Arizona Fall League Participants
RHP Alejandro Chiquillo
RHP J’Briell Easley
RHP Jesus Gamez
RHP Jacob Johnson
RHP Mason McConnaughey
C Julian Brock
IF Casey Cook
OF Paxton Kling
This group doesn’t match last year’s (Walcott [briefly], Dreiling, Moore, Corniell, Santos, Teodo), but there are several names of interest. No player has even been more of a lock to play in the AFL than Kling, who’s 23, missed seven weeks to a broken hand and received a late promotion to AA. 2025 3rd-rounder Casey Cook missed even more time this year and has badly struggled with the bat in high-A. Easley reached AA at the season’s tail end while the other pitchers are mostly from low-A, and most were either limited by injury and/or restrictive workloads during 2026.
Award Winners
The Rangers announced their 2026 minor league winners yesterday:
Player – IF Rafe Perich
Pitcher– LHP Dalton Pence
Reliever – LHP Louis Marinaro
Defender– IF Yolfran Castillo
True Ranger – RHP Evan Siary
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: AA TEXAS LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
Frisco RoughRiders (73-64) vs. Arizona-affiliated Amarillo Sod Poodles (77-60)
Season Run Differential: Frisco +74, Amarillo +31
Last 20 Games: Frisco 10-10, Amarillo 15-5
Season Series: Tied 9-9, three series splits
How They Got Here
In the second half, Amarillo was tied for last with a 13-14 record but grabbed a permanent share or outright division lead just a week later. The Poodles* were 29-13 after late July.
In the first half, Frisco was 21-21 and 2.5 back on May 22nd but finished 18-8, taking the division lead outright on the 6th and never facing a serious challenge thereafter. The Riders peaked at 54-39 overall in late July and were 19-25 over the final seven weeks.
History
Frisco has been a Texas affiliate since inception in 2003, winning league titles in 2004 and 2022 and reaching the finals three other times.
Amarillo was created in 2019 when the Elmore Group moved short-A Helena to Colorado Springs, AAA Colorado Springs to San Antonio, and AA San Antonio to a new stadium in the Panhandle. I was nearby on business last week and asked three people who’d owned and worked their land for decades whether they ever used or even heard the term “sod poodle” as a synonym for prairie dog, and all said no. In any case, the Poodles have reached the postseason in four of seven years and won titles in 2019 and 2023. Frisco and Amarillo have never met in the playoffs.
Top 30 Prospects Per MLB.com
Frisco:
#1: IF Sebastian Walcott
#6: C Malcolm Moore
#13: OF Dylan Dreiling
#19: 3B Rafe Perich
#20: OF Paxton Kling
#27: RHP Leandro Lopez
Amarillo:
#4: RHP David Hagaman
#5: C Carlos Virahonda
#10: IF Jansel Luis
#15: Wellington Aracena
#16: C Alberto Barriga
#17: IF Cristofer Torin
#20: RHP Brian Curley
#23: OF Druw Jones
#26: RHP Mason Marriott
#28: RHP Junior Sanchez
Offense / Possible Position Players
Frisco: +10% runs scored vs. park-adjusted league average (+4% in 2nd half), 109 OPS+ (108 in 2nd half)
Amarillo: -1% runs scored (+1% in 2nd half), 98 OPS+ (96 in 2nd half)
Frisco lineup:
C Malcolm Moore / Ian Moller
1B Arturo Disla
2B Max Wagner
3B Rafe Perich
SS Sebastian Walcott
LF Yeison Morrobel
CF Dylan Dreiling
RF Marcus Lee Sang
Also 1/2/3 Gleider Figuereo, OF Paxton Kling, IF Luke Hanson
Most of the players listed weren’t here when the season began. The initial group was older but they sure could hit, scoring 6.3 runs per game in the first half. Over the months, the team has gained several interesting prospects but lost some runs, hitting more homers but shedding a full walk per game. The promotions of John Taylor, Keyber Rodriguez, Orlando Martinez and Frainyer Chavez have hurt a little.
Regardless, Frisco’s overall success is predicated on outslugging the opposition. That 10-8 win in the regular-season finale is the type we might well see in this series. The Riders lead the league in hits and doubles and are third in homers on a park-adjusted basis. Sebastian Walcott has been a terror since returning from elbow surgery. Dylan Dreiling has hit better in the second half, and the additions of Rafe Perich and Yeison Morrobel have helped. Luke Hanson hasn’t hit well since joining in late August (.125/.203/.172), but that might not matter if Walcott can continue to play the field as he did Sunday. Frisco hasn’t participated in the huge league-wide increase in steals but hasn’t needed to. It’s a group designed to put crooked numbers on the board.
