Month: June 2025

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 8 (10)
Round Rock: 9 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 8 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 33-37, eliminated

SP Cory Abbott: 1.2 IP, 2 H (2 HR), 6 R, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 59 P / 34 S, 8.28 ERA
RP Joe Barlow: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 5.28 ERA
RF Dustin Harris: 1-4, 2B, BB, SB (13), .229/.335/.319
3B Cody Freeman: 1-5, HR (9), .298/.346/.483
LF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, SB (24), .279/.379/.405

Round Rock recovered from an early 6-1 deficit but lost in extras. 1B Blaine Crim was pulled mid-game.

Texas sent righty Nolan Hoffman to Philadelphia for cash. The 27-year-old had a 5.91 ERA and walk-strewn peripherals in 35 innings.

AA: Frisco 2, at San Antonio (SDG) 4
Frisco: 6 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 36-27, 0.5 G up, magic number 5

SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 77 P / 48 S, 4.39 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (3), .268/.412/.425
3B Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, .252/.354/.426
C Ian Moller: 3-4, .190/.303/.286

Midland’s quiet loss at Tulsa lowered Frisco’s magic number specifically against the RockHounds to four, but the Riders’ title dream also requires three wins in the next five at the Missions, who usurped second place and trail by only one-half game.

Switched to Tuesday in light of David Davalillo’s impending arrival, Ben Anderson was nearly perfect through five. The sole baserunner reached on Anderson’s own error and was eliminated on the play with the help of an alert RF Luis Mieses, who quickly fielded the errant throw and caught the runner in a 7-6-3-5 pickle between first and second. (Conceivably, Frisco could have still retired 27 in order, but the ROE, however brief, ruins perfection.) In the 6th, the no-hitter, shutout and two-run lead vanished in a span of seven batters.

Cam Cauley (0-4) still leads the team in appearances at 2B but hasn’t played there in nearly a month. He’s bounced between short and center lately. Veteran Jax Biggers has started there nearly every game since coming off the IL at the beginning of June.

Hi-A: Hub City 3, @ Bowling Green (TAM) 7
Hub City: 10 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-34, eliminated

SP Leandro Lopez: 5.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 83 P / 51 S, 2.01 ERA
LF Keith Jones II: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, SB (11), .267/.402/.450
C Julian Brock: 1-4, HR (1), .208/.276/.286

With one out in the 9th, Bowling Green shortstop Adrian Santana fouled off four pitches before cranking a game-winning grand slam. Hub City has lost eight straight and is guaranteed a losing record in the first half. Bowling Green needs one win or a Greenville loss during the next two nights to claim the title.

Leandro Lopez’s first half was a strong as one could hope for. Opponents are hitting .193/.276/.278. His walk rate of 10.5% is essentially league average and he hasn’t hit anyone and has thrown only two wild pitches, so on the whole his control is pretty good for the first time in his career.

Chandler Pollard has joined from Hickory, where he batted .261/.352/.319 in a repeat of the level. Compared to last year, he’s walking less but (over)compensating by doubling last year’s HBPs in far fewer games. He’s also dropped his strikeout rate from 33% to 22%, so even though he’s hitting for a lower average on contact, his average is still 22 points higher than last year. Pollard largely ceded shortstop to since-traded Echedry Vargas last year but has started there nearly 90% of his games in 2025.

Incidentally, Vargas, IF Max Acosta and lefty Brayan Mendoza, all dealt to Miami for Jake Burger, have backslid considerably from last year. The collapse of Vargas’ BB/SO ratio in 2024’s second half has persisted, and despite four recent homers he’s hitting .176/.221/.294 for high-A Beloit. Recently, Baseball America dumped him completely out of Miamo’s top 30 list after ranking him 13th before the season. Acosta (.231/.320/.302 in AAA Jacksonville) is walking much more often, but the modest pop displayed in ’23-’24 has disappeared along with 30 points of average.

Lo-A: Hickory 6, Delmarva (BAL) 4
Hickory: 6 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 32-31, 1.5 GB, elimination number 1

SP Ismael Agreda: 1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 31 P / 17 S, 2.50 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.44 ERA
RP Grant Cherry: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 5.29 ERA
RP William Privette: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.80 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 1-3, 2 BB, .258/.421/.326
DH Marcos Torres: 1-4, HR (2), .243/.328/.378

Combined with division-leading Columbia’s loss, the Crawdads maintained their faint title hopes with the win. Over the next two nights, Hickory can’t lose, Columbia can’t win, and both Charleston and Augusta must lose at least once. Kannapolis was eliminated by losing to Charleston last night.

Marcos Torres inverted a one-run deficit in the 8th with a two-run homer. Two singles and a wild pitch would plate Maxton Martin for insurance that was not required. A walk-free but taxing 31-pitch 1st was apparently the limit for Ismael Agreda.

Complex
2024 1st-rounder Malcolm Moore has played in Arizona the last two days, collecting a single and two walks while serving once as designated hitter and catcher. He’s recovering from a broken finger. Pitchers Jackson Kelley and Kyle Larsen, both on the 60-day IL since March, are rehabbing as well.

Shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald went 3-3 with two walks to improve to .318/.423/.542. Obviously the Rangers didn’t see fit to slot Fitz-Gerald in low-A Hickory for the departed Pollard immediately, but perhaps at some point? While there’s nothing wrong with keeping last year’s 5th-round pick out of high school in Arizona all season, he’ll turn 20 in August, so he’s not exactly a newborn. A decade ago, he would have played several dozen pro games in his draft year and with a good showing would have been assigned to short-season Spokane or perhaps even low-A Hickory in his first full season.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Trentadue
Lo-A: TBD

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
A hodgepodge of items this week, starting with the luckiest Texas-affiliated teams during 2007-2024. All three teams reached the postseason and were good, just not as good as their shiny records.

Coming in at #3 are the 2008 Frisco RoughRiders:
Record: 84-56
Run-Differential Record: 77-63
Component Record: 76-64

By my accounting, Frisco had the sixth-best win-loss record of Texas’s 68 full-season squads, but I ranked them tenth based on record and other factors. The offense was genuinely strong, and I’ll be covering it separately down the road, but the pitching was bog-average. Yes, the staff contained (for a while) such luminaries as Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Tommy Hunter and Matt Harrison, but the four busiest pitchers accounting for 35% of the innings had a collective ERA of 5.02. Thomas Diamond posted a 6.20 ERA in 53 innings. No Texas League opponent had a worse ratio of strikeouts to walks. Likewise, the defense was average at best. Again, a good team, just not a .600-level team.

