Author: scottrlucas

Yesterday morning, I saw a social media post showing Texas with the second-best hard-hit rate in all of baseball. Again, second best.

I quote-posted it combined with my own research that the Rangers were 28th in batting average on these hard hits (.432, 44 points below average) and 27th in slugging (.814, 107 points below average). I received some feedback, some helpful, some less so. A good point is that hard-hit rate is overrated, subject to misinterpretation and certainly not a catch-all for determining hitting quality. At a team level, hard-hit rate actually correlates poorly to production so far in 2026. My instant thoughts were the direction of Texas’s contact, the spread of velocity and park factors. 

After a little more research, I posted “The Rangers lean less airborne than grounded on hard hits but are close to the median, not a huge issue. They’re 27th in average and slugging on hard hits above 10 degrees [i.e., airborne]. My first thought was weak top-end velo, but they’re 12th in EV90 [90th-percentile exit velocity]. Not excessively pop-prone either. Need more study. GLF, maybe [Globe Life]?”

Then, Austin received an unexpectedly heavy rain shower that delayed my yardwork, so I kept digging. After a little more research: “The basic answer to Texas being a hard-hit low-result team is Globe Life. Yes, the Rangers are worse on hard hits than their opponents at home, but the park is massively pitcher-friendly. Texas’s road numbers are right at the league average.”



That still felt off, though. Yes, Globe Life suppresses hitting, but why the large difference in slugging between the Rangers and their opponents? I then narrowed the focus to hard hits at an angle of 20-44 degrees, where nearly all homers occur.

These results defy belief. Using only hard balls in play with homer-oriented angles, the Rangers are slugging over 700 points lower than the league average and over 400 worse the than 29th-ranked team. Worse still, opponents aren’t having any trouble getting results on these types of hits in Globe Life. I discovered this through both my own analysis of the raw data and by finessing Statcast’s search function, so I believe the stats are correct.  What in the world is going on.

A partial answer: Texas’s overall top-end exit velocity is solid, but in this subset, it’s lacking. In this angle range, the average team hits 42% of hard balls in play at 95-99 MPH. Such balls do surprisingly poorly; only 10% have reached the seats in 2026. Unfortunately, Texas leads in this category at 61%. Texas’s average velocity on these balls is only 99. The opposition’s average is 103. That’s a huge difference. 

Entering Saturday, Texas had only 23 balls in play at a 20-44 angle range and over 100 MPH off the bat. The average team had 37. Given that 47% of balls in play in this group become homers, that’s a lot of missed production. 
That’s only part of the issue. On balls hit at 20-44 degrees and over 100 MPH, Texas also has the worst percentage of homers, just 22% vs. the league average of 47%. As to why so few of Texas’s genuinely hardest hits are leaving… I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet. Possibly dumb luck.My joking response was for Texas to just hit the ball harder. Last night, Josh Jung and Justin Foscue hit balls over 100 MPH in the angle range of 20-44. You’ll never guess what happened. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Durham (TAM) 3 
Round Rock: 5 hits, 1 walks, 9strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 14-24, 8 GB

SP Ben Anderson: 1.2 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 49 P / 29 S, 9.00 ERA
RP Austin Bergner: IP, H, R, BB, SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .283/.368/.424

Bergner, Aidan Anderson, Robby Ahlstrom, Dane Acker and Mason Thompson combined for 7.1 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. 


AA: Frisco 7, NW Arkansas (KAN) 8 (10)
Frisco: 10 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-16, 4 GB

SP Dylan MacLean: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 76 P / 50 S, 5.27 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-5, 2 HR (6), .300/.398/.511
1B Max Wagner: 3-4, 2B, .259/.333/.741

Dylan Dreiling homered not once, but twice, both the opposite way, bringing his total that direction to four of his six total. He’s already halfway to last year’s 12, but he’s hit only one double. 

I mentioned Jorge Alfaro’s unusual presence in AA yesterday. Last night, he powered a three-run homer in the 10th for Northwest Arkansas. Frisco would score twice in the bottom half and place the tying run on second but could go no further. 


Hi-A: Hub City 4, Wilmington (WAS) 2
Hub City: 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 16-15, 4 GB

SP Ismael Agreda: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 5.33 ERA
RP AJ Russell: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.75 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 2-4, .259/.364/.400
1B Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2B, .224/.296/.439

Texas promoted AJ Russell to high-A, probably a one-off to keep him on his regular schedule since nearby Hickory’s weekend was cancelled, but he made a quick case for staying. Russell threw three perfect innings and fanned four. Oft-wild Ismael Agreda was on firmer ground, and Joey Danielson produced his tenth scoreless outing of 11 total. 

