Month: August 2024

More Rankings
Baseball America dropped the Rangers from fourth to 24th in their updated farm rankings ($ link). Still a sizable drop but not quite as far as ESPN’s #29 slot, and in the 20-24 range reasoned my me, arbiter of all, protagonist of reality.

Donations?
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Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 8
Round Rock: 6 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 15-19, 7 GB, 52-56 overall

SP Peter Solomon: 3.2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 2 R, 5 BB, 6 SO, 73 P / 39 S, 8.18 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 3-4, 2B, .287/.369/.415

Owen White replaced Grant Anderson with two on and one out in the 7th and allowed a walk and grand slam. So far in relief, White is throwing harder (an extra 1.1 to 1.7 MPH on his fastballs and cutter), but results haven’t been distinctive. He’s allowed only three hits in 4.2 innings, but two left the yard, and he’s walked three. Anderson surrendered four runs.

OKC’s starting pitcher was Jordan Lyles. Today, Walker Buehler.

Davis Wendzel is hitting .333/.450/.400 in six games at AAA Louisville in the Cincinnati system. Bubba Thompson is not a teammate, as Bubba remains marooned in AA Chattanooga and playing only 3-4 days a week, although I must add that his bat has disappeared. Jonathan Hernandez has two credible outings and one flop as an M. Last night, entrusted to maintain a one-run deficit so Seattle could mount a comeback, he surrendered three runs.

DFA’ed catcher Andrew Knizner was claimed by the Snakes.

AA: Frisco 1, @ Midland (OAK) 4
Frisco: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 21-14, 1 GB, 65-39 overall

SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 SO, 76 P / 50 S, 3.24 ERA
1B Josh Hatcher: 3-4, SB (16), .292/.341/.434

Dane Acker had a very Dane Acker start: a really nice line with one more walk than I’d like. I’m pretty sure I’ve used that description before. Acker’s BB/HBP rate is 12.2% compared to the league’s 11.8%. It’s not bad, but I worry about how it will fare in the higher-octane Pacific Coast League. But enough about balls. Here’s some of his strikes.

Hi-A: Hickory 9, Aberdeen (BAL) 8
Hickory: 10 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-17, 3 GB, 49-55 overall

SP Alejandro Rosario: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 84 P / 59 S, 2.93 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 7.71 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-4, BB
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 3 SB (18), .255/.342/.436
C Malcolm Moore: 1-4, .320/.379/.680
1B Arturo Disla: 1-3, HR (2), .320/.379/.680
2B Danyer Cueva: 3-4, 2B, 2 SB (2)

Alejandro retired 16 straight, ran into a little trouble in the 6th, then retired his final four. His final three pitchers were two 98 MPH fastballs and an 86 slider. Relatively speaking, Rosario was walk-prone in his first three high-A starts (two in each!) but has issued just one freebie in his most recent three and a ridiculous 12 for the season. Rosario’ ratio of 9.5 strikeouts per walk is third-best in the minors among starters.

Malcolm More collected his first pro hit in the form of a hefty double to deep right-center. Dylan Dreiling lined an single and walked.

In the 8th, Sebastian Walcott took an awkward hack at a breaker and fell. He completed the at-bat by lining to second but walked gingerly back to the dugout and was replaced for the 9th.

No game today.

Lo-A: Debby

Same as yesterday, no makeup announced because of ongoing conditions. Today is already rained out.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
“Baseball America released its “best tools” survey of minor league managers:
Best power: Sam Huff (Carolina and Sally Leagues)
Best reliever: Joe Barlow (Carolina)
Best breaking pitch: Demarcus Evans (Carolina)
Best defensive 2B: Yonny Hernandez (Carolina)
Best defensive 3B: Ryan Dorow (Carolina)
Best defensive SS: Anderson Tejeda (Carolina)
Best infield arm: Anderson Tejeda (Carolina)
Best defensive OF: Leody Taveras (Carolina)
Best manager prospect: Corey Ragsdale (Carolina)

I assume thatRags wasn’t the only Carolina League manager to turn in a ballot, but I haven’t confirmed it.”