At #2 are the 2021 Down East Wood Ducks:
Record: 72-48
Run-Differential Record: 66-54
Component Record: 61-59

Down East hit .244/.344/.379 with a 102 OPS+, opponents batted .241/.334/.388 with a 102 OPS+, yet the Woodies finished 24 games over .500. 17-17 in blowouts (5+ runs) but 26-11 record in one-run games, Down East sneaked into the playoffs and took a superior Charleston club to a deciding fifth game before succumbing.

#1 arrives tomorrow.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, El Paso (SDG) 7
Round Rock: 4 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 33-36, eliminated

SP Peyton Gray: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 44 P / 30 S, 3.43 ERA
RP Codi Heuer: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.00 ERA
RP Craig Kimbrel: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, .275/.378/.403

Craig Kimbrel missed only one bat but hypnotized the Chihuahuas into gawking at seven calls as he fanned the side.

AA: Frisco 5, at Midland (ATH) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 36-26, 1.5 G up, magic number 5

SP Trey Supak: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 80 P / 50 S, 4.56 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 7.91 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.16 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, BB, .251/.352/.427
1B Abi Ortiz: 3-4, 2B, .235/.329/.408

The Riders’ run differential is 65 worse than Midland, but the numbers that matter are eight and four, representing the wins and losses Frisco have against Midland this season. Cam Cauley opened the scoring in the 5th on a Midland error, and Sebastian Walcott drew a bases-loaded walk following an 0-2 count. Abi Ortiz’s two-run double in the 6th provided the cushion.

Frisco controls its destiny for the division title but has a slightly tougher assignment than simply outlasting Midland because of this week’s visit to third-place San Antonio, which trails by only two games. Frisco would clinch with five wins in the final six games. Four wins would suffice as long as Midland doesn’t sweep Tulsa on the road, and three would get by as long as Midland doesn’t win five. But if the Riders win only twice, they would not win the division regardless of how Midland performs because San Antonio would sneak ahead.

Tuesday has been a sore spot. Frisco has allowed at least five runs in seven consecutive series openers and lost six. After Tuesday, the rotation has typically unfurled as Drake, Stephan, Ben Anderson, Bratt and Supak, but not this week, because Texas is promoting RHP David Davalillo to Frisco for a Friday AA debut, per local reports. Davalillo in San Antonio. Somebody should go watch that in person.

Hi-A: Hub City 2, Wilmington (WAS) 3
Hub City: 8 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 30-32, eliminated

SP Jose Gonzalez: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 69 P / 52 S, 3.30 ERA
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B, .211/.274/.351

Wilmington entered the series 24-33 overall and 9-18 on the road but swept Hub City with one blowout and five one-run victories. The Spartanburgers head to division-leading Bowling Green 3.5 back with three to play.

Jose Gonzalez never exceeded 15 pitches in an inning en route to a career-high seven frames. Down two with two out and none on, Hub City managed to score once and load the bases, but Arturo Disla’s chopper was snared by 1B Brandon Boissiere for the final out.

Lo-A: Hickory 12, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2 (7)
Hickory: 12 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts

SP Mason Molina: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 71 P / 45 S, 3.85 ERA
SS Chandler Pollard: 1-3, BB, HBP, SB (28), .261/.352/.319
3B Rafe Perich: 2-5, 3B, .251/.361/.374
CF Yeremi Cabrera: 4-4, BB, .246/.377/.321

Lo-A: Hickory 1, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 4 (7)
Hickory: 3 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 31-31, 2.5 GB, elimination number 1

SP Thomas Ireland: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 47 P / 26 S, 2.72 ERA

The Crawdads split the doubleheader and lost four of six at Myrtle Beach, leaving the narrowest of paths to a first-half division title:
1. Hickory (31-31) must win the next three games,
2. Columbia (34-29, alone in 1st) must lose the next three games.
3. Neither Augusta (31-30), Kannapolis (32-31) nor Charleston (32-31) can win three straight.

Yeremi Cabrera had a terrific week: 9-26 with a double, three walks and three steals.

Elsewhere
The White Sox released reliever Keone Kela, who had an 8.44 ERA (albeit with better peripherals) at AAA Charlotte. Kela was quite successful in Mexico in 2024 after a walk-heavy season in Japan.

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best season by a Texas position player in rookie/short-season ball belongs to Curtis Terry in 2018.

Terry had the 19th-best full-season performance on my list, so I’ve already covered my dismaying in-person view of him in March 2018. He would commence his fourth pro season at the second-lowest stateside level, where he had already played 70 games plus 75 more at the rookie level. Every other high-school-aged Texas draft pick in his class and still in the system had graduated to low-A Hickory. Perhaps Terry deserved a swim-or-sink assignment there as well, but the Rangers already had 1B-only Tyreque Reed plus Sam Huff, who moonlighted at first when not catching. In any case, Terry wasn’t slumming in Spokane, having offered not a whole lot beyond his 12 homers there the year before.

In 2018, Terry was the king of the Northwest, finishing third in the league in average, second in OBP, second in slugging (just behind 2018 #2-overall pick Joey Bart), second in hits (83), and first in homers, runs (51) and RBI (60). His 15 homers and .606 slugging percentage ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, among all Northwest League hitters during 2007-2019.

Terry had a strange career. As a Ranger, he would end up spending more time in short ball (212 games) than full-season (194) before making his big-league debut. Then, less than a year after being optioned back to Round Rock, he would play in what remains his final game in affiliated ball for the AAA St. Paul Saints. He’s spent the last three seasons in indy ball, currently ranking fourth in the Atlantic League with 11 homers for Lexington.

Kumar Rocker was originally scheduled to pitch in Round Rock but will instead throw for the Rangers. Rocker was successful in his Tuesday start for the Express, but his control lagged more than the one walk in four innings would suggest, and his pitch selection largely eschewed the mid-80s slider that is essentially untouchable at that level. It wasn’t a “finishing touches” start, but he’s been in Arlington before and knows what’s required. Tyler Mahle is on the IL.