Devin Fitz-Gerald led off the game with a homer.


Lo-A: cancelled

Hickory is off until Tuesday.Arizona
2B Josh Owens homered. DH Seong-Jun Kim was 2-3 with a double and three batted in. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Stephan
AA: Davalillo
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: cancelled

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Lo-A OF Evan Carter was 3-4 with a walk, double and HBP. Mason Englert fanned five and allowed one run in three innings as Down East swept a six-game series at Kannapolis, which would turn out to be the worst team in a Texas-affiliated minor league during 2007-2025. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, at Durham (TAM) 4
Round Rock: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 11 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 13-24, 9 GB

SP Jose Corniell: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 62 P / 42 S, 0.00 ERA
2B Cameron Cauley: 2-5, .248/.362/.344
SS Michael Helman: 2-3, 2B, HBP, .192/.276/.317

Jose Corniell threw in a real game for the first time since the final pitch of the 2025 season.* He was solid if a little walk-happy**, missing 14 bats with a fastball (avg. 95), cutter (91), change (86) and sweeper (83). Assuming no health issues or wayward results, I’d say a ramped-up Corniell is Texas’s best option for a replacement starter. Technically, Corniell is on his final option, although given his circumstances, he might be eligible for a fourth. 

I’m not here to tell you the Express are good, but I will point out they’re 2-14 (!) in one-run games, including four losses of that variety this week. 

* Incidentally, in that Corniell 2025 outing, opposing Cleveland’s relievers that day were former Rangers Matt Festa, Kolby Allard and Zak Kent.

** Maybe not. The plate ump squeezed pitchers on just three occasions all night, but two were on ball-three pitches from Corniell. 


AA: Frisco 5, NW Arkansas (KAN) 6
Frisco: 5 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-15, 4 GB

SP Leandro Lopez: 3.2 IP, 10 H (2 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 89 P / 59 S, 7.11 ERA
RP Jonathan Brand: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.60 ERA
3B Frainyer Chavez: 2-4, 2B, HBP, .274/.396/.444
LF Marcus Lee Sang: 2-4, HR (6), .316/.391/.541

Lopez has usually struggled with his control over the years, but 2026 is the first time he’s been hittable. Until last week, he’d never allowed more than seven hits in an outing; now, he has consecutive ten-hit affairs. Some of that is being stretched out more than in the past, and some is the MiLB-wide increase in offense this season, but not all. So far, 2026 is decidedly not a continuation of what got him a 40-man spot last fall. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, Wilmington (WAS) 6
Hub City: 5 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 4 GB

SP J’Briell Easley: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 44 P / 25 S, 3.55 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 2-4, 2B, .247/.358/.395

Malcolm Moore nabbed one of three runners in addition to his plate prowess. OF 20 Sally League catchers facing at least 20 steal attempts, his 33% caught-rate is third best. 


Lo-A: Hickory 2, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 6 (10)
Hickory: 4 hits, 1 walk, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 17-14, 3 GB

SP Evan Siary: 4 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 80 P / 48 S, 4.73 ERA
RP Luimy Munoz: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.86 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 3-5, HR (6), .286/.409/.527

Texas named 22-year-old lefty Michael Trausch Texas’s minor league reliever of the month, and he promptly went out and suffered his worst outing of the season by far, allowing four 10th-inning runs. The 9th was better, featuring strikeouts on a fastball at 93 and a change. He also deals a slider. Over three seasons, Trausch has gained 3-4 ticks on the fastball while improving his control from scary to reasonable. He’s fanned 28 and walked nine in 18 innings with a 1.50 ERA.

Other award winners were 1B Arturo Disla (player), LHP Dalton Pence (SP) and IF Frainyer Chavez (defender). 

The series is over. A fire in the opposing clubhouse has forced cancellation of the concluding two games. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Anderson
AA: MacLean
Hi-A: Agreda
Lo-A: cancelled

Five Years Ago Yesterday
1B Curtis Terry homered in his first two at-bats for AAA Round Rock. Lefty Joe Palumbo allowed six runners and four runs in 2.1 IP. He emerged from the covid year a different pitcher, often hurt and rarely effective. He spent pieces of 2024 and 2025 with indy Hagerstown and Long Island but hasn’t appeared in the stats in 2026. 






Elsewhere
OF Dustin Harris elected free agency after being outrighted by Houston. 