All seven players would reach the Majors, but as of now only two are employed by an MLB club.

Donations
Thanks to those who’ve donated already. If you would like to participate, you have several options:
1. Via Paypal to scottrlucas@gmail.com(Note! scottrlucas with an “r” in the middle, not scottlucas)
2. Via venmo to @scottrlucas (same thing, needs an “r”)
3. Check or money order to Scott Lucas, PO Box 300453, Austin, TX 78703
4. If you prefer another method, email me (minors@scottlucas.com). Some of you have done so, and I promise I’ll reply. I’ve been out of pocket and probably out of sorts the last week.

Transactions
LHP Walter Pennington — optioned to Round Rock

LHP Larson Kindreich and C Tucker Mitchell — promoted to Frisco

1st-round C Malcolm Moore and 2nd-round OF Dylan Dreilich — assigned to Hickory

RHP Paul Bonzagni, RHP David Davallilo, LHP Bryan Magdaleno — promoted to Hickory

3rd-round OF Casey Clark, 7th-round 3B Rafe Perich, and 14th-round catcher Ben Hartl — assigned to Down East

OF Tommy Specht and IF/OF Erick Alvarez — assigned to Arizona (meaning only unofficial games for them for the time being)

Rankings
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN updated his farm rankings (subscription link) after the trade deadline and draft. He had the Rangers 12th entering the season. Unquestionably, the new ranking would be lower simply because of the graduations of Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. But how low?

29th. 29th as in, below the Astros at 28th, and just above the ever-lowly Angels at 30th. This is blasphemous, and we need an Inquisition.

But seriously, I lack the expertise to rank farms because I don’t follow other organizations closely enough, which means I’m not really in a position to criticize others. I tend to grade Texas’s system against its past, because that’s where my knowledge is. I’ve followed McDaniel for years; he puts in the work, and his opinions certainly deserve credence. The money quote: “Injuries, regression or lack of performance in the big leagues have been the issue with Justin Foscue, Abimelec Ortiz, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker (now back on the mound), Jonathan Ornelas, Owen White and Brock Porter.” I’d quibble with this take some. To me, the only severe disappointments are Porter and Ortiz. Foscue’s injury was frustrating, but I don’t know that it’s lowered his ceiling. Leiter has his issues, to be sure, but he’s a better pitcher than at this time last year. I can make a case that Rocker’s prospect stature is the highest since he was drafted. As for White, well, my outlook was already pretty gloomy.

There’s a question of who, beyond Walcott, has a good chance at becoming an everyday position player. There’s the seemingly eternal issue of developing a starting pitcher. Still, my snap judgment before I clicked the link was “they’re certainly bottom half… but not bottom five… mmm, 20-24.” 29th seems harsh, but ultimately, that’s just one person’s opinion, not fact. My counterpoints are just opinions, too. Eventually, the players themselves will let us know.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 5
Round Rock: 7 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-18, 6 GB, 52-55 overall

SP Tim Brennan: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 0 SO, 54 P / 25 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Matt Festa: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3.38 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, 2 HR (9), BB, .282/.365/.408
2B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, BB, .260/.442/.438

Dustin Harris hit a high change and inside fastball at nearly the same speed, angle, and distance.

Texas re-signed Matt Festa, who’d been released last week. The Rangers also signed Chase Anderson because they only had three Andersons in the system after trading Shaun. Chase pitched in AAA Round Rock in 2021 and had been released by the Red Sox a few days ago.

AA: Frisco 1, @ Midland (OAK) 4
Frisco: 3 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 21-13, tied for first, 65-38 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 82 P / 51 S, 3.35 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA

Midland’s first-half belly flop assisted Frisco’s first-half title claim, but the RockHounds are likely to win the second half and face the Riders in the opening playoff round. They lead San Antonio by 5.5 games and Amarillo by six, and they have the third-best record and best run differential in all of AA. Correcting a mistake from Sunday: Frisco lost once in San Antonio last week, so obviously the Riders aren’t 13-0 at the Missions. I’ll try to last a week before another egregious error.