Amarillo’s offense is just okay. As a group, they have ordinary power (adjusted for park) and don’t walk much, but they’re tough to strike out. Best are 3B Danny Serretti (.272/.418/.510, 14 HR, 126 OPS+) and COF/DH Angel Ortiz (.271/.34/.503, 13 HR, 103 PS+). SS Cristofer Torin (.281/.344/.440, 94 OPS+) has been on fire of late. 2022 #2-overall pick Druw Jones hit .271/.361/.374 (81 OPS+). Relative newcomer OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu batted .328/.423/.776 in 30 games; the power is legit but that showing vastly exceeds any other results. The Poodles run more often than Frisco but stealing isn’t a significant part of the attack.
Pitching / Possible Rotation
Frisco run prevention: Dead-even in runs allowed (6% worse in 2nd half), 101 opposing OPS+ (103 in 2nd half)
Amarillo: 5% better than average in runs allowed (+8% in 2nd half), 101 opposing OPS+ (100 in 2nd half)
The Riders haven’t had what you’d consider a rotation for a while. 13 different starters appeared in the final 30 games and averaged fewer than four innings.
Erratic though he is, Aidan Curry (5.82 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 29% SO) is Frisco’s best bet to put forth a dominant start, and he’ll lead off tonight. His peripherals are actually quite good, but a tendency to allow runners in bunches has led to an inflated ERA. Undrafted Cole Stasio (5.11 ERA, 12% BB+HBP, 30% SO) has the second-best second-half ERA (4.98) of the usual starters. This morning, Texas transferred Blake Townsend (5.06 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 19% SO) from Round Rock, where he’d held up well against tougher hitters. Here’s what I’d written about other potential starters prior to this move: Nobody else with at least three starts has an ERA below 6.51 or encouraging peripheral stats, and other starters are either very green for the level or true relievers who could provide two innings at most.
As for the bullpen, Austin Roberts has been the best second-half option. Used in two-inning bursts of the IL, Leandro Lopez has rediscovered the control that earned a 40 spot last fall. Bryan Magdaleno is effective if walk-prone. Beyond them, we have a collection with second-half ERAs of 4.67 or higher and opposing OPSs of 108 or higher. Joey Danielson, Brock Porter, Zach Bryant, Jonathan Brand and the others can be successful on any given night, but counting on two or three of them to keep runs off the board isn’t wise.
On a basic level, Amarillo’s pitching is superior to Frisco’s. They allowed 37 fewer runs during the second half in a much tougher park. But once I looked deeper, I saw much less division, plus Amarillo’s superior fielding is partly responsible for Amarillo’s run-prevention advantage.
Ex-Ranger David Hagaman (3.22 ERA, 9 BB, 36 SO in 30 IP) might start Game 2. Everyone else lacks appeal; all are quite homer-prone with a season-long ERA of at least 5.23 plus 6.70 or higher over the last month. Marriott (who started Sunday), Curley and Sanchez (tonight’s starter) are in the top 30, but actual results are lacking.
Carlos Rey (3.79 ERA, 24% BB+HBP, 36% SO) and Alfred Morillo (5.90 ERA, 13% BB+HBP, 23% SO) have shared most save opportunities. Rey is tough to hit but extremely walk-prone, while Morillo has broader difficulty keeping runners off the bases. Antonio Menendez has been better than both at this level but hit the IL two days ago. Beyond them, the choices range from adequate to worrisome.
Defense
Texas’s farm clubs tend to rate well defensively, but Frisco has been an exception, mainly experiencing some difficulty turning double plays and batted balls into outs. Amarillo has been among the league’s best in those respects.
Advantages
Hitting – Frisco
Pitching – Even
Defense – Amarillo
Park Factor
Frisco’s park plays close to neutral. Amarillo’s stadium is the Coors of the Texas League.
Outlook
If you made me put $100 on the series, I’d be very upset. What did I ever do to you? Anyway, my original conclusion was “Amarillo. They’ve played better lately and have two possible games at home, plus Hagaman is the best pitcher on either roster. Close call, though.”
On further review, an even closer call. Amarillo’s run differential doesn’t support their record, and the underlying peripherals don’t support the run differential. I’ve got them as a sub-.500 club in terms of play-by-play data. Frisco’s 73-64 record isn’t spectacular, but at least it’s honest.
I really don’t have a good feel for the result, but I’ll erase the part about Amarillo being better lately and keep the rest. Hagaman plus up to two home games makes the case for the Poodles.
Post-email note: I screwed up which team had two games at home. Not that it matters, but I’ll switch my pick to Frisco.
* The accepted shorthand for Sod Poodles is Soddies, just as the Down East Wood Ducks were the Woodies, but if you’ve got “Poodles” in your name, I’m calling you the Poodles.
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