AAA: Round Rock 5, at El Paso (SDG) 4 Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 3 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 18-18, 7 GB
SP Adrian Houser: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 SO, 91 P / 53 S, 6.46 ERA RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.63 ERA CF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (12), .277/.371/.465
Jake Burger had the game’s hardest ball in play (114.2) and another at 98 but was 0-3.
Emiliano Teodo pitched a scoreless rehab inning with two strikeouts at the complex. (And 2024 5th-round MIF Devin Fitz-Gerald hit his first homer, and 3B Yolfran Castillo was 2-5 with a walk and two steals.)
AA: Frisco 12, at San Antonio (SDG) 6 Frisco: 12 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 19-11, 3 G ahead
SP Josh Stephan: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 60 P / 35 S, 9.10 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, BB, .306/.383/.450 SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, BB, .252/.361/.369 LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, 2 BB, .190/.393/.349 DH Abimelec Ortiz: 3-5, 2 2B, .214/.296/.350
Frisco scored four in the 9th to break open what was a closer game than the final score alleges. The Riders are the league’s only team better than average in both runs scored and allowed. Everyone reached safely except Josh Hatcher, who was hitting an even .400 early but is 4-for-44 with one walk in his last 11 games.
SP Caden Scarborough: 4 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 67 P / 41 S, 4.03 ERA SS Chandler Pollard: 1-3, 2 BB, 2 SB (16), .321/.398/.346 1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .240/.279/.346
Pollard’s 16 steals leads the system; others with double digits are Kellen Strahm, Anthony Gutierrez and Cam Cauley. The MiLB leader is Cleveland prospect Tommy Hawke with 33 in 29 games. That’s a lot.
The Carolina League has bad control (14.4% BB/HBP rate). Hickory was worse early but at 14.1% has slid below the league average recently. Aiding that cause is none other than Caden Scarborough, who’s walked or hit only eight of 91 batters faced. He’d been quite wild previously, and based on what I saw in March, control wasn’t going to be a prominent feature of 2025. He’s been terrific lately.
Today’s Starters AAA: TBD AA: Anderson Hi-A: Davalillo Lo-A: Molina
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The best tripler in the system during 2007-2024 was OF Engel Beltre, one of the more exciting yet frustrating prospects to grace the Texas system. He leads the organization with 46 during that span. In 2012, he collected 17 plus 17 doubles and 13 homers. For his career, 24% of his extra-base hits were triples.
A strong alternative is OF Chris Garia, who hit more triples (27) than doubles (24) in his career. In 2014, he had seven doubles, 11 triples and four homers, so a full 50% of his extra-base hits were triples.
Jonathan Ornelas played left field yesterday so the second time this season. Texas promoted OF Marcus Smith from Hub City, but that’s just a “we need a guy” situation.
While I’m happy for Blaine Crim, of course, it’s telling that Justin Foscue did not get the call, as he was already on the 40 and is hitting the same as ever plus a few extra singles.
AA: Frisco 6, at San Antonio (SDG) 1 Frisco: 12 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts Opponent: 0 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 18-11, 3 G up
SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 2.42 ERA RP Ryan Lobus: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 3.38 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 6.34 ERA DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, SB (7), .252/.361/.369 LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, BB, .190/.393/.349 3B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, 2B, 3B, .345/.394/.476 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-5, .214/.296/.350 SS Cam Cauley: 3-4, HR (2), .220/.307/.330
The Texas system threw its third no-hitter of the still-young season. One was an eight-inning version that Hickory lost 1-0 and might not appear wherever the record-keepers keep their records, but it’s not for others to tell us what’s worth remembering. Anyway, Kohl Drake handled the first 18 outs, Ryan Lobus the next four, and Skylar Hales the final five.
Frisco hadn’t thrown a no-hitter since July 2011, when Joe Wieland took care of business all by himself in the same stadium. He threw 109 pitches as a 21-year-old, an impossibility today. His next start would be in the same stadium but wearing a different uniform, as he would be traded to San Diego with Robbie Erlin for reliever Mike Adams at the deadline. The Rangers were really strong that year and might have won the World Series had the season not been cancelled. A pity.
Sebastian Walcott peaked at an OBP of .409 and slug of .451 about two weeks ago, after which he’s batted .148/.207/.148. Long season.
Abi Ortiz through 26 games played at the same level in 2024 and 2025: Line: .222/.288/.374 in 2024, .214/.296/.350 in 2025 Hits: 22 both years Extra-Base Hits: 10 last year, 8 this year Walks: 9 last yeaar, 10 this year Strikeouts: 21 last year, 29 this year
Hi-A: Hub City 7, Greensboro (PIT) 5 Hub City: 8 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 17-12, 1 G up
SP Aidan Curry: 4.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 87 P / 48 S, 5.51 ERA RP Anthony Susac: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.64 ERA RP Josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.63 ERA RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B 3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, .224/.284/.282
Yeison Morrobel batted third and acted like it in his first game back fro the lef injury.
I’ve been doing this long enough to avoid prematurely suggesting a player has turned a corner. After his best start in two years, Aidan Curry matched a season-high four walks. He’d actually avoided that trouble through four, but difficulty in putting away batters resulted in walks to three of four batters on a total of 24 pitches in the 5th.