Hi-A: Hickory 5, Aberdeen (BAL) 3
Hickory: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, 5 GB, 48-55 overall

SP Paul Bonzagni: 5 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 47 S, 3.60 ERA
RP Aidan Curry: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 6.63 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (20), .245/.295/.431
LF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (1)
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, 3B, .252/.341/.435
DH Malcolm Moore: 0-3, HBP, SB (1)
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-2, BB, HBP, 2 SB (30), .251/.308/.333
C Ian Moller: 2-3, 2B, BB

An already interesting lineup became a must-see with the additions of top picks Malcolm Moore and Dylan Dreiling. Dreiling reached on an infield single and two walks. He also stole a base in tandem with Cam Cauley but would be doubled off second on a short fly, preventing what would have been a run-scoring sac fly. Welcome to pro ball. Moore was hit by a pitch.

Sebastian Walcott launched a triple to center between the first pro plate appearances from Dreiling and Moore. Like many before him, Paul Bonzagni suddenly became homer-prone upon promotion to Hickory (he’d allowed four homers in 63 low-A innings), but he otherwise excelled in his first high-A start.

Lo-A: Debby

Two, someday, maybe. The forecast calls for high probability of significant rainfall through Friday, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this week’s schedule is postponed or canceled.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Solomon
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Rosario
Lo-A: TBD (wouldn’t be surprised at another rainout)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East 1B Curtis Terry hit a game-ending three-run homer. Ricky Vanasco struck out two in a perfect 2nd at the Northwest-Pioneer All-Star game. DH Blaine Crim was 3-4 with a walk. The Northwest League advanced from short-season to high-A in 2021, while the Pioneer League operates as a quasi-independent Partner League of MLB.

Donations
See here for info.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Sugar Land (HOU) 4
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 15-17, 5.5 GB, 52-54 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 92 P / 63 S, 3.00 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.27 ERA
3B Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, BB, .251/.325/.343

Throwing some of everything but only four traditional breakers, Ryan Garcia pitched well in his AAA debut. Leaning heavily on a four-seamer/cutter/change trio, The 26-year-old tended to work middle and higher, and he missed 11 bats. A change at the top of the zone was hit fairly flat by Shay Whitcomb but hard enough to vault the wall in left. He peaked at 94.7 and sat 92-93 with the four-seamer and sinker.  Texas drafted Garcia out of UCLA in 2019’s second round. Covid, injury, and a lengthy acclimation to AA delayed his arrival to AAA. The primary improvement in AA this season has been keeping the ball in the park. I don’t anticipate a 40 spot for him this fall, but he’s a better pitcher than a year a ago.

Round Rock lost five of six to Sugar Land, best in the league by a mile at 69-38.

AA: Frisco 4, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-12, +1 G, 65-37 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 3.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 41 P / 27 S, 1.81 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1.97 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 1-4, HR (5), .258/.304/.403
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, .277/.338/.470
RF Josh Hatcher: 1-4, HR (9), .289/.337/.434

While never placed on the IL, Emiliano Teodo missed his turn last week, and on Sunday he apparently was on a restricted diet. In any case, Teodo excelled until the end, when a Robbie Teneowicz fly landed on the berm beyond the short wall in left.

Josh Hatcher and Luis Mieses homered to break a 2-2 tie in the 9th. Frisco swept the series and improved to 13-0 in San Antonio’s home park. The Missions are 24-14 against other teams at home, and Frisco is otherwise 17-21 on the road.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, @ Asheville (HOU) 4
Hickory: 7 hits, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 3.5 GB, 47-55 overall

SP Ryan Lobus: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 77 P / 46 S, 3.83 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 6.75 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 1-5, HR (10), .244/.293/.433
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB (1), .333/.429/.667

Ryan Lobus’s strong performance included only one walk, but five other three-ball counts hastened his exit. On rehab, Marc Church worked a quick 5th with two strikeouts but was pulled after consecutive walks in the 6th. In a perfect world, Church would ramp up quickly, revert to his March form, and have management considering a late-season call-up. The skill is there, certainly.