I’d mentioned catcher Jorge Alfaro signing with the Royals back in February, but I hadn’t thought about him since. He’s in AA at the tender age of 32, facing Frisco this week. 

RHP Carl Edwards Jr. signed a minor deal with Detroit after leaving the Mets.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, at Durham (TAM) 2
Round Rock: 6 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 13-23, 8 GB

SP Trey Supak: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 80 P / 54 S, 4.46 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 4-4, 2B, SB (3), .286/.365/.407

Round Rock has lost three straight to the team that had the worst record in the International League, and now the Express own the worst record in all of AAA. Best as I can tell, Texas’s AAA squad is ten games below .500 for the first time since 2019. The offense is actually eighth of 30 teams in walks and 12th in singles but dead last in extra bases on hits. My immediate joking idea (well, half-joking) was to bring credentialed basher Matt Davidson out of retirement, but he’s still active and successful in Korea. Davidson hit 33 homers for Texas’s AAA squad in 2019.

Emiliano Teodo had a night that looked like any other (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO), but he did throw 14 of 19 pitches for strikes. I’ll need to delve more deeply into the data to confirm, but Teodo appears to be throwing a standard four-seamer in addition to his usual sinker, likely in an attempt to get more strikes. His sinker, fast though it is, has been painfully ineffective: only 44% for strikes, only 5 swinging strikes all season heading into last night. 


AA: Frisco 10, NW Arkansas (KAN) 9
Frisco: 13 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 16-14, 4 GB

SP Winston Santos: 3.2 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 73 P / 42 S, 11.20 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 1.88 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.65 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-3, HR (4), 3 BB, SB (4), .296/.398/.457
DH John Taylor: 2-4, BB, HBP, .341/.470/.527
2B Corey Joyce: 3-4, HBP, SB (3), .361/.443/.721

Winston Santos tallied a season-high 16 swinging strikes, most since the end of 2024 when he was certifiably On Fire, but he spent much of the night dealing with baserunners. 

Wilian Bormie has a 35% strikeout rate, pretty much a given, but he also has a sub-10% walk rate. We’re dealing with something here. 

Frisco’s strong offense always had a response to deficits of 1-0 early, 5-2 at the halfway point, 8-4 at the stretch and 9-8 in the 10th. 

Wichita hit ten homers in a 19-7 thrashing at Amarillo. Impressive, I suppose, but it reminds me of June 28, 2009, when Lake Elsinore of the high-A California League defeated High Desert 33-18. That’s some hitting, baby. The Rangers would, with deep reluctance, affiliate with High Desert in 2015-2016. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, Wilmington (WAS) 5 (7)
Hub City: 9 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-14,

SP Dalton Pence: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, HBP, 5 SO, 75 P / 49 S, 2.59 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.82 ERA
DH Arturo Disla: 1-4, HR (6), .344/.457/.613
1B Rafe Perich: 2-2, HR (3), BB
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-2, BB, .202/.292/.319
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-3, .292/.344/.461

Dalton Pence was effective if wilder than usual. Four of his combined eight walks and HBPs this season occurred in a span of three innings. Down 5-4 in the 6th, Hub City regained the lead with a Yeison Morrobel single and two-run double from infielder Carter Garate, an undrafted 22-year-olf from Oregon signed last July but only recently activated. 

Hi-A: Hub City 5, Wilmington (WAS) 4 (8)
Hub City: 4 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-14, 4 GB

SP Enrique Segura: 3 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 59 P / 34 S, 6.75 ERA
RP Cole Stasio: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.17 ERA
3B Rafe Perich: 1-2, 2 BB, .280/.360/.493
SS Luke Hanson: 1-2, BB, .188/.267/.313

A split seemed imminent as the Burgers entered the bottom of the 6th down four and lacking a single hit. Luke Hanson’s one-out single eliminated Wilmington’s chance at a little bit of history. With two out, righty Adam Boucher replaced the starter and surrendered a single and two walks. Boucher has such poor control that Wilmington apparently had a replacement warming before he threw his first real pitch, because he was pulled after only three batters. The move didn’t help, as a full-count bases-loaded walk from Gleider Figuereo and two-run single from Yeison Morrobel created a tie. Rafe Perich’s extra-inning grounder plated Chandler Pollard for the victory. 

Rafe Perich is batting .356/.435/.627 in 16 games since an 0-for-17 start. In next year’s Daily Primer, he will be the example of how not to fret too much about early short-term results. I’d actually written a rather gloomy paragraph about him just a week ago, but that was more in the context of what appeared to be diminished playing time both in general and at third base. Since then, he played five games of a six-game series for the first time, and he’s started all three games this week. 


