Month: August 2026

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Reno (ARI) 8 (11)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 19-13, 5 GB, 50-57 overall

SP Dalton Pence: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 43 P / 25 S, 10.80 ERA
RP Winston Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.79 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.86 ERA
CF Jarred Kelenic: 3-6, HR (6), SB (9), .382/.449/.683
C Logan O’Hoppe: 0-3, BB, HBP
3B Diego Castillo: 3-4, 2B, .309/.387/.435

Dalton Pence has had a terrific year, but I can’t say I was expecting a promotion to AAA this soon, especially after witnessing last Saturday’s start at San Antonio. That night, Pence allowed his most runners of the season. Last night, he failed to reach four innings for the first time. AA might be better than AAA in terms of prospect-watching, but it absolutely is not better in quality. Not that Pence is unaware, but the Aces reminded us fans just in case. 

The telling plate appearance was #9 hitter Anderdson Rojas (yes, two “d”s), who isn’t a slugger but strikes out infrequently. Pence started up 0-2, but Rojas fouled off three fastballs and refused to chase a split and slide. He smacked the eighth pitch, a high fastball, for a run-scoring single. Pitches that might have resulted in a strikeout at a lower level weren’t succeeding here, so the question is how does Pence adjust. Also, given his overall fine results, I’d say he’s just in a down period. It happens. Pence threw a higher percentage of splits versus last week, but a fair number just didn’t appear to leave his hand properly and were very high. Reno didn’t swing at a single out-of-zone changeup. As a back-of-the-rotation candidate, he needs his entire repertoire in form. 

Emiliano Teodo’s first inning yesterday might have been his best all season. He touched the zone often enough and induced seven misses on ten swings, including two in a span of three pitches with a changeup. Alas, he turned to the mound for more duty and spiked two sliders en route to a five-pitch walk. Still, Teodo showed his ceiling for a little while. 

Having thrown 12 pitches last night, Chris Martin entered with two out and a runner on third in the 6th. He needed two pitches to induce an inning-ending grounder. I assume that if he awakened this morning feeling okay he’ll rejoin the Rangers shortly. 

Winston Santos, Marc Church and Alexis Diaz also threw scoreless innings. 

Logan O’Hoppe didn’t create any magic with the bat but drew a bases-loaded walk and threw out a runner attempting to steal in the 11th. 

Jarred Kelenic hit a game-ending homer in the 11th. 


AA: Frisco 0, Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 0 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, tied for first, 56-44 overall

SP D.J. McCarty: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 0 SO, 30 P / 13 S, 10.80 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, .290/.365/.497

Sebastian Walcott was pulled mid-game after a pickoff throw bounced past the first baseman’s glove and into Walcott’s forehead. Hopefully, he suffered no more than a bad bruise, but we shall see. 

Rafe Perich did not play for a second straight night. 


Hi-A: Hub City 12, Rome (ATL) 6
Hub City: 10 hits, 11 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 11-24, 13 GB, 45-56 overall

SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 43 S, 1026.00 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.89 ERA
DH Paxton Kling: 1-4, BB, 3 SB (20), .260/.398/.398
2B Casey Cook: 0-1, 2 BB, 2 HBP, SB (1), .174/.333/.391
SS Luke Hanson: 2-3, 2 BB, .274/.355/.438
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .243/.342/.457
RF Maxton Martin: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .231/.304/.422

My Izack Tiger review: “[Rating:] down slightly. I will be inclined to upgrade to even with just one better outing.”

I guess I’m inclined to upgrade. Control hasn’t been the concern since his return as much as command. He’s throwing strikes, but opposing hitters have adored his location. Yesterday, he didn’t throw nearly as many “uh oh” pitches and also had Emperor hitters looking quite uncomfortable, guessing wrong and swinging early or late. In the 2nd, he buried a hitter with a 3-2 splitter, an infrequent pitch in 2026. Tiger will be Rule 5-eligible if unprotected this fall. His job in the remaining weeks is to become the type of player not ready for MLB but too promising to risk losing, more common among younger international free agents. 


Lo-A: Hickory 7, at Delmarva (BAL) 0
Hickory: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 25-9, 5 G up, 59-39 overall

SP Jacob Johnson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 30 P / 20 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Moises Morales: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3.69 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.16 ERA
LF Marco Argudin: 2-5, HR (2), .277/.412/.385
DH Pablo Guerrero: 2-3, 2B, HR (3), 2 BB, .328/.453/.525
C Noah Franklin: 3-5

Johnson excelled in his full-season debut. The fastball hovered around 95, matching what registered in limited Arizona data. Control was a mild issue at the complex, so a strike-filled, walk-free outing was especially nice. He missed seven bats in 15 swings. Moises Morales and Michael Trausch no-hit the Birds the rest of the way. Hickory is a very good team, Delmarva is very bad. 

Angel Arredondo has started at third base twice for low-A Rancho Cucamonga and is 2-for-8 with a double. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Lafalaise

Five Years Ago Yesterday
The signing deadline passed with 16th-round righty Ryan Ure and 18th-round OF Will Taylor on the outside. Ure spent the next four years pitching sparingly and without great results for Oklahoma State. He was drafted as a junior by the Bucs in 2024’s 19th round but declined again. He signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and had a 20.25 ERA for high-A Quad Cities with 28 walks and seven strikeouts in 12 innings. He was released last week. 