Lo-A: Down East 4, @ Augusta (ATL) 0
Down East: 10 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Record: 20-15, 2.5 GB, 55-45 overall

SP Jose Gonzalez: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 68 P / 44 S, 1.94 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2.10 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.63 ERA
CF Jose De Jesus: 2-4, HBP, SB (1), .478/.520/.478
C Julian Brock: 3-4, 2B, BB, .233/.313/.342

Down East shut out the GreenJackets for a third straight day and left town with six wins and a 29-inning scoreless streak. Ignoring league and park factors, Augusta has the worst full-season minor league offense by a wide margin, scoring two or fewer runs in 49 of 99 games. Still, the Jackets hadn’t been goose-egged in three straight this season. Down East leads the league in run prevention even after adjusting for a pitcher-friendly park, allowing 17% fewer runs than the average and an 86 OPS+. NExt year, when Hickory reverts to low-A, I expect the park to play no lower than average and probably leaning toward hitter-friendly.

The week for the additions from the complex:
OF Jose De Jesus: .478/.520/.478, four strikeouts in 24 PA
OF Yeremi Cabrera: .238/.333/.333, 3 SB
1B Pablo Guerrero: .304/.333/.565, HR

Their arrivals haven’t cut into anyone else’s playing time too much. 1B Arturo Disla was promoted and OF Jojo Blackmon released before the series began. OF Tommy Specht played only once last week but had already played less frequently in previous weeks. He’s unfortunately is in the midst of a crushing slump: .098/.161/.137 with a 46% K rate in his last 16 games.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Nashville 3B Andy Ibanez was 2-5 with his 14th homer. I wasn’t writing much about Ibanez in 2019 despite an impressive season at the plate because I didn’t foresee a call-up or even a 40 addition in the horizon, and he was 26. Ibanez passed through the offseason’s transaction events untouched but would make his MLB debut in May 2021 without having played another official minor league game.

Donations
Information here.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Sugar Land (HOU) 7
Round Rock: 9 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-16, 5.5 GB, 52-53 overall

SP Adrian Sampson: 4 IP, 9 H (2 HR), 7 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 99 P / 66 S, 6.23 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Owen White: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.79 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 0-2, 3 BB, .267/.446/.444
3B Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .282/.366/.395

Owen White’s second relief appearance this week proceeded much better. His four-seamer averaged 96.1, well above his standard rate, but with no loss of control.

Robby Ahlstrom made his AAA debut, featuring a low-to-mid-80s slider, 91-94 FB, upper-70s curves and even a couple of changes. Ahlstrom was drafted by the Yankees in 2021 but never pitched in anything pinstripe-adjacent before being traded with pitcher Albert Abreu for catcher Jose Trevino.

AA: Frisco 4, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 9 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-12, , 64-37 overall

SP Winston Santos: 6 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 81 P / 55 S, 6.64 ERA
RP Ricky DeVito: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.63 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.80 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, 2B, BB, .302/.398/.531
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, HR (13), BB, .274/.336/.467

In AA, Winston Santos has reverted to the proneness for homers and hit batters that afflicted his first run through low-A in 2023. That year, he surrendered 19 long balls and plunked 16 in 99 innings, taking the shine off a splendid walk rate. Returning to Hickory, he amazingly reduced both rates by roughly three quarters. In just 20.1 AA innings, however, seven balls have become souvenirs, and he’s hit five in addition to a very reasonable five walks. It’s far from a crisis, as Santos was probably beginning 2025 in Frisco regardless of how these recent outings transpired, and but it’s worth watching.

Nevertheless, Frisco improved to an absurd 15-2 against San Antonio. Both homers off Santos were solos, the HBP and only other hit amounted to naught. Cody Freeman’s 13th homer tied his previous high in 2022, and he already has his most doubles with 23.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, @ Asheville (HOU) 0
Hickory: 5 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 19-16, 2.5 GB, 47-54 overall

SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 SO, 84 P / 58 S, 2.78 ERA
RP Jacob Maton: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.98 ERA
DH Cam Cauley: 1-4, HR (9), .245/.295/.426

Kohl Drake matched a career-best ten strikeouts absent a single walk. He’s an interesting story, spending what was in spirit his junior season (technically redshirt sophomore because of covid) at Walters State Community College, 22 by the time Texas called his name in the 11th round of 2022. He received a $175,000 bonus, $50,000 of which counted against the bonus cap. Last year at the complex and Down East was indistinct; he was fairly hittable. This year has been a very different story. The fastball is reaching 95 instead of 92, it moves, and he adds a curve, slider, and change.

