the United States. He spent 2015-2016 in Japan, never returning stateside.