Lo-A: Hickory 7, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 9
Hickory: 10 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 17-13, 2 GB

SP Kamdyn Perry: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 52 P / 34 S, 2.70 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 3-5, 2B, 2 SB (12), .296/.391/.417

Hickory can’t help but lose in weird fashion lately. Down 7-3 and with two out and none on in the 8th, Myrtle Beach scored six on one single, six walks, an error and a wild pitch. Victimized the most was 23-year-old righty Keiber Armas, who walked three and retired none in his stateside debut. Armas jumped straight from the Dominican Summer League, where he actually had good control last year (10 walks in 30 innings). 

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Lopez
Hi-A: Easley
Lo-A: Siary

Five Years Ago Yesterday
2020 third-rounder TK Roby had a successful pro debut for low-A Down East. He’s been star-crossed since the Montgomery trade in 2023, throwing only 116 innings and likely to miss all of 2026 following last year’s late-July elbow surgery. Justin Foscue knocked his first pro homer for high-A Hickory. Cole Winn allowed four runs but fanned six in the 4.2 innings of his first AA start. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, at Durham (TAM) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-22, 7 GB

SP Austin Gomber: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 95 P / 64 S, 7.94 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.72 ERA
C Cooper Johnson: 3-3, 2 2B, BB, .217/.313/.362

Gomber offered another ultimately solid AAA start after nearly getting chased in a three-run 1st. Cooper Johnson had a nice day. I assume other catcher Jose Herrera would get the call if needed because he has ample MLB experience, even though he’s not hitting in Round Rock (.163/.328/.265). Regardless, the need for either would probably be putting Danny Jansen or Kyle Higashioka in the position of catching as often as possible. 


AA: Frisco 2, NW Arkansas (KAN) 9
Frisco: 10 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-14, 4 GB

SP Blake Townsend: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 89 P / 47 S, 6.75 ERA
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, 2B, .339/.347/.565
1B John Taylor: 4-4, .333/.459/.529

2025 indy-ball pickup John Taylor is having a whale of a season in AA. He’d never played in college or professionally until the tenth game of this season, but he’s started there 13 of his last 17 games. C/1B Tucker Mitchell’s injury is the main reason, but Frisco also lacks an obvious 1B (until Arturo Disla shows up at some point) and has options at the other infield spots. Aside from a few games at Milwaukee of the American Association in 2024, he’s always hit very well. 


Hi-A: wet

Two today.


Lo-A: Hickory 4, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-12, 1 GB

SP Aidan Deakins: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 42 S, 0.77 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 3-4, HR (5), .272/.402/.495
2B Daniel Flames: 2-3, HR (1), BB, .294/.362/.353

Lefty Owen Proksch’s assignment to the complex league was just a placeholder, as he was reassigned to Hickory, where he pitched briefly last year. In 2025, he struck out 17 and walked or hit seven in 11.2 innings. Proksch was drafted from Duke in last year’s ninth round and also attended Southlake Carroll. Proksch has an elongated, cross-body delivery that gives the batter a peek at the ball from behind his back on the right side. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Supak
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Pence / Segura
Lo-A: Perry

Five Years Ago Yesterday
OF Marcus Smith departed low-A Down East with an apparent hamstring problem. Smith would stay in the system through 2025, but in retrospect, this long-ago injury was the beginning of the end for him as an MLB prospect, something I never would have guessed at the time. Smith would end up missing almost the entire season, and in 2022 he reappeared with extremely low rates of swings and contact that resulted in an ungodly 42% K rate. More injuries would follow, and by 2024 he was rotating amongst multiple levels, albeit busily. Texas acquired Smith in August 2020 along with 1B Dustin Harris for pitcher Mike Minor, and at the time, Smith was held in slightly higher regard. 

Round Rock’s Wes Benjamin, Jake Lemoine, Demarcus Evans and Luis Ortiz combined on a five-hit, 12-K shutout of Oklahoma City. SS Anderson Tejeda struck out in all four at-bats of his AAA debut, a sign of things to come. Bubba Thompson and Davis Wendzel homered for AA Frisco.

Justin Foscue has been his usual self in AAA, batting .287/.407/.426 with ten doubles and two homers in 30 games. He’s exceedingly patient and will wait not just for strikes but his preferred strikes. Similarly, he’s well above average at avoiding whiffs. In 1,375 trips to the plate in AAA, he has more combined walks and HBP (217) than strikeouts (192). Foscue’s exit velocities are solid. He has a knack for hard, pulled, airborne contact. 

