MLB Pipeline updated its top-30 rankings… sort of. While it eliminated graduates and gave deserved boosts to Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt, David Davalillo, and Caden Scarborough, and introduced IF Devin Fitz-Gerald and Seong-Jun Kim, a good many players are the same relative to each other, simply sliding up or down depending on the new rankings of the names mentioned. So, for example, it still lists Cam Cauley under Anthony Gutierrez and Abi Ortiz, which, I mean, come on. Also, 2025 picks have yet to appear. Not a complaint, just an observation that the update appears a work in progress. I don’t envy anyone tasked with re-ranking 30 teams.
AAA: Round Rock 6, at Tacoma (SEA) 11
Round Rock: 11 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 18 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 0-1, 3.5 GB, 34-42 overall
SP CJ Edwards: 4.1 IP, 10 H (2 HR), 6 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 87 P / 55 S, 4.50 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 10.50 ERA
C Cooper Johnson: 3-3, 2B, HR (4), .228/.358/.353
CF Dustin Harris: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (23), .261/.351/.398
Edwards had been starting for Quintana Roo and immediately entered the Round Rock rotation. He dealt a fastball that reached 95 but sat 91-93, and it might as well be a cutter with its negligible arm-side break. He added a change that butted up against the low end of his fastball range and a 76-80 curve. Cooper Johnson celebrated being written up as the next-in-line catcher with a near-cycle at the plate.
Reliever Jesse Chavez announced his retirement. I started this gig in March 2007, eight months after he’d been traded to Pittsburgh for Kip Wells. Chavez spent all of 2019-2020 and part of 2018 with the Rangers, and he fell just short of making the squad again this March. He pitched eight innings for the Braves, but upon being designated for the third time (the last for Dane Dunning), he called it a career.
AA: Frisco 3, at Wichita (MIN) 0
Frisco: 7 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 9-14, 4 GB, 47-44 overall
SP Josh Stephan: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 63 P / 47 S, 5.18 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.91 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.83 ERA
RP Geraldo Carillo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.28 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 2-5, .247/.319/.401
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, .248/.342/.399
Sebastian Walcott doubled home Cam Cauley and Alejandro Osuna in the 1st, and that would be enough. Four relievers combined for 4.1 no-hit, seven-K innings. Josh Stephan hasn’t allowed a homer in his last three outings, noteworthy as they’ve been a problem in 2025
Hi-A: Hub City 3, at Greenville (BOS) 7
Hub City: 10 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-11, tied for first, 46-45 overall
SP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 57 P / 36 S, 1.15 ERA
2B Casey Cook: 2-3, BB, .201/.282/.263
After Josh Trentadue’s departure, Hub City lost the no-hitter immediately, the shutout soon after and the lead in the 7th. Trentadue sneaked into Baseball America’s rankings at #26. He hasn’t appeared anywhere nationally to my knowledge. In any case, I was happy to see someone agree with my viewpoint after I’d eyeballed a couple of his earlier outings. While he’s not among the top tier of rotation prospects, there is something to him.
Lo-A: Hickory 0, Augusta (ATL) 6
Hickory: 3 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 17-9, 2.5 GB, 50-41 overall
SP Enrique Segura: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 59 P / 33 S, 3.79 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.40 ERA
RF Hector Osorio: 1-3, BB, .253/.392/.364
Hickory was 16-5 at the break but 1-5 since and outscored 30-13. Like Caden Scarborough, Segura’s control has exceeded my estimate, but not yesterday.
Rookie
The Rangers (33-26) defeated the Dodgers 6-2, clinching their division. Aidan Curry, who began the season in high-A, struck out nine and walked none while allowing two runs in six innings. C Josh Springer (1-2 BB) hit his fifth homer, DH Braylin Morel (2-4, 2B) his third, and PH/RF Andry Batista (1-1) his first. After completing the regular season today, they’ll play the Angels.
Draft
Signed:
1. SS Gavin Fien
2. RHP AJ Russell
3. TWP Josh Owens
4. RHP Mason McConnaughey
5. LHP Ben Abeldt
6. SS Jack Wheeler
7. OF Paxton Kling
8. RHP Evan Siary
9. LHP Owen Proksch
10. RHP J.D. McReynolds
11. RHP Jacob Johnson
12. RHP Jake Barbee
15. SS Luke Hanson
17. C Noah Franklin
18. RHP Julius Sanchez
Unsigned:
13. RHP Aiden Robertson (Walters St. CC, committed to Virginia Tech and headed there per his social media accounts)
14. RHP Landon Manzi (high school, committed to Northeastern, noncommittal publicly last I checked)
16. RHP Jaxon Grossman (Salt Lake CC, committed to Oklahoma)
19. RHP Cory Geinzer (College of Central Florida)
20. OF Jay McQueen (high school, committed to South Alabama)
All the bonuses are known except for Kling. With overslot deals to picks 2, 3, 6, and 8, plus bonuses exceeding $150,000 to picks 11, 12 and 16 (the surplus counts against the cap), Texas has already exceeded the slot money allotment by $221,925 (assuming slot for Kling) and into tax territory. The Rangers can spend up to $549,565 over slot (on which they’ll pay a tax of 75%) without forfeiting a draft pick.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Plassmeyer
AA: Lopez
Hi-A: MacLean
Lo-A: Fowler
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best Texas rookie-level team was the 2011 edition.
Actual Record: 38-18 (.679)
Run-differential record: 38-18 (.682)
Component record: 35-21 (.616)
A better team than in 2012, but not quite so star-filled. Excluding rehabbers, those who reached the Majors include OF Ryan Rua, IF Luis Sardinas, IF Luis Marte, IF Drew Robinson (briefly), and pitchers Abel de los Santos, Alex Claudio, Andrew Faulkner, Nick Martinez, Jerad Eickhoff and Phil Klein. Rua, Faulkner, Martinez Eickhoff and Klein were all 2011 draft picks beyond the tenth round.
Among those who played frequently, 24-year-old rookie OF Jeremy Williams batted .357/.426/.650 with 23 extra-base hits (and out of the system by 2013), C Kevin Torres (.345/.433/.500) and Rua (.321/.395/.512). The 18-year-old De los Santos was the rotation workhorse, starting 12 games and finishing with 61 innings and a 3.67 ERA.
2011 also represented the peak performance of the previous year’s third-rounder Jordan Akins, who batted .283/.312/.428 with 12 doubles, four triples and two homers. Akins was the apotheosis of Texas’s “teach athletes how to play” movement. He never developed an ounce of plate discipline or the ability to hit anything bendy, but he was nevertheless spellbinding on the field.
Alas, this bunch was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.