AAA: Round Rock 4, at Reno (ARI) 5
Round Rock: 7 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 7-9, 4 GB
SP David Buchanan: 6.2 IP, 4 H (3 HR), 3 R, 5 BB, 3 SO, 91 P / 52 S, 2.49 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 1-4, HR (3), .387/.441/.661
RF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, 2B, .236/.338/.418
LF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 2B, SB (5), .200/.333/.250
The Express allowed only five hits, but four left the premises including a two-out walk-off by Rene Pinto off Hunter Strickland.
Texas released reliever JT Chargois, who faced 15 batters and allowed five homers (none cheap) last week against OKC. The velocity on his sinker and slider had declined by three MPH compared to last year.
The Rangers also re-signed IF Nick Ahmed, a late cut last month.
The Austin Business Journal interviewed Round Rock President Chris Almandarez ($ link but often works for non-subscribers).
AA: Frisco 4, Amarillo (ARI) 3
Frisco: 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 7-3, 1 G up
SP Winston Santos: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 29 P / 23 S, 3.18 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, .237/.326/.395
With a gap of 11 days between starts, Winston Santos was evidently on a limit and pulled after three innings despite a very modest pitch count. Per observer Michael Tepid, Santos’s fastball velocity was down a touch, but that obviously didn’t affect the performance. Sebastian Walcott hit a couple of balls in excess of 110 MPH, as he does.
Peyton Gray missed an Immaculate Inning by one pitch in the 6th. With a fastball, slider and change, plus the willingness to mix them regardless of count and deal the change to same-handed batters, Gray has fanned 13 of 25 batters to resume his career in affiliated ball. He spent 2022-2023 in indy leagues and last year on Cincinnati’s injured list.
Hi-A: Hub City 5, Bowling Green (TAM) 3
Hub City: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 6-4, 1 G up
SP Leandro Lopez: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 57 P / 33 S, 6.35 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Dylan Dreiling: 3-4, 2B, HR (1), .281/.354/.438
C Malcolm Moore: 2-3, 2B, HR (1), HBP, .267/.463/.467
For the first time since 1994, Spartanburg, SC, hosted MLB-affiliated baseball. Against a wild Leandro Lopez, the bad guys scored three in the 1st but no more. Joey Danielson relieved Lopez with runners and the corners and one out in the 3rd. He induced an inning-ending double play and handled the next two frames. Josh Mollerus and Seth Clark followed with two scoreless innings apiece. So far, my one-inning peek at an impressive Danielson in March has been indicative, as he’s yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings.
The park’s first homer belongs to Dylan Dreiling, who also doubled the opposite way and singled. In the 3rd, Malcolm Moore clubbed a no-doubter, and he too doubled oppo in his next AB.
Lo-A: Hickory 2, at Charleston (TAM) 3
Hickory: 11 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 6-4, tied for first
SP J’Briell Easley: 3 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 57 P / 34 S, 1.29 ERA
RP Kamdyn Perry: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1.13 ERA
C Jesus Lopez: 2-5, 2B, .249/.310/.519
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2 2B, .314/.342/.457
SS Chandler Pollard: 2-4, .310/.429/.310
The Easley/Perry tandem’s no-hitter streak stalled at one. Get ’em next time. Easley actually retired his first five opponents before surrendering a hit, but in the 3rd, a solo homer, error and bevy of steals put two on the board for Charleston.
So far, league scoring is up nearly a run per game over last year, and the league BB/HBP rate is an unsightly 16%. I hope that settles down.
Texas released RHP Jesus Mosquera, who hadn’t pitched in a real game since 2022 (and was nightmarishly wild) but was throwing in the March intersquads.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Houser
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Trentadue
Lo-A: Fowler
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
And now, to look outside the system for a while. The worst offense by a full-season team since 2007 in a league involving the Rangers* is these guys, the 2024 Augusta GreenJackets. Atlanta’s low-A affiliate scored 433 runs, 80 fewer than any other team. Their 3.4 runs per game were 25% below the league average in a modestly hitter-friendly park.
The underlying stats do them no favors. Augusta batted .202/.303/.277, good for an OPS+ of 73 and wRC+ of 77. They could walk at a reasonable rate and didn’t strike out too excessively, but their contact just didn’t accomplish much. The team had 37 homers, only half the league average, and no individual hit more than five. They also had 66 fewer hits and 23 fewer doubles than any other team. They hit .164/.279/.231 against lefties.
Augusta was shut out 16 times, scored one run 19 times and two 23 times. That’s nearly half of the games played. The pitching staff was below average as well (if just slightly) but found a way to keep things close. Augusta was 32-34 in games decided by one or two runs but 15-46 in others. They were actually lucky to finish at 49-80.
Seven Jackets had at least 200 plate appearances and a sub-.600 OPS:
Leiker Figueroa: .169/.230/.213
Cam Magee: .177/.286/.219
Isaiah Drake: .163/.259/.252
Luis Sanchez: .226/.296/.274
Kade Kern: .199/.274/.300
Robert Gonzalez: .194/.304/.287
Joe Olsavsky: .176/.332/.261
Worsts in other classes:
2022 High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI) (23% below-average in runs, 78 OPS+)
2012 AA Arkansas Travelers (LAA) (14% below-average runs, 82 OPS+)
2012 AAA Nashville Sounds (MIL) (25% below-average runs, 87 OPS+)
* So, leagues without the Rangers (International, Southern, Eastern, Florida State, the Midwest from 2009 to present, etc.) are excluded from this exercise. It has to be a team the Rangers played against during a period I covered.