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.