Cam Cauley’s solo homer was enough for a rare 1-0 score in the Sally League’s hitter-friendliest park.

Lo-A: Down East 7, @ Augusta (ATL) 0
Down East: 13 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 19-15, 2.5 GB, 54-45 overall

SP David Davalillo: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 83 P / 63 S, 1.79 ERA
RP Justin Sanchez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.14 ERA
LF Jose De Jesus: 4-5
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-4, 2B, HR (12), BB, .275/.327/.470
CF Yeremi Cabrera: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (3)
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2B

The hits keep coming for the recent rookie additions. De Jesus, Cabrera and Guerrero combined for eight of the team’s 13. Not one to be upstaged, “veteran” shortstop Echedry Vargas thumped his 12th homer and 16th double.

Augusta has a dreadful offense (.199/.298/.282, 3.3 runs per game), and the Woodies are making sure the Green Jackets don’t get any cute ideas.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Brennan
AA: Teodo
Hi-A: Montalvo
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
In his organization debut, Kolby Allard fanned seven of his first 11 opponents and completed five scoreless innings for AAA Nashville. Allard had been acquired for reliever Chris Martin. Allard is back in the bigs as a spot starter and long reliever for the Phils. He’d endured such a rough patch that Philadelphia dropped him to AA Reading for a while. Allard and Tyler Phillips pitching for the NL’s best team in 2024 was conceivable in 2019 but not any other time from early 2021 until last week when they became teammates.

Donations
Thanks again to those who’ve donated. For those who are still interested, here’s the link to various payment methods.

Also, the Rangers Player Development twitter account has video of Mitch Bratt (AA) and Izack Tiger (high-A) in their league debuts.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, Sugar Land (HOU) 11
Round Rock: 11 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 5.5 GB, 52-52 overall

SP Bryan Chi: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 HBP, 2 SO, 60 P / 34 S, 16.50 ERA
RP Matt Whatley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 3-4, BB, SB (4), .273/.440/.455
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, BB, .247/.321/.342

Matt Whatley made his pro mound debut. Peaking at 49 MPH with a delivery best described at “throwing to an eight-year-old,” Whatley retired three of four batters. Statcast doesn’t know what to do with these pitches, but with up to 14″ of horizontal break, well over 100″ of drop, and a spin rate of around 1,300, I’m going to call them splinkers (splitter/sinker).

Bryan Chi is a just-in-case for whom AA is the upper limit of his ability right now, so don’t hold last night against him. Listed as the starter throughout the day was Jack Leiter.

AA: Frisco 2, @ San Antonio (SDP) 5
Frisco: 4 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 19-12, tied for first, 63-37 overall

SP Kumar Rocker: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 43 P / 32 S, 0.00 ERA

Kumar Rocker again breezed through a Double A lineup, and again I was struck by how fluid he looked compared to any iteration of his previous deliveries. He delivered two and four-seam fastballs, a power slider, and a slightly slower breaker that you can call a curve or a slider variant. I did not see a change.

Swinging strikes by inning: 0, 0, 6, 7.

Players ejected: 0.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, @ Asheville (HOU) 10
Hickory: 11 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 18-16, 4 GB, 46-54 overall

SP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 10 H (2 HR), 8 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 82 P / 55 S, 4.39 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-5, .245/.295/.418
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-5, 2B, .200/.245/.400
2B Theo Hardy: 1-3, 2B, BB

Theo Hardy is the first 2024 signing to receive a full-season assignment. The undrafted 22-year-old played at San Jose State, batting .271/.392/.472 as a senior. He’s played mostly at short in college and summer leagues.