Texas released righty Gerson Garabito. In a vacuum, that news surprised me. He’d been awful in Round Rock, unfortunately, and I assumed his 40 spot was in deep jeopardy, but there’s no benefit to a pure release versus designation for assignment unless the front office was convinced he’ll never retire Triple A hitters adequately again. In fact, per a bunch of gossip I saw online yesterday and local media today, Garabito is headed to Korea. He hadn’t pitched stateside in over two years when the Rangers signed him and quickly became an adequate long man for a spell, so that was was a good bit of business for all parties.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 0, El Paso (SDG) 8
Round Rock: 4 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 33-35, eliminated

SP Michael Plassmeyer: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 6 R, 1 BB, 3 HBP, 6 SO, 65 P / 43 S, 4.54 ERA
RP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 11.69 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, 2B, ..235/.342/.324

My Father’s Day present to myself is to skip this game.

AA: Frisco 2, at Midland (ATH) 1
Frisco: 3 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 35-26, 0.5 G up

SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 52 S, 2.18 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.82 ERA

Earlier this week I pointed to a late-inning loss by Hub City that would stand out if the Burgers fell just short of the division title. If the Riders win their division, last night will stand out positively. Retired in order through five and hitless through seven, Frisco scored twice in the 8th to reverse a one-run deficit that Midland had nursed since the 1st. Frainyer Chavez lined an honest single after a Jax Biggers walk. After a Marcus Smith sac bunt, catcher Tucker Mitchell bounced a grounder just inside the 3B line for a two-run double. 

Mitch Bratt has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of 11 starts. Opponents have a .138 isolated power and are hitting .311 on balls in play, which is to say, his 2.18 ERA isn’t a product of luck but instead a product of his 66 strikeouts versus only nine walks.

Hi-A: Hub City 2, Wilmington (WAS) 3
Hub City: 3 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-32, 3.5 GB, elimination number 1

SP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 2 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 79 P / 43 S, 5.82 ERA

Hub City has averaged 2.6 runs and 5.2 hits in losing the first five games of the series. The Spartanburgers need to win tomorrow, hope for a Bowling Green loss, then win three straight at Bowling Green next week AND hope that Greenville loses at least three of its final four. Lots of needing and hoping going on.

Lo-A: wet

Two today. Columbia swept a doubleheader with Kannapolis last night to claim first place with a 33-29 record. Hickory’s elimination number is three. A sweep today is essentially required, and with four teams ahead, the Crawdads need several of them to belly-flop through next Thursday.

Today’s Starters
AAA: not Rocker
AA: Supak
Hi-A: Gonzalez
Lo-A: TBD x 2

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The second-best position player performance in short-rookie ball during 2007-2024 was by infielder Diosbel Arias.

Texas signed the Cuban Arias for $700,000 in 2017. Assigned to the short-A Northwest league as a 21-year-old, roughly the league-average age, Arias led the Northwest League in average (.366) and on-base percentage (.451) and was third in hits (83) and fourth in walks (33). He had a late-season 30-game stretch with a .500 OBP. During that period, he once went 4-4 with a double and two walks, and ten days later he went 3-3 with three walks.

Arias dutifully climbed the organizational ladder but didn’t quite reach the Majors. He could play multiple positions but not short. He hit for some power (about 25 doubles and seven homers per 120 games) and drew a decent number of walks, but he depended pretty heavily on batting average. He probably could have continued in AAA after his contract with Texas expired, but instead he headed for Mexico, where he’s spent the past two seasons.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, El Paso (SDG) 2
Round Rock: 11 hits, 7 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 33-34, 9.5 GB

SP Ty Blach: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 88 P / 63 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.88 ERA
RP Patrick Murphy: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.63 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 2-5, HR (10), .289/.381/.528
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (12), .227/.338/.311
DH Cody Freeman: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (5), .307/.356/.489

Justin Foscue has joined Brian Crim (12) and Gleider Figuerero (10) in the double-digit homer club.

AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 2 (10)
Frisco: 6 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 34-26, 0.5 GB, elimination number 8

SP Ben Anderson: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 48 P / 34 S, 4.10 ERA
RP Geraldo Carillo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.82 ERA
RP Avery Weems: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 6.10 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-3, BB, .256/.357/.438
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, BB, .256/.333/.399

Midland’s Henry Bolte tied the game in the 9th with a two-out solo homer, but Sebastian Walcott’s 10th-inning sac fly would hold up to even the series against the division leader. . That run came off ex-Ranger CD Pelham. A split of the final two would make the math easy; Frisco would simply need to win one more game than Midland next week.

Hi-A: Hub City 0, Wilmington (WAS) 8
Hub City: 2 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 30-31, 2.5 GB, elimination number 3

SP David Davalillo: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 0 SO, 57 P / 36 S, 2.12 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.12 ERA
RP Adonis Villaviciendo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.57 ERA

David Davalillo is living well when a six-run night raises his ERA to just 2.12, but the timing wasn’t great. Hub City has lost five straight. Eric Loomis rebounded from Tuesday’s four-walk blow-up. Between Hickory and Hub City, Loomis has struck out 42 in 26.2 innings (36%).

Lo-A: Hickory 2, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3
Hickory: 6 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 30-30, 2 GB, elimination number 4

SP J’Brielle Easley: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 39 P / 26 S, 3.60 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 1-2, 3 BB, .256/.419/.327
3B Daniel Flames: 1-2, 2B, BB, .333/.391/.429

Hickory fell to fifth place, and the four teams ahead are paired off each other the next two days, complicating any potential ground-gaining. The Crawdads stranded runners on second and third in the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Plassmeyer
AA: Bratt
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Molina

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The third-best position player season in short/rookie ball during 2007-2024 was by Heriberto Hernandez in 2019.

Texas signed Hernandez late in 2017. Nominally a catcher, he never donned the mask more than 14 games in any season and dispensed of that role after a couple of seasons. Mostly, he was a bat. He shredded the Dominican Summer league in 2018, clubbing an uncommonly high 12 homers. In Arizona, he ranked second in homers (11) and doubles (17) and was third in slugging (.646). Hernandez went 5-13 with two homers in the Rangers’ four-game spring to the league championship, then joined short-A Spokane for a week plus another playoff series. He homered in the first two games but was 0-4 with a walk in a 5-4 loss that turned out to be Spokane’s last game as a Texas affiliate and last in the now-defunct short-A level.

