Rangers Farm Report: Games of Friday 9 August

Note: You didn’t miss yesterday’s report. I woke up to no internet, the internet I could find was used for my real job, and the organization played only two games, so I never sent anything. I’ve written up Thursday’s games here, with brief notes on Mitch Bratt, Blaine Crim, and Michael Matuella. Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 6
Round Rock: 8 hits, 10 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-19, 6 GB, 54-56 overall

SP Adrian Sampson: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 90 P / 59 S, 6.21 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.09 ERA
1B Justin Foscue: 2-5, 2B, BB, .269/.444/.444

Justin Foscue has 32 walks in 32 games despite a weirdly poor record on first pitches. Foscue has drawn a first-pitch ball in only 34% of his plate appearances compared to the league rate of 42%. However, if the an opening ball is achieved, he’s walking almost 40% of the time. Foscue also swings at first pitches out of the zone at a league rate 16%, but while the average PCL batter will miss on half those swings, Foscue misses a scant 12%.

AA: Frisco 4, @ Midland (OAK) 0
Frisco: 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-15, 1 GB, 66-40 overall

SP Kumar Rocker: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 51 P / 41 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H (1.89 HR), 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.16 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (4), .304/.404/.530
SS Max Acosta: 3-4, 2B, .265/.319/.371
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (1), .202/.276/.340

In three AA outings, Rocker has an opposing line of .132/.154/.184 and a 42% strikeout rate. His control is outstanding, and opponents are missing on a whopping 44% of their swings. Can we tender the idea that he’s already too good for AA without incurring the wrath of the Baseball Gods? At the very least, he certainly didn’t need the more measured advance to Frisco I envisioned when he first returned.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, Aberdeen (BAL) 5 (5)
Hickory: 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 21-18, 4.5 GB, 49-56 overall

SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 6 H (3 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 75 P / 41 S, 4.00 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-2, HR (7), .211/.256/.412

Yet another victim of Hickory’s relative homer-friendliness. Izack Tiger watched three balls escape the premises, a one-time event in 18 innings at Down East. Gleider Figuereo also homered a few minutes before the weather decreed no more balls would be hit over the fence or anywhere else.

Lo-A: Down East 2, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3 (7)
Down East: 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 11 walks, 12 strikeouts

SP Kyle Larsen: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 56 P / 24 S, 8.44 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.36 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 1-3, 2B, BB
2B Casey Cook: 1-2, HBP
3B Rafe Perich: 1-2, BB

Lo-A: Down East 7, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 1 (7)
Down East: 8 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-16, 3 GB, 56-46 overall

SP Kolton Curtis: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 58 P / 33 S, 2.88 ERA
RP Willian Bormie: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2.88 ERA
LF Jose De Jesus: 2-4, .452/.485/.452
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-4, SB (20), .278/.329/.468
1B Pablo Guerrero: 1-2, BB, .296/.367/.519
2B Chandler Pollard: 1-2, BB, SB (34), .246/.322/.325

Down East played for the first time since Sunday. 3rd-round second basemen Casey Cook belatedly debuted with… wait. Texas drafted an outfielder and introduced him as such. In three years at UNC, Cook played two games at second, none in the past two seasons. He played five on the Cape in 2023. But his first pro action consisted of a jog to the dirt between 18-year-old Pablo Guerrero and first and 19-year-old Echedry Vargas. Cook singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch in two games, one at DH.

7th-round 3B Rafe Perich also debuted, and at his usual position, and 14th-round catcher Ben Hartl caught the second game and hit a sac fly.

This is a different squad from a few weeks ago. Nine of the top 14 Down East batters in plate appearances are on other teams, injured, or released.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
El Paso’s Esteban Quiroz hit a 9th-inning grand slam to give the Chihuahuas a 15-12 win over Houston-affiliated Round Rock. The homer was El Paso’s 232nd, already a modern (1998-present) record with over three weeks remaining on the schedule. El Paso would conclude the season with 258, still the record even though the schedule since 2022 has an additional ten games.