SP J’Briell Easley: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 68 P / 43 S, 2.70 ERA RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.65 ERA
In the 10th, Hickory put runners on the corners with none out, but every subsequent batter struck out. In the bottom half, Augusta’s Nick Montgomery “singled” off the very top of the wall in left-center off the first pitch from Jake Jekielek to drive in the gift-runner.
Brock Porter missed on nearly half his pitches but managed to record outs in two of three three-ball counts. 2B Antonis Macias isn’t especially K-prone but donned the platinum visor last night.
Today’s Starters AAA: TBD AA: Stephan Hi-A: Trentadue Lo-A: Scarborough
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The most doubles-intensive batter during 2007-2024 was 3B Johnny Whittleman. The leader isn’t obvious like Guilder Rodriguez with singles. Jared Hoying hit the most, and Chad Tracy’s 41 were the most in any one season, but Whittleman was near the top in both categories and tended to make doubles a higher percentage of his hits. 2008 was the standout year, when he hit 38 doubles out of 121 hits between high-A Bakersfield and Frisco. He achieved the pinnacle of doubledom on July 10th, hitting three doubles, driving in one, and scoring three times in a 6-2 victory.
Most doubles (full-season only): Jared Hoying, 163 Chad Tracy, 153 Drew Robinson and Preston Beck, 150
Doubles as % of hits: Johnny Whittleman, 29% Cristian Santana, 27% Mitch Moreland, 26%
Doubles as % of PA: Mitch Moreland, 7.2% Julio Borbon, 6.6% Curtis Terry, 6.4%
AAA: Round Rock 7, at El Paso (SDG) 9 Round Rock: 14 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts Record: 17-17, 7 GB
SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 73 P / 43 S, 12.46 ERA RP Joe Barlow: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.11 ERA SS Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, 2B, HR (4), .346/.393/.673 1B Jake Burger: 1-4, BB DH Justin Foscue: 2-4, HR (5), BB, .307/.409/.500 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, BB, .320/.366/.490 CF Sam Haggerty: 3-5, 2B, HR (1), .316/.389/.405
Jake Burger had a bloop single in his first AAA appearance.
Sam Haggerty’s chances of returning to the Majors improved with the departure of Leody Taveras, so I’ll point out that his Statcast figures back up his impressive line. He’s making plenty of singles-oriented contact, and while I see some luck on grounders, he’s hit only one ball in excess of 45 degrees (essentially an automatic out) all season.
AA: Frisco 2, at San Antonio (SDG) 9 Frisco: 5 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts Record: 17-11, 2 G ahead
SP Daniel Missaki: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SO, 60 P / 35 S, 4.20 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB, .318/.390/.467 LF Aaron Zavala: 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, .169/.381/.339
Recently, the Express active roster appears to contain fewer than the maximum 28 players. Since Taveras won’t be joining, the AAA outfield now consists of Haggerty, Kellen Strahm, Trevor Hauver, and Alex De Goti, an infielder whose eight OF starts in 2025 are already the most of his career. That is all to say, if the Rangers wanted to promote someone from Frisco, maybe a stocky 22-year-old born in Mexico who can hit for average and power and swipe a bag, I’d sign off on that.
SP Leandro Lopez: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 1.77 ERA LF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, .261/.355/.380 RF Keith Jones II: 1-4, HR (3), .263/.436/.421 DH Arturo Disla: 1-4, HR (4), .240/.302/.427
Historically wild Leandro Lopez has an 11% walk rate, not bad by modern standards, and opponents are hitting only. 194/.299/.247.
I had no idea what to expect from Keith Jones, a money-saving 9th-round sign from New Mexico State. He crushed the ball as a senior (.367/.472/.710) but did so in the sprawling, video-game environment of the Western Athletic Conference. Even with a high-A assignment, he’s an above-average 23 years old. Such players might have little leeway for extended slumps, but Jones has reached in 22 of 24 games including seven with at least two walks.
SP Kamdyn Perry: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 4.95 ERA LF Maxton Martin: 1-3, HR (2), .302/.330/.481 1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-3, HR (2), .240/.275/.354
Kamdyn Perry, co-owner of Hickory’s no-hitter in April, tossed another five hitless innings. Augusta would single against Michael Trausch the next inning and put at least one runner in scoring position in the final four frames, but only one would score.
Movement Texas released Round Rock reliever Hunter Strickland, who immediately signed with the Angels. Catcher Cooper Johnson was promoted to Round Rock, and recently signed Kale Emshoff replaced him at Frisco. OF Yeison Morrobel, injured in the Spring Breakout game running to first, was assigned to high-A Hub City after a brief stay at the complex. Catcher Jesus Lopez was assigned to the complex. I could have sworn he was on Hickory’s injured list, but that transaction was either deleted or only existed in my head.
Per local scribes, righty Robert Dugger signed a minor deal with Texas. Dugger was the leader of Round Rock’s rotation in 2023. He spent part of last year in Korea (with no success, sad to say) and had been in Oaxaca to start 2025. MLB Trade Rumors suggested the possibility of a spot start or long relief with the Rangers, and I suppose that’s the upside, but in general I’d say he’s mostly here to bolster a thinned-out Express staff. Texas also signed 29-year-old Cory Abbott, who threw 104.2 not particularly enchanting innings for the Cubs and Nats during 2021-2023. He had been pitching in the Mexican League as well.
