AAA: Round Rock 1, Gwinnett (ATL) 8
Round Rock: 4 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 1-6, 5 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 4 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 82 P / 52 S
RP Gavin Collyer: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
RP Alexis Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
I wasn’t thinking “worst team in the league” when I saw the initial roster, and I don’t now, but here we are for the moment. Among the pitchers, I will say my focus was on the relievers because more of them are under consideration for helping in Arlington. So far, as a group, they’ve performed well. The difference between starters (including Trey Supak’s 4-inning tandem with the rehabbing Cody Bradford) and relievers is vast:
Starters: 28 IP, 29 R, 8 HR, 15 BB, 22 SO
Relievers: 35 IP, 13 R, 4 HR, 16 BB, 44 SO
The Express are hitting .211/.322/.315. The good news is the three best are Justin Foscue (.345/.406/.517), Cam Cauley (.273/.407/.455) and Alejandro Osuna (.250/.344/.464). Unfortunately, catcher Willie MacIver is off to one of the dire starts I mentioned in the “luck” section of my Primer: 0-for-16 with four walks and a hit-by-pitch. Aaron Zavala had a great spring, but my uneasiness about his miss rate has borne out so far: .222/.286/.278 with 10 strikeouts in 18 plate appearances.
As for last night, Alexis Diaz regained the slider that was otherwise the only drawback to a strong performance earlier in the week. Five thrown, four swings, four misses. The fastball lacked the earlier velocity, though, maxing at 94.6 instead of 97.
AA: Frisco 10, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 2
Frisco: 12 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 2-0
SP Dylan MacLean: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 73 P / 48 S
RP Josh Trentadue: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, HR (1)
1B Tucker Mitchell: 2-4, 2 2B, BB
Frisco sent 15 to the plate and scored ten in the 5th. Dylan Dreiling swatted his first AA homer the opposite way. I didn’t see it that way off the bat, but neither did LF James Nelson, who stood still before making a belated rush to the wall. At game time, the wind was blowing right-to-left at 19 MPH. Later in the inning he grounded past short for a single.
In his AA debut, Dylan MacLean missed 11 bats, well toward the upper end if not the most he accomplished in 2025. MacLean is in his seventh in the organization, being drafted in 2020’s fourth round.
Hi-A: Hub City 0, Frederick (BAL) 6
Hub City: 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 0-1
SP Dalton Pence: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 74 P / 51 S
Dalton Pence missed 16 bats, one shy of a career-best and probably more impressive given the limited pitch count this early in the season.
CF Anthony Gutierrez had to be carted off the field in the 2nd. He, LF Paxton Kling and SS Luke Hanson had converged on a short fly, and while there was no apparent collision, Gutierrez appeared to injure his right leg avoiding Kling. (Hub City was having video and audio trouble at the time, and the view was limited to a very wide shot, so I don’t have a great description.) Gutierrez missed a portion of 2025 with an arm injury and was limited almost entirely to DH thereafter.
Frederick attempted eight steals off catcher Malcolm Moore and various hurlers. Moore nabbed two, slightly above the typical league average.
Max Martin’s 1st-inning soft infield single was the only hit, and only six balls reached the outfield.
RHP DJ McCarty is on the IL.
Lo-A: Hickory 2, Columbia (KAN) 5
Hickory: 4 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 1-1
SP Jesus Lafalaise: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 51 P / 34 S
RP Luimy Munoz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO
RP Angel Anazco: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
1B Deward Tovar: 1-3, BB
3B Angel Arredondo: 1-3, BB
Columbia strung together six hits (including two homers) and all five runs off Aneudis Mejia and Jake Jekielek in the 5th. Now 23, righty Luimy Munoz was a relatively old signing and reached the complex in 2024, where he posted an 8.42 ERA despite decent peripherals. He missed last year.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Quantrill
AA: Davalillo
Hi-A: Agreda
Lo-A: Russell