He would never play for Texas again, joining IF Oslevis Basabe and 1B/OF Alexander Ovalles in a trade for 1B Nathaniel Lowe. He had some strong seasons as a Ray but never of the quality displayed in 2019, and he played out his contract in 2024 without being added to the 40-man roster. Miami snapped him up quickly, however, and after a homer-heavy if hit-light 41 games, the Marlins brought him up for his MLB debut. So far, he’s reliving 2019, hitting .407/.448/.593 with two doubles and a homer in ten games.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 12, El Paso (SDG) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 32-34, 9.5 GB

SP Gerson Garabito: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 48 P / 33 S, 8.53 ERA
RP Craig Kimbrel: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.84 ERA
2B Cody Freeman: 1-5, HR (8), .306/.351/.491
DH Blaine Crim: 2-4, HR (12), BB, .297/.369/.536
RF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, SB (23), .274/.376/.403
CF Michael Helman: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .240/.313/.427

Craig Kimbrel retired the side after an opening walk. He threw mostly fastballs, topping at 93.2 and drawing three misses, and three 84 MPH sweepers. Cody Freeman has a 13-game hitting streak during which he’s clubbed five homers and batted .383/.413/.700. Last night’s dinger was a grand slam.

I believe Round Rock has been eliminated from first-half title contention.

AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 5
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 33-26, 1.5 GB

SP Josh Stephan: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 60 S, 5.44 ERA

Josh Stephan threw a season-high seven innings and avoided the homers that have troubled him (his ten are most in the organization). Like last year, Midland has the league’s best run prevention and has held the Riders to 3.2 runs per game in their nine meetings.

Midland’s magic number is eight with nine to play.

Hi-A: Hub City 5, Wilmington (WAS) 6
Hub City: 10 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-30, 2 GB

SP Kolton Curtis: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 79 P / 48 S, 5.74 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1.18 ERA
2B Casey Cook: 2-5, SB (16), .173/.261/.234
LF Keith Jones II: 2-5, 2B, .260/.391/.443

After five scoreless innings, the game unraveled for Kolton Curtis and the Spartanburgers. Following an opening walk, Curtis threw low against a batter squaring to bunt as the runner at first bolted for second. Catcher Julian Brock retrieved the ball and threw out the runner, after which the plate umpire very belatedly ruled the batter had been hit, and the baserunner was able to stay at second. The call was nominally correct, but its tardiness riled the Burgers and resulted in manager Chad Comer’s ejection. After a strikeout, six straight Blue Rocks reached and five scored. In the middle of the 8th, development coach Jay Sullenger was tossed as well. In-town Field Coordinator Kenny Holmberg joined the discussion during the latter ejection, apparently in a more peaceable role.

I haven’t time to dig up the specifics, but I recall from ages ago a Hickory opponent’s entire coaching staff being ejected following a close call on a fly over the foul pole, and a visiting coordinator ended up managing the rest of the game (which I believe isn’t actually allowed, but whatever). Staffs have grown to the point where that probably couldn’t happen now. Probably.

Hub City is two back of neighboring Greenville and 1.5 behind Bowling Green.

Lo-A: Hickory 2, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3
Hickory: 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-29, 1.5 GB

SP Dalton Pence: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 48 P / 33 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.53 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 1-4, HR (7), .274/.324/.474

22-year-old righty Jesus Gamez has been very impressive so far, but last night was a hot mess. Tied at two in the 9th, Myrtle Beach’s Leonel Espinoza doubled to open the inning. Gamez then walked Cameron Sisneros on eight pitches, the last of which flew behind the batter to the backstop, allowing Espinoza to take third. After leaning in toward home as he toed the rubber, Gamez halted awkwardly as he straightened up, resulting in a game-ending balk. With the loss, Hickory remains 1.5 back but has dropped to fourth, and five teams are within two games of first with six to play.

Brock Porter was effective. Live-armed 2019 39th-rounder Adrian Rodriguez is back in Hickory after some time at the complex. Rodriguez’s control has unfortunately been abysmal for three years running, and at least on paper, the time in Arizona presented no improvement, as he walked nine and threw four wild pitches in 9.2 innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Blach
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: Scarborough

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best short-season pitching performance by a Rangers during 2007-2024 was by Carl Edwards Jr. (fka CJ Edwards) in 2012.

Pick in the 48th round* of 2011, Edwards instantly made an impression. I can’t find more than a perfunctory mention of him in my reports preceding his pro debut, but clearly I’d seen or heard something based on his performance in the 2012 rookie-level opener: “Rail-thin righty CJ Edwards held the Royals scoreless for five innings with five hits, no walks and four strikeouts.  Edwards was Texas’s 48th rounder last year (but don’t hold that against him) and was making his pro debut.”

Edwards spent less than a month in Surprise, heading to Spokane after allowing 12 runners and fanning 25 in 20 scoreless innings. Up north, he was ever-so-slightly less godlike, occasionally struggling with control (a virtually career-long issue) but still struck out nearly a third of opposing hitters, a huge accomplishment for the time. In 47 innings, oppoents batted .160 with four doubles and no other extra-base hits, particularly impressive given a poor-fielding squad. Edwards will appear again down the road, so I’ll stop here.

* Would you believe that eight players from that round made the Majors? Sort of. Only Edwards and San Francisco righty Jake Smith signed that year, while the others (inclding future Ranger and current Chihuahua Wes Benjamin signed later upon redraft.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, El Paso (SDG) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-34, 9.5 GB

SP Cory Abbott: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 94 P / 66 S, 6.56 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.84 ERA
RP Codi Heuer: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.20 ERA
DH Justin Foscue: 1-4, HR (9), .288/.385/.524
RF Dustin Harris: 2-4, HR (2), .219/.329/.297

Mother Nature or whoever’s in charge atoned for robbing Dustin Harris of two homers Tuesday. His harder shot down the line cleared the wall easily.