Today’s Starters AAA: Garabito AA: Drake Hi-A: Curry Lo-A: Easley Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The most single-heavy Texas Rangers minor league hitter during 2007-2024 was Guilder Rodriguez. In six seasons and 2,502 plate appearances, Rodriguez batted .256/.335/.288. 498 of his 555 hits, or 90%, were singles, the highest career percentage of any Ranger with at least 200 hits. He never collected more than 13 extra-base hits in any season and had a career total of two homers. My writeup for the first: “Guilder Rodriguez entered Saturday with 534 games, 1,863 plate appearances, and zero home runs. Now he has one.”
Rodriguez also holds the records for highest percentage of singles in a season with 97%. In 2012, he doubled on April 30 and June 6. That was it. He batted .219/.303/.226 with 56 singles.
Texas had acquired him in the minor league phase of the 2008 Rule 5 draft. I can’t say for sure, but I believe he was eligible for free agency five times as a Ranger but always re-signed. In 2014, Rodriguez was rewarded for years of service with a promotion to the Majors, a highlight of Texas’s otherwise dismal season. In his sixth game, he tallied his first hit, a single to left against the Astros, and would later score. In the 7th, he would line a go-ahead RBI single, and Texas would hold on for a 4-3 victory.
Most singles: Engel Beltre, 554 Hanser Alberto, 506 Guilder Rodriguez, 498
Highest % of Hits For Singles (min. 200 hits): Guilder Rodriguez, 90% Yonny Hernandez, 85% Carlos Garay, 83%
Highest % of Plate Appearances For Singles (min. 200 hits): Carlos Garay, 25% Luis Sardinas, 22% Julio Borbon, 21%
Evan Carter has officially been recalled. Seattle has claimed OF Leody Taveras.
Playing Time Carter has played 21 of Round Round’s 33 games, 18 of those in the field for the entire game. He’s played three consecutive days three times, and last Tuesday through Thursday was the first set in which he played in the outfield every inning. Last week was the first time he’s played five games, although two consisted of a doubleheader in which he played a total of eight innings. He’s never had a week without two consecutive days off.
The Rangers commence a set of 13 straight games tonight. Best I can tell, they might face only righties in the first seven games. That’s better for Carter from a hitting perspective but does bump into the stamina issue. He’s not going to start seven in a row.
Batting In General Carter has a slash of .221/.333/.416, good for a 97 OPS+ using last year’s park factors, and he’s improved as the season has progressed. Eight of his 17 hits are for extra bases. He’s walking plenty and not striking out too much.
He’s very air-oriented. His median launch angle of 23 degrees is in the 92nd percentile among PCL hitters with at least 25 balls in play, and is grounder rate is near the bottom.
Against Righties Carter is hitting .262/.366/.508 with a 14% walk rate and 22% strikeout rate against righties. His hard-hit rate is below average (31% compared to 39% for other PCL lefties against righties), but his top-end exit velocity is above average.
Opposing righties are working him out of the zone low/away more than the typical LHB. He’s swung through some changes, which is understandable, but to his credit he’s almost completely ignored fastball, sinkers, and would-be back-door sliders.
Against Lefties As I’ve mentioned, the Pacific Coast League doesn’t have many lefty pitchers relative to MLB, so Carter’s opportunities against them have been limited to just 17 plate appearances in 21 games. He’s hitting .063/.211/.063 with a softly lined single, three walks and seven strikeouts following a hitless spring. Frankly, some of the at-bats just haven’t been competitive. Sliders have been especially vexing; he’s missed on nine of 14 swings (64%). Of eight recorded balls in play, Carter has one hard hit (95+ MPH) and a median exit velocity of 79.4, about eight below the average of lefty-on-lefty league-wide results.
At all levels including postseason, Carter hasn’t homered against a lefty in 175 plate appearances, the most recent coming on the final day of the 2022 AA regular season.
Running/Stealing/Defending No issues, I’m happy to say. Carter’s acceleration and speed are fine. He’s gained some extra bases purely on speed out of the box and an awareness of exactly how long an outfielder will need to get the ball to second or third.
Thoughts Ignoring the needs of the parent club, I’d be inclined to keep Carter in AAA a little while longer. Perhaps a couple of series playing five games out of the weekly six and no more than one day off, assuming his body doesn’t protest. Maybe an indication that he shouldn’t automatically be replaced against a lefty.
The parent club is awfully needy, though. The good news is the Rangers don’t require the October 2023 version of Carter (although that would be swell). They just need him to clear the low bar of what Leody Taveras offered during the season’s first 35 games. Texas inexplicably has one of baseball’s worst offenses, and even a still-rebounding Carter should provide a boost.
That abbreviated doubleheader I mentioned in the Playing Time section was important, as he came off the bench to pinch-hit against a righty in the last inning (and homered!). He’ll be seeing those situations as a Ranger.
