AAA: Round Rock 8, at Reno (ARI) 4
Round Rock: 13 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 10-10, 4 GB
SP Nolan Hoffman: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 52 P / 32 S, 7.36 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.93 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 3-5, 2B, HR (3), .351/.420/.545
RF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (7), .278/.391/.444
Cole Winn hasn’t allowed an earned run in 13.2 IP and struck out 15. He could be under consideration for the long role shared by Gerson Garabito and Caleb Boushley so far, but we’ll see how Texas handles Patrick Corbin once Jack Leiter returns.
Justin Foscue continues to pound the ball, and Joc Pederson continues to not, but Pederson isn’t Ben Broussard or Ryan Garko, past and much less expensive free agents quickly jettisoned after a few weeks of ineptitude.
AA: Frisco 3, Amarillo (ARI) 4
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-5, tied for 1st
SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 53 S, 2.45 ERA
RP Daniel Missaki: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.60 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, .260/.377/.420
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, HR (1), BB, .103/.391/.207
Mitch Bratt has fanned 15 versus two walks in 14.2 IP. Aaron Zavala has developed a flawless eye in 254 AA games — he’s walked in 30% of his plate appearances this season — but is still seeking the batting form that preceded his elbow injury.
Wyatt Langford was given the day off but is still expected to return to Arlington today.
Hi-A: Hub City 15, Bowling Green (TAM) 4
Hub City: 13 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 8-6, 1 G up
SP Dylan McCarty: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 69 P / 46 S, 8.71 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2.00 ERA
LF Dylan Dreiling: 1-4, BB, SB (2), .222/.345/.333
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, HR (1), BB, HBP, .277/.370/.426
DH Keith Jones II: 1-3, 2 BB, .237/.408/.368
C Julian Brock: 2-4, 2 2B, .171/.211/.286
3B Danyer Cueva: 3-5, 2B, SB (2), .286/.316/.371
RF Quincy Scott: 1-3, HR (1) 2 BB, .200/.333/.400
Have-bat-will-travel Arturo Disla had the standout night in a bombardment of Bowling Green. Dylan Dreiling isn’t showing much power yet but is reaching at a nice rate.
Lo-A: Hickory 0, at Charleston (TAM) 3
Hickory: 3 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 7-7, 1 GB
SP Aneudis Mejia: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 64 P / 36 S, 6.52 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
Brock Porter retired six straight on a mere 17 pitches, as the three non-strikeouts required a total of just four. At this stage, I’m only interested in establishment of consistently adequate control, not runs allowed, but so far he’s unscored upon in 8.2 innings. He’s walked three, hit three and struck out ten.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Buchanan
AA: TBD
Hi-A: MacLean
Lo-A: Anazco
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best pitching staff in a Rangers-involved division during 2007-2024 is the 2022 Wichita Wind Surge, affiliated with Minnesota in the AA Texas League. Frisco faced and vanquished this staff in the Texas League finals. In my preview, I praised them but not that effusively, probably in part because of earlier departures leaving few ranked prospects, possibly in part because the Surge were in a hitter-friendly park and league, making their top-line numbers seem ordinary. I called the series a coin flip, but Frisco won in two straight, the concluding game in extras.
Wichita allowed 20% fewer runs than the park-adjusted league average, an opposing OPS+ of 81 and wRC+ of 80. Several prospects have since reached MLB including Simeon Woods Richardson, Kody Funderburk, Louis Varland, Casey Legumina, Steven Cruz, Brent Headrick, Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Evan Sisk.
Annoyingly, Frisco faced the second-best pitching staff (and a much better defense) two years later in the form of the Midland Rockhounds and lost in the league semifinals.
Other bests by classification:
2023 AAA OKC Dodgers (LAD) (16% below-average runs, 82 oppo OPS+, 80 wRC+, 89 FIP-, beat Rangers-affiliated Round Rock in PCL finals)
2014 High-A Wilmington BlueRocks (21% below-avg. runs (87 OPS+, 83 wRC+, 81 FIP-)
2018 Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws (PHI) (23% below-avg. runs, 83 OPS+, 83 WRC+, 86 FIP-)