Asheville is a dismal place for pitchers to practice their trade, as DJ McCarty has learned.

Lo-A: Down East 4, @ Augusta (ATL) 0
Down East: 9 hits, 0 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 18-15, 3.5 GB, 53-45 overall

SP Brayan Mendoza: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 46 S, 2.41 ERA
RP Thomas Ireland: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0.00 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-4, 2 2B, .272/.322/.456
2B Chandler Pollard: 2-4, HR (2), .247/.324/.329

Eight straight. This week, Down East has scored six and four runs in games in which the offense had zero walks and 15 strikeouts. Echedry Vargas drove in three with doubles in the 3rd and 5th. Thomas Ireland spent the last month of 2023 in Kinston but returned to Arizona for the entire rookie-level season. Now back in low-A, the 2021 13th-rounder posted a better outing than any out west.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas purchased the contract of reliever Emmanuel Clase. Nick Solak clubbed his sixth homer in 15 games for AAA Nashville. Leody Taveras reached three times to extend his on-base streak to 15 games. Bubba Thompson hit a grand slam.

Donations
Many thanks to those who’ve donated so far. For those who didn’t see the message for how to donate, here it is.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Sugar Land (HOU) 2
Round Rock: 8 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 15-14, 4.5 GB, 52-51 overall

SP Aidan Anderson: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 45 P / 30 S, 3.19 ERA
RP Blake Taylor: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.46 ERA
RP Walter Pennington: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 2-2, HR (4), 2 BB, .250/.423/.440
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2B, .264/.374/.414

Round Rock brought in trade acquisition Walker Pennington with the bases loaded and one out in the 6th. His first pitch in the Texas organization was a slider for a called strike, challenged, upheld. He would strike out Zach Dezenzo with a 90 MPH cutter, then fostered an easy comebacker from Jacob Melton. Pennington walked the leadoff batter the next inning but retired the rest.

AA: Frisco 1, @ San Antonio (SDP) 0
Frisco: 10 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 19-11, tied for first, 63-36 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.09 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.85 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 1.93 ERA
DH Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, .275/.336/.463
RF Luis Mieses: 3-4, 2B

Mitch Bratt excelled in his AA debut. San Antonio’s only at-bat with a runner in scoring position was a strikeout in the 1st after a walk and stolen bases.

In the 6th, after a close play at first ruled a single for Luis Mieses, the sides began an argument that slowly escalated to a bench-clearing not-quite-brawl in the midst of Daniel Mateo’s plate appearance. Ejected were Frisco manager Carlos Cardoza, pitching coach Jon Goebel, development coach Kawika Emsley-Pai, and shortstop Alex De Goti, along with San Antonio manager, Luke Montz, shortstop Ripken Reyes, and CF Connor Hollis. If Goebel is ever as mad at you as he was at the umps last night, move and change your name.

Mateo’s four-pitch strikeout lasted 26 minutes.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, @ Asheville (HOU) 1
Hickory: 8 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 18-15, 3.5 GB, 46-53 overall

SP Izack Tiger: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 72 P / 47 S, 0.00 ERA
RP DJ Peters: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 5.79 ERA
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, HR (10), .254/.346/.439
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, HR (1)

2023 7th-rounder Izack Tiger replaced Mitch Bratt in the rotation and matched Bratt’s five scoreless innings in his high-A debut.

Sebastian Walcott is batting .500/.500/1.500 in August. Let’s see if he can keep it up.

When Texas released or moved several hitters from Hickory a few days ago, I checked the Down East roster for potential promotions but didn’t see any obvious choices. Arturo Disla occurred to me, and I thought he was doing well (.281/.359/.438, 11 homers in 87 games) but not exactly wasting his time in low-A. He did in fact receive the upgrade and hit his first high-A homer last night. The undrafted Disla is 23 and very much the “have bat, will travel” prospect.