The Rangers dismissed offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and placed OF Leodys Taveras on outright waivers after Sunday’s win. Someone on bluesky asked when the Rangers would make changes (beyond the Burger demotion). I hadn’t answered, and I can’t find his post now, but the answer in my head was 40 games, roughly the seasons’ quarter mark. The Rangers themselves decided an extra week would be a waste of time.
Should Ecker have been fired? Ultimately, it does come down to results, but as to how much responsibility he bears, I don’t know. I’m not in the room, I’ve no idea to what extent his methods had run their course. Frustratingly, Texas’s results can be pinned firmly on just four players.
“Everyone Else” is hitting well (which isn’t to say every individual in that group is, particularly Adolis Garcia), while the others… well. Semien is the oldest and perhaps in the midst of inevitable decline, although hopefully not at the currently drastic rate. Pederson are the two newcomers. Saying “they were fine until they joined the Rangers” seems a gross oversimplification, but you could at least say so in knowledgeable company without being mocked to your face. Still, I’d expect improvement irrespective of who’s in charge of hitting.
As for Taveras (sigh), maybe this is who he is. That’s deeply disappointing, as he has the ability to be (and for a while, actually was) a strong defensive centerfielder whose bat would play well enough to start, if at the bottom of the order. Statcast still rates him above average defensively in 2025, but he sure doesn’t meet the eye test. At the plate, he’s chasing more often but also taking more called third strikes. All of his advanced metrics are dreadful.
Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll almost certainly head to Round Rock rather that take free agency and forfeit the rest of his salary. Does Evan Carter replace him? I’ll leave that for another day (maybe tomorrow!), but the short version is I’m not overly enthused about the idea right now, and if the Rangers were 20-15 with an extra 30 runs scored instead of 17-18, I’d be even less so. But then, if the Rangers were five games above .500, Taveras probably would have contributed to that, and these paragraphs are never written. Carter would very likely be an improvement on Taveras, at least against righties, so the circumstances may require his retrieval.
AAA: Round Rock 13, at Sugar Land (HOU) 0 Round Rock: 15 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 2 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 17-16, 6 GB
SP Michael Plassmeyer: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 53 P / 36 S, 4.97 ERA RP Cole Winn: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.94 ERA 3B Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, HR (3), .340/.392/.617 SS Cody Freeman: 2-5, 2B, .313/.355/.479 CF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, HR (4), HBP, .278/.369/.489 RF Trevor Hauver: 3-5, 2B, HR (4), .243/.339/.421
The Express have used 26 pitchers including 11 starters in 33 games. That’s just a description, not a criticism; most of the league competition has similar usage.
Cole Winn has no earned runs and an opposing line of .145/.255/.145 in 21.2 innings. Cody Freeman has started the last two days at short. Texas successfully outrighted IF Nick Ahmed to Round Rock.
SP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 39 P / 24 S, 6.14 ERA RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.12 ERA RP Larson Kindreich: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, SB (6), .245/.363/.372 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, 3B, SB (6), .333/.388/.427 CF Cam Cauley: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB (10), .207/.302/.293
Sebastian Walcott’s line has dwindled recently thanks to a 2-for-22 spell with no extra base hits. He’s not striking out much at all, just not accomplishing much with the contact. No worries.
SP DJ McCarty: 0.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 32 P / 16 S, 12.83 ERA RP Eric Loomis: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA CF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-4, .283/.353/.315
Rome batted around in the 1st against DJ McCarty. Eric Loomis stranded three.
Hi-A: Hub City 0, at Rome (ATL) 2 (7) Hub City: 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 15-12, tied for 1st
SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 66 P / 45 S, 2.37 ERA CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, SB (6), .250/.350/.364
Not long ago, Hub City ranked near the middle of the league in runs scored despite a weak slash line. Unfortunately, last week’s regression to the mean involved fewer runs, not more hits. The Burgers scored eight runs in the six-game series, and five came in a single game.
SP Ismael Agreda: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 67 P / 40 S, 3.24 ERA RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.00 ERA RP Dalton Pence: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.68 ERA DH Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2B, .301/.324/.456 LF Marcus Torres: 2-4, 3B, SB (2), .214/.313/.393
Hickory avoided a six-game sweep but was outscored 30-14 in the series. The pitching was close to ideal, as 21-year-old Ismael Agreda no-hit the Fireflies through five, Brock Porter was back on point, and former UNC closer Dalton Pence retired the final six in order on 24 pitches.
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The 10th-best full-season team during 2007-2024 is the 2008 Frisco Roughriders.
Not the best team ever, but arguably the most famous. Among those who spent significant time in Frisco and would make their MLB debuts that season or in the next two years were Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Chris Davis, John Mayberry, Manny Pina, Max Ramirez, Thomas Diamond, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter. Andrus (.295/.350/.367) spent the entire season there.
The busiest pitchers weren’t necessarily the best, so Frisco’s run prevention was only league-average, but the offense led in runs scored (adjusted for park) and OPS+. Davis and Ramirez were on fire before moving on, Borbon carried the flame as a midseason addition, elder OFs Ben Harrison and Dustin Majewski were OPS machines, and OF Steven Murphy led the squad with 20 homers. One of the highlights of my baseball career was watching the AA debut of Holland and seventh start by Neftali Feliz on consecutive nights in August.