There are some mild negatives. Foscue hits the ball at every angle under the sun, so his power is dampened by grounders and especially a higher rate of popups. Most of his statcast data reads as good, but not elite. He has Triple A figured out, but he doesn’t have the data set that has me thinking his absence from the Majors is a criminal offense. Management has never cleared a path for him, and he’s never forced the issue. He is almost certainly a better hitter than what he’s shown to date in MLB, but good enough to claim more than an injury-sub role? I don’t know. I hope so.

In a more general sense, nobody is coming to save the Rangers in 2026. The farm is thinner than usual, more pitching-oriented at the upper levels, and has been placed strongly in the service of bolstering via trade an MLB roster that is older and designed for immediate results. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Durham (TAM) 7
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 13-21, 6 GB

SP Josh Stephan: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 11 SO, 85 P / 61 S, 5.10 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.46 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, 2 2B, BB, .268/.358/.390

In a duel with top-100 prospect Brody Hopkins, Josh Stephan tied a career-best 11 strikeouts and walked none, while Hopkins fanned “only” seven and walked three. Stephan’s control has always been special, but his strikeout rate dropped below average once he reached AA in 2024, and his hits (including homers) increased. His AA ERA across 166 innings is 4.86. So, when he was promoted to AAA in last season’s final week, it was more about seeing if he could hang at the level than conquering Double A. 

Stephan’s four-seamer and sinker hover around 91-92 and lack big movement. He can spot them, but they need help. In 2026, the action pitch has been a cutter that at 89 runs barely underneath his heater velocity. He’s been throwing them for called strikes and getting chases, although batters have been pretty successful when managing to put them in play. 

After last night, Stephan’s K rate this season is 30%, equivalent to his higher rate in high-A and far above his 20% across ’24-’25 in AA. Keeping that up is a big ask, but any meaningful improvement would aid his quest to reach the Majors. 


AA: Frisco 10, NW Arkansas (KAN) 3
Frisco: 10 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-13, 3 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 76 P / 46 S, 7.08 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-4, HR (3), BB, .280/.364/.413
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, HR (4), .324/.350/.550
C Ian Moller: 2-4, HR (3), BB, .246/.329/.431
SS Corey Joyce: 2-3, 2B, HR (6), 2 BB, .358/.443/.774

Hooray. Josh Trentadue offered his best AA start to date and largely banished the control issues that have bedeviled him at this level. He wasn’t perfect, reaching four three-ball counts in the early innings, and a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch surrounding an error put two in scoring position with none out in the 3rd. He was able to escape that unscathed with two strikeouts and a groundout. 

Ian Moller hit his third homer, one shy of last year’s total in nearly 80% fewer games. He’s never slugged over .315 outside the complex, partly because his presumed power hasn’t advanced as hoped, partly because of a low batting average as well. Maybe he’s gearing up. 


Hi-A: Hub City 8, Wilmington (WAS) 14
Hub City: 9 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 10 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-14, 4 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 3.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 81 P / 46 S, 3.43 ERA
RF Maxton Martin: 1-5, HR (3), .221/.287/.453
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-4, 2B, .189/.270/.311

Unfortunately, I can’t offer a hooray for Aidan Curry, who showed great control in his first two starts but has lapsed into prior issues lately. Wilmington also pummeled the pen. Devin Fitz-Gerald tripled, homered and drew three walks. 


Lo-A: Hickory 5, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 7
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 1 GB

SP Frank Martinez: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 59 P / 37 S, 8.64 ERA
CF Marcos Torres: 1-4, HR (6), .270/.383/.580
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, 2B, SB (10), .290/.387/.411

21-year-old Marcos Torres is second in the system with six homers (one behind Deward Tovar) and leads with 12 steals. Torres is young but is at the level for a third time. He hit six homers in 93 games art Down East in 2024 and six in 80 games at Hickory last year. In 2026, six in just 27 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first Hickory batter to advance to high-A this season, although that will take an additional transaction or injury, as Hub City already has a crowd at every position he plays. 


Rookie: Rangers 7, Cubs 8
SP Ben Abeldt: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
RP Josh Owens: 2 perfect IP, 1 SO
3B Jack Wheeler: 2-5, 2B
CF Marco Argudin: 4-4 3B, SB

Again, I don’t plan to cover every game, but darned if I didn’t find some Statcast data from last night. Two-wayer Josh Owens dealt a sinker ranking from 93.4 to 98.5 (median 96.6) and a lone slider at 84.7. He missed three bats on ten swings. 

