Another Prospect Review
FanGraphs’ Brendan Gawlowski has a lengthy update to his assessment of the Texas farm in the context of the trade deadline. Very much worth your time, especially coming a day after my review. Some of his opinions mirror mine, but he has many additional details and some varying outlooks worth taking into account. Gawlowski was an early Perich fan (he was watching, then as a professional scout, the same performances that caught my eye in March of 2025), and now he’s letting his Perich flag fly high, ranking him ninth in the system.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 5, Reno (ARI) 1
Round Rock: 6 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 4 GB, 47-56 overall
SP Nolan Kingham: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 9 SO, 78 P / 52 S, 6.99 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 9.45 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.01 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.75 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2 2B, .272/.364/.426
The Express have won five straight and eight of eleven. Emiliano Teodo threw all but one pitch in the lower half of the zone or below, unusual for him, but he made quick work of the 7th. Chris Martin was overly efficient, retiring three batters with five pitches. Martin has made four rehab appearances since rejoining the IL, a high number for someone of his age and nominal stature. Since he’s been IL’ed multiple times with the same issue, I assume the idea is to give him steady work and gauge his response. If he can’t hold up, better for that breakdown to occur in Triple A than a meaningful MLB game. I also wonder to what extent Texas is treating his rehab as a broader evaluation, somewhat like Josh Sborz last year.
Nolan Kingham had his best night in a Round Rock uniform, striking out nine and missing 18 bats. 
AA: Frisco 5, Corpus Christi (HOU) 3
Frisco: 8 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 2 G up, 55-41 overall
SP David Davalillo: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 3.34 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.43 ERA
SS Corey Seager: 1-2, HR, BB
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, HR (), .378/.425/.676
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, HR (15), BB, .290/.367/.486
For the first time but possibly not the last, Corey Seager and Sebastian Walcott batted back-to-back in the order. In the 5th, Seager homered atop the pavilion beyond the left-field wall. In the 7th, Walcott cleared the pavilion. Seager also made a swell catch-and-throw to his right to nab a runner.
David Davalillo had the kind of effective if colorless night which wouldn’t merit any detail under ordinary circumstances. He walked two in a span of three batters but otherwise worked quickly, averaging under 15 pitches per inning. Since a false start in Hub City (2.1 IP, 3 BB), Davalillo has walked four in 13 innings. 
Hi-A: Hub City 3, Rome (ATL) 7
Hub City: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 10-21, 12 GB, 44-53 overall
SP Ismael Agreda: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 72 P / 42 S, 5.48 ERA
RP Luimy Munoz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Casey Cook: 1-4, HR (3), .211/.268/.474
1B Antonis Macias: 1-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .253/.356/.371
Ismael Agreda had an Ismael Agreda night. I will say his slider occasionally was delicious. (The first time I saw him, admittedly a few years ago, it was essentially non-functional.) Agreda is still just 22 (until October) but can walk after 2027, and at some point I expect Texas to say “okay, you’re throwing one inning, go out there and shove.” With 97 strikeouts in just 70 innings, Agreda trails only Aidan Curry (with 103) i the system, but he also leads with 54 combined walks and hit batters. 
Lo-A: wet
The rain followed the Crawdads to the Delmarva Peninsula. Two today.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Russell
Lo-A: Chiquillo / maybe Deakins
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas traded Joey Gallo. Here’s my partial (but still lengthy) writeup at the time:
“The Rangers have traded OF Joey Gallo and RHP Joely Rodriguez for IF Ezequiel Duran, IF Josh Smith, RHP Glenn Otto and IF/OF Trevor Hauver. The initial reports included LHP John King instead of Rodriguez and two more prospects coming Texas’s way. Apparently, concerns about King’s medical record prompted his replacement with Rodriguez and a lesser return. Who did Texas acquire?
[I’m skipping the player summaries.]
“So… is that enough? Certainly, it pales in comparison to the Mark Teixeira trade, but this isn’t the 2007 trade market. It’s not even the 2015 market. And Joey Gallo isn’t Mark Teixeira. Gallo could very well outplay Teixeira as a Yankee [2026 note: He did not.], but his erratic track record dilutes his value a bit…
“This forces a focus on quantity, acquiring slightly lesser prospects in greater numbers and hoping someone pays off. That’s not necessarily bad, in and of itself, but unfortunately it doesn’t align with Texas’s current needs. The Rangers already have impressive depth. They also have, with a couple of exceptions, uncertainty regarding which prospects could develop into bona fide rotation members and average-or-better position players. These acquisitions don’t help in that regard, talented though they are. Texas has developed relievers and role players in abundance of late. Developing regulars has been a struggle. Gallo was an exception, and now he’s gone.
“My initial reaction on the trade, for what it’s worth, is: it’s okay. I don’t love it or hate it. I’m circumspect because it’s not as though I had a firm grasp on the New York system and could tell you much about these guys before yesterday. My opinion will evolve as I learn more, and I’ll let you know what I think. I know that’s boring, but I’m not in the business of throwing out uninformed hot takes. That said, I absolutely was on board with trading Gallo. I mean, on an emotional level I hate trading Gallo, but given where the Rangers are, it’s almost compulsory. Trading Gallo isn’t a failure per se. Being in the position to have to trade him is. I don’t doubt his sincerity about wanting to stay in Texas, but getting an extension done seemed iffy at best. You risk having him walk for nothing, so you get what you can. The Rangers got what they could.”
So, yes, I was lukewarm on the trade, and some of that was simply being grumpy about Texas’s worst season in nearly fifty years. It’s worked out quite well, though, albeit via a labored path. Duran and Smith have combined for 9-11 wins above replacement so far. I’d call the trade a win even if Gallo had hit to expectations.
Alas, the trade was the beginning of the end for Gallo. He suffered in the hothouse environment of New York. Moving to LA certainly didn’t help, and the rest of his career involved increasingly uncomfortable “pillow” deals. (The last pillow was a folded-up hoodie.) He converted to pitching after being released by the White Sox in 2025, but he hasn’t played anywhere to my knowledge. Maybe his career would have evolved that way regardless, but I do wonder if he might have lasted longer as a Ranger.
Ten Years Ago Yesterday
“Dillon Tate made his last appearance as a Ranger. It wasn’t good.”
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