The playoffs were deeply annoying. Frisco swept a strong San Antonio squad in three games and entered the best-of-five championship against the 62-78 Arkansas Travelers, which limped into the playoffs with a 36-34 first-half record, were 26-44 in the second, and somehow swept a much better NW Arkansas in the opening round. Despite having Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz lined up to start four of five potential games, The Riders lost in five, scoring a total of ten runs.
Carter replaced Alex De Goti late and homered against a righty. Statcast lists the distance as 322 feet; if so, Sugar Land’s right-center alley is only about 280′. The Express batted around in the 7th so he also made the final out.
Ezequiel Duran has started eight games at short and three at third in AAA.
No sight of Jake Burger yet. Round Rock finishes the series today and heads to El Paso Tuesday.
Texas bumped the elder Trey Supak to AAA. He threw 57% four-seamers and sinker averaging 93 MPH with good movement, mostly mid-to-upper 70s curves as a secondary and some cutters, changes and sliders. He missed five bats.
SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 77 P / 57 S, 2.45 ERA RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1.29 ERA LF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (2), .148/.364/.315 CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, SB (6), .317/.387/.462 C Cooper Johnson: 2-4, 2 2B, .267/.380/.500 RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, 2B, 2 SB (3), .308/.316/.505
Lefty. Mitch Bratt has four walks and 29 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.
Someone asked why Josh Hatcher was lounging in AA at the age of 26. The basic answer is Round Rock doesn’t have room for him right now. Maybe if Sam Haggerty has and takes an opt-out, or if Texas decides the depth is sufficient elsewhere and releases him, that would create a spot, although Alejandro Osuna could have first dibs. Also, Hatcher signed as a fifth-year senior in 2022 and was on the old side of 23 when he played his first professional game.
Hi-A: Hub City 5, at Rome (ATL) 1 Hub City: 6 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 15-10, 1.5 G up
SP David Davalillo: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 52 P / 31 S, 1.33 ERA RP josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.09 ERA CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (12), .271/.347/.306
This was the completion of Friday’s suspended contest. The regularly scheduled game was rained out. Hub City didn’t score Saturday but didn’t need to, as Josh Mollerus, Victor Simeon, Joey Danielson and Anthony Susac combined to shut out the Emperors over five innings.
SP Aneudis Mejia: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 30 P / 14 S, 4.11 ERA 2B Antonis Macias: 2-3, .230/.437/.311
The MVP was the rain that halted proceedings after five innings, meaning this game ended without further indignity. Hickory committed five errors and added two hit batters, a balk and a wild pitch. Columbia hit back-to-back triples and stole four bases.
Complex League: Rangers 4, Padres 3 The rookies squandered an early 3-0 league but walked off victorious on rehabbing OF Yeison Morrobel’s RBI single. The Rangers scored three in the 1st on a double by 1B Klemir Lemos plus a walk, HBP, wild pitch and sac fly. CF Paulino Santana, 3B Devin Fitz-Gerald, and Josh Springer all singled, and Santana swiped a base. The pitching was led by 34-year-old Ty Blach, out of contract since September and recently signed presumably to aid Round Rock in the near future.
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The 16th-best position player season during 2007-2024 belongs to Abimelec Ortiz.
Born in Puerto Rico, Ortiz played for Florida SouthWestern State College and signed as a free agent with Texas in late July 2021. He was able to play 40 games in the Dominican Summer League because the season started so late. His initial foray to full-season ball was unexceptional: .226/.308/.380 with 11 homers in 94 games at Down East. His prospect stature exceeded his production at that point, but he’d yet to show much at a “show me” position. In the offseason, he was fitted with contacts.
The first month of 2022 was similar (.246/.329/.377), but Ortiz suddenly began torching the ball, hitting .400 and slugging .950 over an 11-game span that earned a quick promotion to high-A Hickory. There, Ortiz hardly ever slowed down, hitting five homers in his first ten games and batting .283/.358/.609 overall. Ortiz’s 33 homers tied for the fourth-most in minor league ball, and everybody ahead of him was older (although, for combined power and youth, Junior Caminero’s 31 homers at Age 19 were the true standout).
Since then, Ortiz has often struggled at AA. In 2024, he endure a long dry spell before resuming his earlier glory, and 2025 has been slow as well. Ortiz doesn’t strike out excessively and has more to offer than brute-forcing of bad pitches over the fence, but he has some miss in his bat. Watching him in person, you’re likely to say “wow, quick bat” and “wow… he missed that slider by a foot” in the same game. Ortiz was omitted from last year’s 40-man additions and will need to get back on track to be added this fall. He’s still below the average age for a Double A hitter.
SP Ben Anderson: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 72 P / 43 S, 7.78 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-3, HBP, .310/.383/.460 RF Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (3), .218/.306/.379 SS Cam Cauley: 2-3, .209/.296/.302
Abi Ortiz hit a two-run homer, and Alejandro Osuna’s 5th-inning RBI grounder would prove necessary. Lefty Bryan Magdaleno spread three runners across two scoreless innings for the save. Magdaleno was a potential 40 addition and Rule 5 pick last winter but was ignored in both processes. He’s suffered instances of very poor control during 2025, so Spring Training on a different club’s MLB roster probably wouldn’t have worked out, and his ordinary spring and return to Frisco are best for his development.