Justin Foscue is slightly less walk and more contact/power-oriented than 2024, but in general the result are very strong as always. I haven’t written about him much, partly because he’s been out some, partly because there’s little more to say. The Rangers said their piece when they acquired Jake Burger and Joc Pederson. Probably Foscue’s best future involved a trade to a bad team during 2023 followed by at least half a season’s worth of MLB action to learn whether his bat would play at that level. Maybe it wouldn’t, but he’s certainly better than what he showed in Texas last year. Even a trade then would have been tricky to pull off, as it depended on the trade partner’s belief in that bat and tolerance of his defense.

AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 1
Frisco: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 33-25, 0.5 GB

SP Kohl Drake: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 82 P / 54 S, 3.19 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.10 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.07 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, BB, .269/.415/.431
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, SB (12), .254/.353/.441
RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, 2B, .284/.302/.436

Frisco took and maintained a 1st-inning lead. Josh Hatcher doubled in Aaron Zavala (walk) and Sebastian Walcott (single).

Among the 60 Texas League pitchers with at least 40 innings, Kohl Drake’s 35% strikeout rate ranks first. His control isn’t bad but leans toward the low end at 10%, ranked 41st. Drake is one of Texas’s better pitching prospects, certainly near or at the top among the healthy ones.

Hi-A: Hub City 5, Wilmington (WAS) 6 (10)
Hub City: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 9 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-28, 1.5 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 82 P / 50 S, 4.72 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.94 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, HR (10), .217/.294/.392

Ouch. Should Hub City fall just shy of the first-half title, this game will stand out. The Burgers led 3-0 after the 1st and 5-1 entering the 9th. On came 2024 18th-rounder Eric Loomis, whose control in college and brief pro action last year was dismal, but in 2025 he’d been fine and above-above of late. Loomis walked four batters on 18 pitches, nearly always dragging everything outside to righties. Normally reliable Josh Mollerus, who had warmed in haste, walked his first batter on five pitches. Two sac flies would tie the game. In the 10th, Wilmington scored on yet another sac fly, and Hub City couldn’t respond.

Lo-A: Hickory 3, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 4
Hickory: 9 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-28, 1.5 GB

SP Enrique Segura: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 73 P / 43 S, 4.60 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1.96 ERA
SS Chandler Pollard: 2-5, SB (26), .273/.356/.335
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2B, .223/.298/.342

Ouch again, although this loss didn’t involve a late collapse. Hickory led 3-2 but surrendered two in the 5th, and the Dads had little to say until the 9th, when Erick Alvarez singled and Marcos Torres walked to begin the frame. The comeback stalled there, though.

The partial answer to “how does Enrique Segura throw strikes with that funky delivery” is “sometimes he doesn’t.” He did miss a career-high 16 bats.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Stephan
Hi-A: Curtis
Lo-A: Pence

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The second-best pitching performance at the rookie and short-A levels by a Ranger during 2007-2024 was by Yerry Rodriguez in 2018.

Rodriguez signed with the Rangers in September 2016 for $60,000, more than a flyer but far from top dollar. Nine months later, he was suspended 75 games for a test revealing use of a diuretic. So, not an ideal start to a career. Nevertheless, he hopped from his six innings of Dominican Summer ball to Arizona in 2018. At the complex, he tallied 55 strikeouts in 38 innings, and his K rate ranked third in the league.Moving to short-season Spokane in mid-August, he wasn’t quite as K-prolific but pitched better overall, posting a 1.82 ERA and allowing 28 runners in 24.2 innings. Rodriguez also started two postseason games, albeit with lesser success.

In 2019, he performed similarly at low-A Hickory, although an elbow sprain (which fortunately did not require surgery) ended his season early. Covid kept him off the mound in 2020, of course, but he was added to the 40 that fall on the promise of his stuff despite limited experience. Rodriguez always carried reliever risk, but not the usual kind, as his change was functional (in my opinion) but efforts to develop a worthy curve and/or slider were always lagging. What I wrote in September 2021: “In his relief role, Yerry Rodriguez reminds me of Wilmer Font. Font’s slider needed work, but he tended to dismiss it in favor of his MLB-ready fastball. Rodriguez is doing the same. Last night, he threw two opening sliders followed by 21 fastballs on 22 pitches.”

Rodriguez would make in MLB debut in 2022, but sad to say, from 2022 on, he was mostly ineffective, serving an up-and-down role until being designated for assignment and then traded in July 2024. At present, he appears to be unemployed at the age of 27.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, El Paso (SDG) 9
Round Rock: 8 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 30-34, 9.5 GB

SP Kumar Rocker: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 70 P / 44 S, 1.13 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.96 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 2-5, 2B, .289/.388/.512
1B Blaine Crim: 2-3, BB, .292/.361/.525

In his first start on optional assignment, Kumar Rocker posted a snazzy line but wasn’t as overwhelmingly dominant as his earlier rehab starts or last year’s rampage through the minors. Though he didn’t walk anyone, his control lagged in the first two innings (and a stingy ump who suffered multiple overturned calls didn’t help). Rocker also missed only two bats (on a cutter and change), his fewest as a professional.

The most noticeable difference is his primary breaker, once categorized by the man himself as a curve, usually referred to a slider because of its velocity, and recently veering well into cutter territory, maxing out at 92.2 MPH. Statcast doesn’t appear wholly consistent in differentiating between cutter and sliders, but what is readily apparent so far is the faster breakers are missing fewer bats. In his two Round Rock starts, opponents have missed on one of seven swings (14%) when the pitch was 89 or higher, but six of 12 (50%) when under 89. Obviously, that’s a small sample, but I don’t believe it’s too early to discuss, because the bat-missing version is his meal ticket. The faster version arrives pretty flat, while the slower one drops under bats and is what amazed us all last year.

As you probably read or watched, Rocker failed to field his position properly both on rehab and in his last start for Texas. I don’t recall any issues yesterday, and he dutifully backed third on a throw to the base from right field. I don’t pretend to know the man, but in going about his business, Rocker carries himself serenely and exhibits an extreme economy of motion. No, I’m not attempting a clever way to suggest he’s not trying hard. Actually, I mean the opposite: all energy is devoted to pitching, and he just doesn’t appear to want to expend a single joule on unrelated tasks. Which is fine, for the most part, but sometimes the job requires fielding, too.

I could go on, but I need to play with and probably recategorize some data first.