Taylor dropped from the early rounds because of his football commitment to Clemson, but his gridiron career was fairly undistinguished, and he focused solely on baseball as a junior. Pittsburgh drafted him in 2024’s 5th round. He’s batting .231/.337/.367 for AA Altoona.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Reno (ARI) 4
Round Rock: 10 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 18-13, 5 GB, 49-57 overall

SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 81 P / 56 S, 5.44 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 8.22 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.12 ERA
CF Jarred Kelenic: 2-4, 3B, SB (8), .376/.447/.667
RF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 3B, BB, .270/.381/.391
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, HR (8), BB, .226/.314/.425
RF Julian Brock: 2-3, 2B, BB, .438/.550/.750

Chris Martin missed two bats with a splitter. They’re his first two whiffs on splitters in the entire season. In most seasons including 2025, that pitch has generated the most swinging strikes for him (as a percentage of pitches thrown). 

He’d virtually ignored it during his prior four rehabs outings, throwing only two. Combining MLB and AAA, opponents are slugging 1.667 when they put a splitter into play. Last year, that number was .318, and 29% of swings against splitters were whiffs. 

His splitter outcomes in 2025 and 2026:



AA: Frisco 2, Corpus Christi (HOU) 3
Frisco: 4 hits, 1 walk, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-14, tied for first, 56-43 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 85 P / 52 S, 5.13 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.66 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-4, HR (17), .288/.364/.494

Frisco was forced into defensive creativity when LF Keith Jones II was ejected. With no other true outfielder or even a utility man available, Frisco could have put any of 2B Max Wagner, SS Frainyer Chavez or 3B Corey Joyce in the outfield. All have extremely limited experience there but not zero, and Rafe Perich, who had the night off, could have taken an infield spot. Instead, Perich stayed put — a decision that caught my attention given the time of year — and catcher Ian Moller jogged out to the grass for the first time as a professional. Predictably, the second batter of the inning lofted a fly his direction, and he caught it easily as the nearby Frisco bullpen cheered. 

Aidan Curry had a quirky night, missing 17 bats out of 39 swings but sending only four batters plodding back to the dugout.


Hi-A: Hub City 2, Rome (ATL) 5
Hub City: 5 hits, 2 walks, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 10-24, 14 GB, 44-56 overall

SP Caden Scarborough: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 71 P / 39 S, 3.71 ERA
RF Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2B, .230/.300/.420
SS Luke Hanson: 2-4, 2B, SB (13), .270/.349/.435

Scarborough was quirky as well: only two walks and two other three-ball counts to his 15 batters, but a subpar 55% strike rate. He opened the 5th with a single and walk, and both would score againr Luimy Munoz. 

OF Paxton Kling returned to action after six weeks on the shelf with a wrist fracture. He went 1-4 with three strikeouts as a DH. 

Hub City is 10-27 since peaking at 34-29. 


Lo-A: Hickory 14, at Delmarva (BAL) 2
Hickory: 16 hits, 8 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 24-9, 4.5 G up, 58-39 overall

SP Mason McConnaughey: 1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 33 P / 17 S, 5.63 ERA
RP Jormy Nivar: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 2.73 ERA
also 0-0, 2 BB as hitter
RP Geury Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.80 ERA
also 0-0, BB as hitter
CF Marco Argudin: 3-6, .273/.412/.364
LF Paulino Santana: 3-5, 3B, HR (12), HBP, .267/.396/.444
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-5, BB, .310/.429/.448
RF Kaden Carpenter: 2-5, 2B, HR (1), BB
2B Daniel Flames: 2-2, 2 2B, BB, .272/.361/.343

Catcher Sebastian Baquera left after singling and advancing to third in the top of the 2nd.* Noah Franklin, the only other catcher, was the DH, so Hickory was forced to send their pitchers to the plate when Franklin donned the gear. In his first two professional plate appearances, Jormy Nivar drew two six-pitch walks. Geury Rodriguez, also completely foreign to batting, drew another six-pitch walk. Neither swung the bat even once. 

9th-rounder Kaden Carpenter had a memorable pro debut, doubling to left-center in his first at-bat and later hitting the same direction but deeper for his first homer. 

* I assume he suffered some injury but can’t swear to it. (I was hoping to hear he’d been traded to the Angels for Zach Neto, but no such luck.) The 19-year-old is off to a respectable start (.253/.337/.356 in 26 games) after a brief stay at the complex. He’s thrown out 45% of opposing runners. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD officially, Montgomery presumably
AA: Pence
Hi-A: Tiger
Lo-A: Johnson

Five Years Ago Yesterday
In response to yesterday’s entry, a couple of you informed me that Hans Crouse was released by Baltimore earlier this week. Thanks for the correction, but also, are some of you spending your spare time perusing minor league transaction lists? That’s just deviant behavior. Take it from someone who knows. 

In his Round Rock debut, Glenn Otto walked three in five innings but was otherwise on point, allowing two runs and fanning five. For high-A Hickory, Trevor Hauver played outfield for the first time professionally. He’d mostly manned left at Arizona State, so this wasn’t an Ian Moller situation. With the Yankees, Hauver played at second.