Hi-A: suspended
Hub City leads 4-1 in the 5th. David Davalillo is the only pitcher of record, fanning six in four innings on 52 pitches.
SP Mason Molina: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 42 P / 28 S, 4.34 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.25 ERA CF Yeremi Cabrera: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (9), .191/.360/.206
Rain shortened Mason Molina’s outing.
Texas released OF Jose De Jesus, one of the pricier signings of the 2022 class. De Jesus had hit well in the Dominican Summer League and a second try in the complex league, but he was off to an .067/.125/.067 start in low-A, albeit with very few strikeouts. Some unfortunate defense might have guided the decision.
Complex League The season begins today at 1pm CDT. I don’t cover the league regularly anymore, partly for lack of time, partly for structural changes (a pre-draft start, for example) that have partly turned it into a graduate level for the Dominican Summer League. Not to deride the DSL its players, of course, but a good number aren’t more than names on a page to me, and many will never advance to full-season ball. I do check the box scores and report occasionally.
2024 picks: RHP David Hagaman (4th round out of West Virginia, a low-end top-30 prospect, had brace surgery last July), MIF Devin Fitz-Gerald (5th, high school), LHP Garrett Horn (6th, out of Liberty), C Josh Springer (12th, high school), LHP Aidan Deakins (13th, juco)
Internationals: MIF Yolfran Castillo (18, best prospect of the bunch, I thought he had a shot at low-A from the get-go), IF Curley Martha (18), IF Daniel Flames (18), OF Braylin Morel (19, didn’t see him in Surprise), OF Paulino Santana (18), OF Yeison Morrobel (21, hurt in Spring Breakout game), RHP Jormy Nivar (22, saw him in Surprise, my note was “messy but fun,” 92-93 sinker with massive horizontal movement)
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The 16th-best starting pitching performance during 2007-2024 belongs to Cole Ragans:
The 2016 pick missed three seasons to two elbow surgeries and covid, and in 2021 he finally resumed a normal baseball career. In 2022, after passing through the Rule 5 draft untouched, Ragans returned to Frisco and quickly drew attention with a seven strikeouts in 3.1 scoreless innings. On the whole, he didn’t overwhelm the Texas League but clearly re-established himself as a genuine rotation prospect. After ten starts, he advanced to Round Rock. I missed his AAA debut, but in subsequent starts I recall being especially impressed with a changeup that he could place anywhere along the bottom and arm-side borders of the zone. In that debut, he threw 34 of them and missed 11 bats. Despite one predictably ugly outing at high-altitude Las Vegas, Ragans actually held opponents to a better slash line in the PCL than AA. In early August, after 38 post-surgery appearances during 2021-2022, he would make his MLB debut.
Blaine Crim The offense needs a spark, so the Rangers are calling up an almost-28-year-old AAA first baseman in his minor league walk year.
Wait. What?
Texas drafted Blaine Crim in 2019’s 19th round from Mississippi College. He signed for the princely sum of $5,000. Across six seasons, Crim has batted .296/.372/.507, and he’s never endured a season-long slump. His worst batting average is .277, worst OBP .357, worst slug .469. He’s been remarkably consistent and healthy.
He’s hit 49 homers in 295 AAA games across 2023-2025 (about 19 per 500 PA), plus a combined 78 doubles and triples. His walk/HBP rate is an impressive 13%, and he doesn’t strike out that much (18%).
His swing tends to lean more towards liners than towering flies, and his contact is stout and true. In 2025, he sports a 52% hard-hit rate (league average is 39%), a median exit velocity of 95.9 (league 90.0), and a 90th-percentile exit of 107.9 (league 104.0). He’s prone to neither popups nor excessive grounders. This season, he’s hitting .313/.365/.515, and in looking at the balls in play I’m not seeing weirdly lucky results like I found with JP Martinez a couple of years ago. His line seems honest, at least as honest as any line in the Pacific Coast League can be. He has a pronounced reverse split so far, but on the whole I’d say his platoons are close to normal. He tends to whiff more than average against breakers and changes, but that’s offset by a good take rate against the out-of-zone versions and solid results on contact.
So, why hasn’t he been promoted before now? Ultimately, I’d have to say because the decision-makers (both in Arlington and around the Majors) have never quite reached the point at which they’ve felt compelled to make a move. I’ve sometimes talked about a player forcing management’s hand. Crim just isn’t quite that type. He has always been very good, but kind of quietly so. He doesn’t really impart a “best player on the field” vibe, although I’ve attended many a game where I’ve marveled at how perpetually locked in he is compared to most of his teammates and opposition. He has some flaws, namely a lack of positional flexibility and a listed height of 5’10”.
We can analyze and hypothesize all day, but as I’ve said before, we can learn a great deal from the (in)actions of the teams. Obviously, he hadn’t reached the Majors before today. Crim has been a potential 40 addition since the fall of 2022 but never protected. He’s been available in three Rule 5 drafts but never taken. Last December via two trades, the Rangers swapped a starting 1B with two years of control for one with four years of control. He wasn’t the prize or a pot sweetener in trades for Jordan Montgomery, Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly, etc.