Game-time temperature was a chilly 85 with the wind blowing in at 12 MPH. Dustin Harris hit two flies that leave the yard in typical weather, and on the first, I cheerily said “there you go, Dustin” upon contact only to see the ball die at the track.

Texas signed Craig Kimbrel to a minor deal. No harm, I suppose.

AA: Frisco 5, at Midland (ATH) 6 (7)
Frisco: 7 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 32-25, 1.5 GB

SP Daniel Missaki: 3.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 83 P / 53 S, 7.20 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .268/.413/.433
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, .252/.351/.443
C Ian Moller: 2-3, 2 2B, .179/.297/.284

If you’re a fan a Frisco and shutdown innings and full games, last night was not for you. The Riders forced and then lost ties in the 3th, 4th and 5th. The last was especially frustrating, as Midland scored the go-ahead run on an infield single, hit-by-pitch, walk and wild pitch. Frisco would bat only twice more, stranding two in scoring position in the 7th, when rain arrived.

Daniel Missaki missed a season-high 15 bats but also allowed a season-high seven hits and a homer in a fifth-consecutive appearance.

Sebastian Walcott has played consecutive games as third for the first time as a professional. He’s appeared there five times this season, all in the last 19 games after none in the first 35.

Hi-A: Hub City 1, Wilmington (WAS) 2 (11)
Hub City: 3 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 31-27, 0.5 GB

SP Leandro Lopez: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 82 P / 50 S, 2.06 ERA

“3 hits, 2 walks” sells short how thoroughly Hub City’s offense was suppressed. Keith Jones II led off the 1st with a single and was immediately erased on a double play. Until the 11th, the Burgers had only two more runners, both on walks, one of which came with two outs and was stranded, the other intentional and setting up a double play which was immediately executed. Wilmington broke the draw in the 11th with two runs. Hub City answered with two singles to plate one, but that would be all.

Leandro Lopez walked four for the first time this season.

Lo-A: Hickory 9, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 4
Hickory: 13 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-27, 0.5 GB

SP Ismael Agreda: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 50 S, 2.33 ERA
SS Chandler Pollard: 1-4, HBP, SB (25), .270/.355/.333
LF Maxton Martin: 1-4, 2B, BB, .281/.332/.475
2B Antonis Macias: 3-5, 2B, .259/.415/.333
CF Yeremi Cabrera: 3-5, 2 SB (17), .237/.372/.314
3B Rafe Perich: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (3), .251/.368/.371

Hickory averaged 6.3 runs per game and went 14-10 during the previous four series and began this one in similar style. More walks in May and more everything in June has Rafe Perich with a slash in line with what I envisioned watching him in March.

The South Division is a free-for-all with eight games remaining:
Kannapolis (tied for 1st, at Charleston)
Augusta (tied for 1st, at Columbia)
Hickory (0.5 GB, at Myrtle Beach)
Columbia (1.0 GB, vs Augusta)
Charleston (3.0 GB, vs Kannapolis)

Hickory’s one cancelled game means they won’t finish in a tie with anyone (barring future rainouts).

Today’s Starters
AAA: Abbott
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Curry
Lo-A: Segura

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The third-best pitching performance by a Ranger in a short-season league during 2007-2024 belongs to Alex Claudio in 2012.

Getting even to this point took a while. Drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2010’s 27th round, Claudio posted 15 so-so innings for the rookies as an 18-year-old (13 strikeouts but 11 runs). He returned to the complex in 2011, tossing 25 much better innings and finishing with three more at short-season Spokane. Instead of heading to Spokane or Hickory in 2012, he spent yet another summer in Arizona. At this time, he was more-or-less a starter, taking the mound in the 1st only three times but lasting at least four innings in nine of 14 appearances.  He was never ineffective but not especially flashy early on, hardly ever issuing a walk but giving up the occasional run. His final four appearances gave an idea of what was to come: 14.1 IP, 6 hits, no runs, no walks, 23 strikeouts. He would be, at long last, done with the complex. Claudio will make another appearance on these lists, so I’ll stop here.

Apologies for the delay.

Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan published their rankings of Texas’s top-45 prospects plus a host of honorable mentions. As always, a lengthy and worthy read.

What caught my eye initially was the social-media link proclaiming a “soundly above average” system, not the description I would use in June 2025, to be honest. But then, the authors note that the “soundly above” modifier wholly depends on Sebastian Walcott. Fair enough. Next, they still include Jack Leiter (who by now has thrown 87 MLB innings) and Kumar Rocker (35 IP). Based on FanGraphs’ monetary assignments, removing Leiter would drop the system from 10th to 12th, and removing Rocker plunges the team to 19th, which comports with the general level I had in my head. (For what it’s worth, I don’t have the knowledge to rank Texas against other systems except in a very general sense. My “rankings” tend to be based mostly on who I’m writing about day to day in comparison to Texas systems of the past.) The system’s quality also depends on Alejandro Rosario, who may not pitch meaningfully until 2027, and the returns of Winston Santos and Jose Corniell, and keeping Emiliano Teodo and Marc Church off the IL and on track.

The dark view of the system is Rosario fading away, none of the potential back-end starters being more than depth starters and marginal relievers, the A-level hitters collectively stalling at AA, resulting in a multi-year stretch of bad Frisco squads like 2015-2018, and the DSL/complex guys finding full-season ball too daunting a challenge. The brighter view is Rosario pitching like 2024 once he returns, one of Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt or David Davalillo becoming a serviceable MLB starter, Malcolm Moore becoming at least a capable #2 backstop, and Yolfran Castillo or Devin Fitz-Gerald becoming a top-100-esque infield prospect. I will confess the parent club’s 31-35 record has scrambled my brain and soured my outlook.

It’s important to remember that the farm is a means, not an end. The point is to get these players off prospect lists and onto your screens. One reason the farm is down is because Wyatt Langford graduated within nine months of being drafted. It’s also down because Leiter and Rocker are either established Major Leaguers or at the cusp. In that sense, a lower ranking is complimentary to rather than critical of Texas’s scouting and development.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at Salt Lake (LAA) 3
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-33, 8.5 GB

SP Dane Dunning: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, HBP, 3 SO, 47 P / 25 S, 4.75 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 3-5, .269/.376/.399
SS Michael Helman: 2-4, 2B, 2 SB (3), .219/.296/.391

Round Rock outscored Salt Lake 54-34 but split the series. Cody Freeman, Kellen Strahm, Justin Foscue and Michael Helman posted an OPS in excess of 1.000 for the week.

