We knew Kumar Rocker couldn’t maintain his 74% whiff rate on curves against MLB hitters, but would you settle for 62%? Mariners missed completely on 12 of 19 swings. As pointed out by Michael Bowman yesterday, the best individual pitch in the Majors in this regard is Mark Leiter’s splitter, which has generated a 59% miss rate. We’ll need more MLB outings from Rocker to confirm, but the curve has the makings of a singularly effective pitch. I don’t blame folks for calling it a slider even with the contradictory assertion from the man himself. It doesn’t into an easy category. It moves horizontally more like a cutter or maybe a gyro slider, but the drop is between a typical slider and curve.
Seattle’s stadium is among baseball’s friendliest to pitchers, but that Collin Snider homer leaves only eight of 30 parks.
One potential concern is how Rocker’s addition affects the 40-man roster. He’ll occupy a spot over the winter, of course, leaving one less space for offseason maneuvering. Sometimes that could cause trouble, but in this case I don’t see it. Texas has 45 players on the 40-man roster including those on the 60-day IL, but no fewer than nine will become free agents at season’s end. The Rangers will be able to reinstate the injured without breaking a sweat. Also, the number of 40 additions this fall could be as few as two. The Rangers have only one Rule 5-eligible pick from the truncated 2020 draft (pitcher Dylan MacLean, who’s hurt) and four from 2021, none of whom I expect to be protected. The “roster crunch” has the texture of oatmeal. Even with free agent additions, Texas should be able to find room without too much difficulty.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 2, Sacramento (SFO) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 30-35, 7 GB, 67-72 overall, elimination number 3
SP Ryan Garcia: 5.1 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 92 P / 56 S, 3.08 ERA
RP Avery Weems: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Jacob Latz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA
DH Sam Huff: 1-3, BB, .247/.310/.406
Ryan Garcia had to fend off a little more trouble than usual. The opposition was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position but managed to plate three on a solo homer, wild pitch, and sac bunt.
Round Rock needs three wins in the final nine games to avoid becoming the first Texas AAA team to finish at least ten games below .500 since 1997.
AA: Frisco 7, @ Amarillo (ARI) 10
Frisco: 11 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 37-29, first half champ, 81-54 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 8 H (2 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 83 P / 54 S, 5.45 ERA
DH Josh Hatcher: 1-5, HR (11), .295/.344/.436
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, 2B, BB, .232/.315/.397
3B Sebastian Walcott: 3-5, 2 2B
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 2 2B, .230/.280/.356
Sebastian Walcott had a busy evening. With two out in the 1st, he grounded up the middle to plate the game’s first two runs. He then hit among the least likely doubles you’ll ever see, a chopper along the line that bounded off 3B Jesus Valdez 60 feet to the home dugout. Walcott never stopped running, and the scorekeeper never ruled an error, so a double it was. Walcott followed with a lasered double to the wall that was common in Hickory. He also bounced a throw from third well in front of first base for his first AA error.
Mitch Bratt pitched in Amarillo for the first time. Mitch Bratt allowed two homers for the first time. He’ll finish 2024 with a slightly unfair 5.73 ERA given the .260/.327/.420 line.
Today’s listed starter is Kohl Drake, who is on four days rest for the first time. I expect a brief outing.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Solomon
AA: Drake
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory extended its season with a 5-1 victory at Lexington. Ricky Vanasco shut down the Legends for 3.2 innings and fanned six but finished with three consecutive walks. Tai Tiedemann was able to squash that threat. Tyreque Reed plated three on a two-out single, solo homer, and sac fly.