A recent Baseball America piece discussed the decline of lefty-throwing position players, including at first, adding: “Major league first basemen are more likely to throw righthanded today than they were a decade ago… First basemen also are shorter on average than they used to be… A greater number of sub-6-foot players are playing first base today.”
All true, but a good many of those players are shy of six feet by one inch, while Crim is listed at 5’10”. A negligible difference to most of us, perhaps, but in terms of getting an opportunity in the first place, it’s huge. Crim also bats exclusively right-handed. And although Crim has moonlighted at third over his pro career, he’s essentially an adequate defensive 1B, and the likelihood of him playing the hot corner in the Majors is remote.
I queried Baseball Reference’s Stathead service for players and seasons meeting these criteria since 1920: 1) listed height 5’10” or below, 2) bats right-handed only, 3) played at least 75% of games at 1B, 4) played no other positions (except DH), 4) minimum 20 PA.
Andrew Vaughn, 2023-2025 Steve Garvey, 1974-1987 Chuck Harrison, 1965-1969, 1971 Lew Fonseca, 1929, 1933 Stuffy McInnis, 1920-1926 Dutch Schliebner, 1923
That’s it. Crim is up against over a century of animosity toward his type of player, and while analytics have changed the game radically, baseball is still a sport steeped in inertia. Plus, this positional selection begins far earlier than the upper minors. If you see an adolescent below six feet, you’re looking for where he can play other than first.
In terms of Texas minor league history, the analogs for Crim that come to mind are catcher Brett Nicholas and OF Jared Hoying. Both were minor league lifers awaiting free agency in 2016, and both would be called up to assist a contending club, not after roster expansion but in the early part of the season. Nicholas was later traded for some low-level relief prospect named Emmanuel Clase, while Hoying parlayed his call-up into three seasons in Korea.
Someone on social media asked if I thought Crim could hit MLB pitching. If I knew with certainty, I wouldn’t have placed this paragraph down at the bottom, plus my involvement in baseball would be more intense than blogging as a side gig. I don’t know. I’ve seen so, so many guys smash AAA pitching in hitter-friendly parks, only to be overwhelmed in the Majors. The history of hitters who debut at Age 27 isn’t great. Mostly, they have their moments but can’t hang on.
I do know with certainty that Crim deserves this chance.
AAA: Round Rock 0, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3 Round Rock: 3 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 15-15, 6 GB
SP Gerson Garabito: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 60 P / 36 S, 9.00 ERA RP Cole Winn: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
A despondent Crim-less Express mustered only three singles, two by Zeke Duran.
Texas signed catcher Kale Emshoff and assigned him to Round Rock. The 27-year-old had signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and was released just four days ago.
SP Josh Stephan: 3 IP, 7 H (4 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 69 P / 42 S, 7.00 ERA RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.52 ERA RP Janser Lara: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, .231/.375/.346
Four of Josh Stephan’s first 11 opponents went deep. He’s always been slightly homer-prone but not scarily so. 28-year-old Janser Lara originally signed with KC in 2015, didn’t pitch after 2018 and was released in 2020. Over four years later, the Rangers signed him and placed him two levels higher than any previous, and he’s been fine.
Hi-A: Hub City 1, @Rome (ATL) 0 Hub City: 3 hits, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 14-10, 1 G up
SP Kolton Curtis: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 66 P / 39 S, 2.70 ERA RP Adonis Villavicencio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.60 ERA RP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.60 ERA RF Keith Jones II: 2-4, .273/.442/.409
Hub City engineered a second straight 1-0 victory at Rome. C Julian Brock doubled to start the 6th, advanced on a flyout and scored despite a drawn-in infield on a Theo Hardy grounder.
SP Caden Scarborough: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 63 P / 45 S, 4.42 ERA 1B Maxton Martin: 1-3, 3B, BB, .297/.323/.462 C Ben Hartl: 2-4, 3B, .200/.351/.267 SS Chandler Pollard: 2-4, 2 SB (13), .345/.415/.379
Hickory led 4-3 in the 9th, but a triple to center over Jose De Jesus’s head, a walk and double to LF Maxton Martin plated the tying and winning runs for the Fireflies.
Today’s Starters AAA: Houser AA: Anderson Hi-A: Davalillo Lo-A: Molina
Caleb Boushley was called up by the Rangers despite throwing yesterday afternoon.
Dane Dunning was DFA’ed after just one game. He is again in position to take free agency if unclaimed and outrighted, but he lacks the experience to walk away with his salary.
Round Rock catcher Tucker Barnhart (.246/.354/.391) replaces the injured Kyle Higashioka.
Texas designated righty Daniel Robert for assignment and quickly traded him to Philadelphia for 20-year-old RHP Enrique Segura. Robert’s path to the Rangers was long and arduous, and I hope he sees more “up” than “down” in the Philly reliever shuttle. He’d pitched well for Round Rock this season (11.2 IP, 4 R, 4 BB, 17 SO). At least for the moment, Segura is assigned to the complex squad. Low-A Hickory would seem the eventual destination. Now 20, he’d signed back in 2022 and was quickly if briefly an addition to the lower reaches of the top-30 prospect lists, but he’s had a bear of a time establishing acceptable control. At low-A Clearwater, he’s posted a 3.18 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 11 BB/HBP in 17 innings. Per Statcast, his 2025 repertoire has consisted of a sinker (avg. speed 93), slider (82), curve (81), and a handful of changes (87). The slider and curve data are similar enough that I’m wondering if they’re the same pitch or at least just variations on a theme. We’ll see.