Kumar Rocker pitches tonight, weather permitting.

AA: Frisco 2, Springfield (STL) 9 (10)
Frisco: 6 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 32-24, 0.5 GB

SP Trey Supak: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 86 P / 56 S, 5.10 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (6), .265/.406/.426
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, .248/.349/.437

Yes, 9-2 in ten innings. In extras, the first four batters reached against Skylar Hales, and two singles (plus a Sebastian Walcott error) off Bryan Magdaleno provided the unlikely margin. 2025 has been rough on both relievers. Hales has at least outpitched his 6.41 ERA. He’s fanned 30% of his opponents and isn’t walking too many; the primary problem is three homers in 19 innings. Magdaleno has struggled like never before, walking or hitting a scary 26% of the opponent, and his 8.7% swinging strike rate is far below average.

Frisco lost five of six at home to the leaders of the North Division while Midland split at San Antonio to nab the South Division lead. Frisco spends this week at Midland.

Hi-A: Hub City 4, @ Greensboro (PIT) 9
Hub City: 10 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 31-26, 0.5 GB

SP Jose Gonzalez: 3.1 IP, 5 H (3 HR), 6 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 64 P / 42 S, 3.43 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.79 ERA
RF Keith Jones II: 3-5, HR (8), .257/.396/.436
DH Anthony Gutierrez: 1-4, HR (2), .248/.319/.315

Hub City split six visiting a tough Greenboro opponent. The Burgers will host a weaker Wilmington club this week followed by six games at division-leading Bowling Green, the first three of which apply to the first half. Anthony Gutierrez homered again, this time on a fastball and to nearly the same spot as three days ago. For a guy who’s shown barely any game power, he made them look easy.

Lo-A: Hickory 9, Columbia (KAN) 7
Hickory: 11 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 29-27, 1.5 GB

SP Dalton Pence: 3 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 43 P / 27 S, 3.13 ERA
SS Chandler Pollard: 2-4, BB, .270/.354/.335
DH Maxton Martin: 3-5, HR (6), .281/.331/.475
LF Hector Osorio: 2-3, HR (2), HBP, .208/.372/.321
3B Daniel Flames: 2-4

Hickory trailed 7-3 in the 7th. Maxton Martin’s RBI single and Antonis Macias’ sac fly halved the margin. In the 9th, the Crawdads scored four without an out. Three straight singles chased Firefly Elvis Novas. Replacement Julio Rosario immediately balked in a run, and his first pitch was driven over the wall with extreme malice by Martin. Martin’s 27 extra-base hits are the most in the league and second-most in all of low-A. At 20, Martin is already a 1B/LF/DH, so keep swinging that bat.

Hickory split the series with division-rival Columbia, gaining ground on last Sunday’s leader Augusta (1-5) but losing some to Kannapolis (4-2). Hickory visits the league’s worst team this week while the others, all with a chance, battle each other:

Kannapolis at Columbia (2 GB)
Augusta (1 GB) at Charleston (3 GB)
Hickory (1.5 GB) at Myrtle Beach (10 GB)

Elsewhere
Seattle designated OF Leody Taveras for assignment. He batted .174/.198/.272 as an M.

Today
AAA: Rocker
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Lopez
Lo-A: Agreda

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The eighth-best team during 2007-2024 was one of my favorites, the 2015 low-A Hickory Crawdads.

Record: 81-57
Run-Differential Record: 81-57
Component Record: 76-62

The offense was a tic above ordinary (+2% scoring, 102 OPS+), while the pitching and defense were sublime. Hickory suppressed runs by 15% versus the park-adjusted league average. The four busiest starters (Collin Wiles, Nick Gardewine, Ariel Jurado, Brett Martin) reached the Majors, as did (deep breath) Yohander Mendez, Luis Ortiz, Reed Garrett, Pedro Payano, Richardo Rodriguez Erik Swanson, Dillon Tate, Joe Palumbo AND Jeffrey Springs. Leading in saves were John Fasola (13) and Scott Williams (10), both legitimate if not closer-worthy relief prospects with careers halted by injuries.

Hickory stormed to a first-half title with a week to spare and completed the half with a 44-24 record. In the second, they coasted at 37-33 while West Virginia claimed the title (50-20) and better overall record (87-52). Hickory lost the semifinal opener but won the next two at home including a 1-0 Game 3. Williams saved both wins, and Tate and Ortiz both threw a scoreless 7th and 8th. The Crawdads then swept Colorado-affiliated Asheville in the finals, allowing just four runs in three games. Rehabbing MLB starter Tyler Chatwood took the mound for Asheville in Game 3 but walked three in three innings, and Jose Cardona’s double and Dylan Moore’s sac fly gave a lead that would hold. Hickory plated three more against future Major Leaguer (and Ranger) Jesus Tinoco. Jose Trevino caught every game; in 2015, he established a strong chance of reaching the Majors on defense and intangibles alone. The championship was the first by a Texas-affiliated full-season squad in 11 years and my first to cover in nine years on the beat.

(Photo: Hickory Crawdads)

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 11, at Salt Lake (LAA) 12
Round Rock: 8 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 29-33, 8.5 GB

SP Ty Blach: 3.2 IP, 9 H (2 HR), 9 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 78 P / 48 S, 4.34 ERA
RP Codi Heuer: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 3.09 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (4), .311/.358/.493
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, 2B, HR (11), BB, SB (2), .287/.353/.528

(In exhausted high-elevation voice) “Wheee!” Round Rock trailed 9-2, led 11-9 and lost 12-11. Ty Blach spent three years in Colorado, so he’s probably as unperturbed by this type of game as anybody.

I neglected to write up recently called-up and optioned reliever Codi Heuer within a game report, but I added some notes here if interested.