Lo-A: Down East 6, @ Augusta (ATL) 4
Down East: 12 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, 3.5 GB, 52-45 overall

SP Kolton Curtis: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 40 P / 28 S, 2.91 ERA
RP Willian Bormie: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3.60 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1.76 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5, 2B, .269/.320/.448
DH Beycker Barroso: 2-5, HR (4), .254/.379/.493
C Julian Brock: 2-4, HR (4), BB, .222/.304/.331

Walks have troubled 20-year-old Kolton Curtis at times but not last night. Newcomers Jose De Jesus and Yeremi Cabrera singled.

The Woodies have won seven straight. They won’t play either team above them in the standings (Fredericksburg, Carolina) but have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Only six of 33 games are against teams with a winning record at present.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Rocker
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: TBA (Davalillo maybe)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas called up OF Scott Heineman for his MLB debut. He singled twice. It’s not well-remembered because of the overall 78-84 record, but the Rangers were above .500 for much of the season and would soon reach 58-54 before an extended slump put them below .500 for the duration.

Donations
Following Texas’s 1-5 road trip and my prospect review with more downs than ups, it’s time to announce the annual request for donations. (I was not a marketing major in college.)  Any amount — $5, $10, $20, whatever suits you — is greatly appreciated. I will say that the average in recent years has been around $25. And if the amount is zero, that’s okay, too. There’s no obligation, and I don’t tailor the level of coverage to what is donated. I just keep doing what I do and am glad people keep reading.

I do hope you enjoy the reports, even though 2024 hasn’t proceeded as hoped. Fortunately, the Rangers have the fortune of playing in an unexpectedly weak division and still have a chance. Friend of the Report Eleanor Czajka made a point that this year’s version of the Rangers is playing to last year’s original expectations, improved on 2022 but not really a good club. We got a title contender and winner a year early.

If you would like to participate, you have several options:
1. Via Paypal to scottrlucas@gmail.com(Note! scottrlucas with an “r” in the middle, not scottlucas)
2. Via venmo to @scottrlucas (same thing, needs an “r”)
3. Check or money order to Scott Lucas, PO Box 300453, Austin, TX 78703
4. If you prefer another method, email me (minors@scottlucas.com)

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Sugar Land (HOU) 7
Round Rock: 5 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 5.5 GB, 51-51 overall

SP Tyler Mahle: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 74 P / 48 S, 1.93 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 2B, HR (), .204/.323/.330

Mahle exceeded his previous high of 55 pitches by 19. He might have lasted into the 6th if not for a shaky 2nd, during which he allowed a walk and two doubles while throwing enough pitches to have Matt Festa warming hastily. Also, Sugar Land simply didn’t swing at low and glove-side fastballs. They watched 28 out of 40 four-seamers, and a ridiculous 61% of those were called strikes. (The league-average strike rate on taken fastballs is 29%.)

Owen White has pitched as a reliever a handful of times in the minors, but always under peculiar circumstances like quasi-rehab outings (the 2022 AA playoffs, likely the peak of his prospect status), following other rehabbers, or coming in to pitch a regular workload in a game suspended by rain. Last night, he pitched in relief, full stop. We’ll see if this becomes his new role or is simply a pause. Unfortunately, results were lacking. In 1.2 innings, he walked two batters and allowed three runs. He surrendered two moon shots in the 8th, one of which was just soft enough to land shy of the wall, but the second did not. Irrespective of immediate results, as for the potential role change, I have mixed feelings. My hope was he could expand on improve on his repertoire during this protracted down period, and to an extent, I think he has. He’s throwing six pitches, none fewer than 6% of the time, and none rate badly enough that I’m thinking “why are you throwing that.” The downside is that relief often entails cutting back to the most effective two or three pitches, and in White’s case, the choices aren’t readily apparent. The four-seam fastball in particular doesn’t miss bats at a league-average rate. He might be better off continuing to throw everything, and that’s more-or-less how he proceeded last night.

