AAA: Round Rock 8, at El Paso (SDG) 14
Round Rock: 15 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 18-20, 7 GB
SP Robert Dugger: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 72 P / 38 S, 23.63 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.76 ERA
1B Jake Burger: 2-6, HR (1), .350/.435/.500
DH Kyle Higashioki: 1-5, 2B
3B Cody Freeman: 3-5, 2B, .328/.372/.500
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 3-3, BB, HBP, .176/.292/.176
Look at the schedule next time, Mr. Dugger. If you’d said “I can’t start work until Tuesday, I’ve, uh, got to help my cousin move this weekend,” you’d have made your first start in Round Rock instead of El Paso.
Dane Dunning gave up six runs and retired five batters.
Jonathan Ornelas had 36 extra-base hits three years ago in AA and 28 his first season in AAA. This year, none. He’s always been among the most grounder-inclined hitters in the PCL. If we could combine Ornelas’s exit velocities, which remain strong, and Dustin Harris’s launch angles, we’d have a terrific MLB hitter.
AA: Frisco 1, at San Antonio (SDG) 2
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 20-12, 2 G up
SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 SO, 75 P / 52 S, 1.59 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.20 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, .246/.356/.368
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 2 BB, .221/.429/.368
1B Josh Hatcher: 1-3, 3B, BB, .271/.286/.458
In the 9th with Frisco up 1-0, CF Alejandro Osuna dove but failed to snare Kai Murphy’s sinking liner, resulting in a leadoff triple. As I looked up the catch probability needed to justify the dive (versus conceding a single), Mission Romeo Sanabria smashed a no-doubt two-out walk-off homer.
Mitch Bratt reached double-digit strikeouts for the first time. Bratt has 39 strikeouts and five walks in 31.2 innings. He’s been among the best pitchers in the system in 2025, and at 21, he’s quite young for the level. Bratt should be taken seriously as a back-of-rotation candidate.
Hi-A: Hub City 5, Greensboro (PIT) 9
Hub City: 5 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 14 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, 1 GB
SP DJ McCarty: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 70 P / 34 S, 11.34 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.42 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .217/.282/.304
2B Casey Cook: 1-3, BB, .163/.259/.204
2024 3rd-rounder Casey Cook’s trouble converting balls in play to hits has persisted. He’s striking out at a reasonable rate (22%) but has a .219 average on contact compared to the league’s .331. Cook has been grounder-heavy, but that doesn’t fully explain the situation. He’s hitting .189 on grounders (178th of 200 in high-A with at least 20), .125 on flies (145th of 176 with at least 20) and .455 on liners (231st of 239 with at least 10). I don’t have Statcast data at this level, but I would assume (or at least hope for) some bad luck.
Lo-A: Hickory 4, at Augusta (ATL) 9
Hickory: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-17, 4 GB
SP Aneudis Mejia: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 61 P / 34 S, 4.91 ERA
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .259/.300/.393
Guerrero read my notes from yesterday and said “more hits, I’m on it.” Brock Porter allowed a run on two hits but walked none in an inning.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Abbott
AA: Supak
Hi-A: Curtis
Lo-A: Agreda
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best strikeout-avoider during 2007-2024 was infielder Hanser Alberto, who fanned in 233 of his 2,537 full-season plate appearances, a 9.2% rate. OF Eduard Pinto was lower (7.8%) but had only 40% of Alberto’s trips to the plate, so I awarded Alberto. Five of the best 24 single-season K rates (min. 300 PA) belong to him. He fashioned an eight-year, five-team MLB career with a .269/.292/.381 line and 12% K rate. In 2019, he qualified for the batting title with 550 PA and hit .305, eight-best in the AL. His Orioles were terrible, but that wasn’t his fault. Now 32, he’s still active in Mexico.
Best SO%, season (min. 500 PA):
Yangervis Solarte, 7% (2012)
Jared Prince, 8% (2011)
Zach Granite, 8% (2019)
Best SO%, season (min. 400-499 PA):
Tomas Telis, 7% (2011)
Julio Borbon , 9% (2009)
Hanser Alberto, 9% (2014)
Best SO%, season (min. 300-399 PA):
Eduard Pinto, 5% (2015)
Hanser Alberto, 7% (2018)
Eduard Pinto 7% (2016)
Best SO%, career (min. 900 PA)
Eduard Pinto, 8%
Hanser Alberto, 9%
Tomas Telis, 10%
Fewest SO per H, career (min. 900 PA):
Eduard Pinto, 0.31
Hanser Alberto, 0.35
Tomas Telis, 0.37