AA: Frisco 12, Springfield (STL) 7
Frisco: 13 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 32-23, 0.5 G up

SP Mitch Bratt: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, HBP, 6 SO, 89 P / 57 S, 2.26 ERA
CF Cam Cauley: 2-5, 2B, SB (17), .254/.335/.402
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, BB, .243/.346/.436
RF Abi Ortiz: 1-5, HR (9), .237/.333/.423
LF Josh Hatcher: 2-5, HR (7), .276/.295/.432

Frisco batted an even .500 with men in scoring position. Abi Ortiz’s stats are remarkably similar to last year. 2024 involved more than a half-season of much weaker performance followed by a tremendous finish. 2025 has been steadier, but in terms of a 40 spot or contemplation about the future, he’s not there yet.

Mitch Bratt wasn’t walk-prone and the Cards were swinging, but 25 fouls boosted his pitch count in a hurry. 

Hi-A: Hub City 7, @ Greensboro (PIT) 4
Hub City: 7 hits, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 31-25, 0.5 GB

SP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 64 P / 34 S, 6.49 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.17 ERA
RF Keith Jones II: 1-4, HR (7), BB, .247/.392/.408
DH Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (17), .248/.320/.298
SS Casey Cook: 2-4, BB, SB (14), .178/.270/.244

Hub City led Greensboro by six in the middle of the 8th when rain interrupted. Two hours later, by which time a crowd of 4,000 anticipating fireworks had dwindled to perhaps 30, they resumed. I’m not sure what principle we’re adhering to within a system in which makeups are shortened to seven innings and teams routinely fail to complete the full schedule due to rainouts.  Just call it. Greensboro actually put the tying run at the plate with two out in the the 9th but finally succumbed.

Lo-A: Hickory 3, Columbia (KAN) 5
Hickory: 8 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 28-27, 1.5 GB

SP Mason Molina: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 74 P / 50 S, 3.89 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 2-3, 2B, BB, .247/.414/.318

Maxton Martin was held to a single, but his combined 21 doubles and triples lead the organization, followed by Cody Freeman (16), Sebastian Walcott (13), Arturo Disla (13) and Alejandro Osuna (13). Antonis Macias and Keith Jones II lead with 39 walks.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Supak
Hi-A: Gonzalez
Lo-A: TBD

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The sixth-best offense during 2007-2024 belongs to the 2014 AA Frisco RoughRiders.

Runs: 4.6, 8% above park-adjusted league average
OPS+: 108
wRC+: 107

This offense led the league in average (.266) despite a sub-par strikeout rate and was second in doubles, triples and homers. A half-season was enough for Joey Gallo to lead with 21 homers. He didn’t hit for average, and Drew Robinson (.190) was getting pushback on his extremely patient approach, but they were offset by Odubel Herrera (.321), Tomas Telis (.303) and Ryan Rua (.300). I’ll be covering this squad again.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, at Salt Lake (LAA) 3
Round Rock: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 29-32, 8.5 GB

SP Peyton Gray: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 55 P / 37 S, 3.18 ERA
RP Patrick Murphy: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.93 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 2-5, HR (7), HBP, SB (3), .311/.352/.490

Cody Freeman has three homers in four games at Salt Lake. I usually update my Statcast data weekly, so I don’t have this series yet, but one thing I’ve noticed is very good median exit velocity but below-average 90th-percentile velocity. That can help in some respects, like forcing more grounders through the infield, but is also a profile that I believe shows better in PCL parks than MLB. I’ll have to dig in more after the weekend. Freeman also has outstanding contact ability.

AA: Frisco 3, Springfield (STL) 4
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-23, 0.5 GB

SP Ben Anderson: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 89 P / 53 S, 4.17 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.30 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, BB, .242/.345/.434
CF Cam Cauley: 1-2, BB, HBP, .250/.333/.397

A 9th-inning homer provided the margin. Midland is suddenly slumping, so Frisco hasn’t lost any more ground of late. Cam Cauley had a sub-.300 OBP just over a week ago. For that matter, his OBP for 2024 in high-A Hickory was .297. An AA assignment wasn’t a given, in my opinion, so he’s handling the situation well. Cauley has played 40% of his starts in center, a completely new position for him. Cauley is a 40 decision this November; I wouldn’t put him in that bucket right now but he has a shot.

Hi-A: Hub City 2, @ Greensboro (PIT) 1 (7)
Hub City: 5 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 30-25, 2 GB

SP David Davalillo: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 73 P / 45 S, 1.09 ERA

Baseball America bumped Davalillo to 9th in their updated top-30 rankings, a commentary on both him and the system. While there’s no rush to move him, the Sally League isn’t offering much resistance, and I’m looking forward to how he handles the next level.

Lo-A: Hickory 4, Columbia (KAN) 5
Hickory: 9 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 28-26, 1.5 GB

SP Caden Scarborough: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 72 P / 47 S, 4.54 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.20 ERA
RP Jesus Gamez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 3-5, HR (5), .275/.327/.464
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, BB, .250/.362/.372

Caden Scarborough was ordinary for the first time in a while, issuing his fewest strikeouts since mid-April. Max Martin’s 9th-inning homer brought the Dads closer, but Rafe Perich’s oppo fly was caught on the track for the final out.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Bratt
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Molina

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The sixth-best pitching staff during 2007-2024 was the 2019 high-A Down East Wood Ducks.

Runs per game: 3.3 runs per game, 19% better than league average
ERA-: 82
FIP-: 97
Oppo wRC+: 84

Purely in terms of run prevention, this is the best squad on the list, but my calculations say the defense played an outsized role. The staff was actually below-average in walks and ordinary in strikeouts. Where it excelled was in generating grounders, one of only three high-A squads with a rate above 50%. Down East allowed the league’s fewest extra-base hits and were best in opposing isolated power by a wide margin.

The five busiest pitchers didn’t reach AAA, much less the Majors, but were responsible for much of the success: Reid Anderson (126 IP, 3.92 ERA), Sal Mendez (117 IP, 2.37 ERA), Alex Eubanks (107 IP, 3.44 ERA), Noah Bremer (75 IP, 2.97 ERA), and Josh Advocate (75 IP, 2.64 ERA). Semi-regulars who reached were John King and Jacob Latz. Demarcus Evans (22 IP, 40 SO), Joe Barlow (23 IP, 44 SO), Pete Fairbanks (12 IP, 15 SO) and Emmanuel Clase (7 IP, 11 SO) were here for a while and to devastating effect.