AA: Frisco 11, @ San Antonio (SDP) 5
Frisco: 15 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 18-11, 1 GB, 62-36 overall

SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 84 P / 53 S, 3.47 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
3B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-6, 2B, .264/.313/.400
SS Max Acosta: 3-5, SB (20), .259/.318/.365
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (7), .222/.341/.304
2B Frainyer Chavez: 3-5, 3B, SB (15), .254/.346/.361

All five Acker runs were unearned, as he ran into some trouble after a couple of errors. Side-armer Jackson Kelley jumped to AA and pitched well in his debut. The 2022 12th-rounder posted a 3.00 ERA with a 13% BB/HBP rate and 31% K rate in 45 innings at Hickory.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, @ Asheville (HOU) 1 (10)
Hickory: 3 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts

SP Aidan Curry: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 30 P / 20 S, 6.88 ERA
RP Alejandro Rosario: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 3.04 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 1-4, 3B, BB, SB (18)
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (15)

Hi-A: Hickory 8, @ Asheville (HOU) 0 (7)
Hickory: 10 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, 4 GB, 45-53 overall

SP Damian Mendoza: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 46 P / 29 S, 5.81 ERA
RP Luis Ramirez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 8.33 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 5.19 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, HR (8), .246/.298/.425
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, .251/.344/.425
C Tucker Mitchell: 2-4, .200/.296/.326

Sebastian Walcott’s first 41 games: .177/.321/.294, 28% SO
Sebastian Walcott’s next 47 games: .307/.364/.525, 26% SO

Yes, those are completely cherry-picked data sets. The stat police can arrest me if they dare. The point is, for more than half the season, Walcott hasn’t just been better but fantastic. His walk rate has fallen from 17% to 8% between sets, but that doesn’t bother me, at least not yet. Some of that decline could be increasing confidence in his swing versus taking more pitches in an effort to reach however possible. Some could be pitchers dealing more strikes because he was walking more than hitting.

Cam Cauley had a strong if brief July: .314/.364/.765. He played in only 13 games and only seven in the field.

Aidan Curry’s departure after two innings was because of rain the day before. Not to say Alejandro Rosario hasn’t already pitched well in high-A, but yesterday was the first outing that fully matched the best of his efforts in low-A. Assuming typical use, he’ll make five more starts and end up with 95-100 innings. He threw 75 at Miami last year.

Lo-A: Down East 6, @ Augusta (ATL) 2
Down East: 15 hits, 0 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-15, 3.5 GB, 51-45 overall

SP Kyle Larsen: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 55 P / 30 S, 8.88 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SO, 4.60 ERA
CF Jose De Jesus: 3-5
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5, HR (11), .266/.319/.445
RF Yeremi Cabrera: 3-5, 2B, SB (2)
DH Pablo Guerrero: 1-4, HR (1)

The newcomers announced their presence with authority, accounting for six hits including a double and the first homer from Son of Vlad. Having the rookie season end in July is strange, but an advantage is meaningful time for those promoted afterwards. Under the pre-2020 system, the rookie and full seasons ended about a week apart, and the 2021 change in the full-season schedule extended that by maybe a few days. For example, Yeison Morrobel played eight games at Down East in 2022 after the rookie season ended. Gleider Figuereo appeared in five. Now, the gap is about six weeks.

Echedry Vargas has tied last year’s 11 homers. He needed 68 games instead of the 52 at the complex, but Down East is a higher level and tougher hitting environment.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Bratt
Hi-A: TBA
Lo-A: TBA (Also, I’m pointing this out far too late in the season, but Down East never lists a starting pitcher. If I have a name out to the side in parentheses, that’s a guess based on prior usage. In this case: B. Mendoza.)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
We have another data point for “‘down’ does not equal ‘done'” regarding in-season prospect reviews. In 2019, Texas designated catcher Tim Federowicz and called up Jose Trevino from the Pacific Coast League, where the MLB ball had been introduced, teams were scoring 5.9 runs per game, and the all-time record for homers had already been set with over a month still to play. In that setting, the 26-year-old, 26th-ranked Trevino was hitting .226/.263/.322 with two homers in 40 games,  and in 190 games in the upper minors he’d batted .237/.259/.329. What grade would that earn? Since then, he’s played 386 MLB games and will surpass five years of service in 2024. He’s maintained a career mostly via defense, but he’s boosted his contact marginally and developed enough power to get by.