The Rangers also traded AAA righty Matt Festa to Cleveland for cash. Festa had yet to allow a run in 14.2 IP and had struck out 20 but also walked or hit eight.
AAA: Round Rock 5, at Sugar Land (HOU) 1 Round Rock: 9 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 8 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 15-14, 4.5 GB
SP Caleb Boushley: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 39 P / 24 S, 1.69 ERA RP Peyton Gray: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1.80 ERA CF Evan Carter: 2-5, SB (6), .235/.358/.412 DH Blaine Crim: 1-4, HR (7), .313/.365/.565 SS Ezeuqiel Duran: 3-4, 2 SB (4), .290/.353/.548 1B Justin Foscue: 1-2, 2 BB, .304/.395/.461 LF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 3 SB (10), .253/.356/.440
Evan Carter collected his first hit against a lefty in 2025, just a soft oppo liner, but it came in the ninth pitch of an at-bat that included an 0-2 start and five fouls, four off sweepers. Previously, he’d swung and missed at nine of 14 sliders or sweepers (64%), so it’s something. Including the spring, Carter had been zero-for-23 with three walks and 13 strikeouts against lefties. As I’ve mentioned, one problem is beyond his control, as only 26% of opposing pitches and 17% of starts against the Express have come from lefties.
Carter will soon reach the point at which the Rangers gain another year of control, but I wouldn’t consider that a factor at all in his ongoing minor league assignment. Texas was right to send him down and right to keep him in AAA. He’s playing more frequently and making progress. He’s pretty much fine against righties. His prowess out of the box and on the basepaths has been impressive. Conversely, you know the issues with lefties, and in the early going I witnessed swinging strikes of a type you don’t often see at this level plus an impression of physical discomfort. Texas sure could use a steady CF, but he’s not steady yet, and I’ve always felt his situation shouldn’t be latched to the short-term needs of the parent club. (And if the parent club calls him up tomorrow, oh well, they know better than me.)
SP Kohl Drake: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 9 SO, 78 P / 50 S, 3.31 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, .301/.374/.462
Kohl Drake has a 41% K rate, even better than last year’s 35% mostly at lower levels, but he hasn’t brought the lower-level control to AA yet.
Hi-A: Hub City 1, @Rome (ATL) 0 Hub City: 4 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 13-10, tied for first
SP Aidan Curry: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 67 P / 44 S, 6.00 ERA RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.71 ERA 2B Casey Cook: 2-4, SB (6), .171/.264/.211
I haven’t had a chance to review Aidan Curry’s best outing since 2023, but I’ll try. Dylan MacLean, Larson Kindreich and Willan Bormie completed the road shutout. Casey Cook’s two-out single in the 9th plated Anthony Gutierrez, who’d been hit.
SP J’Briell Easley: 5 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 71 P / 45 S, 2.81 ERA RP Brock Porter: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 3.46 ERA RP Dalton Pence: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.26 ERA
Uh oh, a bad day if you’ve been writing “I don’t care what Brock Porter throws as long as they’re strikes.” For the second time in eight outings, Porter missed on more than half his pitches.
Today’s Starters AAA: TBD AA: Stephan Hi-A: Curtis Lo-A: Scarborough
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024 The eighth-best relief season for the Rangers during 2007-2024 came from lefty Joe Palumbo in 2016.
Palumbo averaged about 12 batters per appearances and moved to the rotation down the stretch, but he had more games finished (12) and more saves (8) than starts (7), so I’m calling him a reliever for this exercise.
In early 2016, nobody was writing about Palumbo but me, and even then purely as documentation. Drafted in 2013’s 30th round, Palumbo posted respectable numbers during the prior two years at the complex and Spokane, but I’d never heard anything noteworthy about his repertoire. I assume I saw him at least once during visits to Surprise in 2014-2016 but can’t find any writeup. He made one end-of-2015 appearance at low-A Hickory and in 2016 would be assigned to the bullpen, where he would pitch in long relief of starters like Dillon Tate, Jonathan Hernandez, and Pete Fairbanks.
One early miscue inflated his ERA for a while, but on the whole he was masterful, fanning just over one-third of opposing batters (less common at the time). He had five scoreless outings of at least three innings and seven more in the 2.0-2.2 range. At some point, I asked a scout where this performance was last year, and the reply was “he was throwing 86 last year.” During 2016, Palumbo graduated to a steady 91-94 with some landing even higher. That plus a strong curve and functional change prompted a late-July return to the rotation, where he would be just as effective if not quite so strikeout-prone. Essentially an organizational guy entering the season (not even in Jamey Newberg’s top 72), he finished as one of Texas’s top-ten prospects.
After that, 2019 would be his only ordinary season, when he advanced from AA Frisco to the Majors. 2017-2018 were shortened by elbow surgery. 2020-2025 have been a combination of injuries, lesser stuff, and difficulty with control. He’s thrown a total of 36 innings (and walked 45) for the Rangers, Giants, and two indy teams in the last five-plus seasons.