In his pro debut, Ben Abeldt’s primary pitch was a sinker topping at 92.3 and mostly 89-91. Next was an offering in the 74-76 range. I’ve read multiple reports on his sweeper, but the velocity and drop on this pitch read more like a slurve. He also threw a few pitches in a 76-83 range that read as split or straight changes. I’m going purely off my interpretation of the raw data, because Statcast classified every single pitch he threw as a sinker. 

Everything off Marco Argudin’s bat was at least 91.7, and his triple reached 106.4, the hardest by any Ranger.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Pence
Lo-A: Deakins

Five Years Ago Yesterday
For high-A Hickory, Cole Ragans pitched in a real game for the first time three years and eight months. He was returning from two Tommy John surgeries. Top 2020 pick Justin Foscue collected his first pro hit. 

A combined 41 Rangers appear within the top-20 or top-30 rankings of Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs (which ranks 38 but I’m using 30 for this exercise), The Athletic, and MLB Pipeline. So far, I’ve only written about 24 of them in the context of actual games played. Two others are assigned to the Dominican Summer League. Another six are hurt (including OF Anthony Gutierrez, who technically did play but was lost for the season early on Opening Night). 

The remaining nine are at the complex:
LHP Ben Abeldt (Age 22, 2025 / 5th round)
LHP Enyel Lopez (20, signed Jan. 2025)
LHP Owen Proksch (22, 2025 / 9th)
RHP Jacob Johnson (19, 2025 / 11th)
RHP Mason McConnaughey (22, 2025 / 4th)
RHP/IF Seong-Jun Kim (19, signed May 2025)
RHP/IF Josh Owens (19, 2025 / 3rd)
IF/OF Elorky Rodriguez (18, signed Jan. 2025)
IF Jack Wheeler (19, 2025 / 6th)

RHP Jose Corniell is there as well, but he doesn’t quite fit with the others, so I listed him as part of the injured six. 

Rodriguez is a young 18 but has the most pro experience of the nine listed, batting .337/.473/.506 while splitting between 2B and CF last summer in the Dominican Republic. The Korean Kim batted in three games and pitched once in last year’s Dominican Summer League. The 6’4″ Lopez tossed one inning for Hickory in 2025 but spent nearly all of 2025 at the complex, where he posted a 5.88 ERA with plenty of strikeouts (and walks). 

Proksch and Owens began their pro careers late last summer at low-A Hickory but were held back to begin 2026. Abeldt, Johnson, McConnaughey and Wheeler will be making their pro debuts. Abeldt is a TCU alum recovering from elbow surgery. 

Opening Night starter Johnson was drafted in last year’s 11th round, a more meaningful place than you might expect. Many clubs use portions of rounds 6-10 to save money for earlier rounds but also the 11th and some later ones. Last year, 17 of 30 11th-rounders received bonuses of over $150,000, the excess of which counts against the cap. Conversely, no 10th-round pick received an above-slot bonus, and half signed for no more than $50,000. Texas’s other 11th rounders in the 2020s were RHP Dalton Pence, OF Max Martin, LHP Kohl Drake and OF Jojo Blackmon. All but Blackmon feature on contemporary prospect lists, and Blackmon himself did early on but faded disappointingly quickly in low-A. 

I stopped covering the rookie league on a daily basis in the late 2010s. Then, the reasons were a lull in the system that made me question the usefulness of daily coverage plus other time-consuming things going on in my life. Structural changes in pro ball since then have affected roster composition and quality of play such that daily coverage is probably more futile than ever, but given the surfeit of prospects in Arizona, I intend to check in more frequently than I have during most of the 2020s. And now that I’ve told you why I won’t be doing daily game summaries, how about a game summary?


Rookie: Rangers 8, Dodgers 9
Rangers: 7 hits, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts
Dodgers: 9 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts

SP Jacob Johnson: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, HBP, 8 SO
RP Case Matter: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
DH Seong-Jun Kim: 1-5, HR
2B Elorky Rodriguez: 1-3, triple, 2 BB
LF Marco Argudin: 1-3, BB
RF Jay McQueen: 1-1, 3 BB, SB
CF Rashawn Pinder: 1-4, 2 SB

Thanks to Jacob Johnson for justifying the paragraph about 11th rounders mostly written before the game started. Signed out of Pearl River Community College in Mississippi, Johnson offers a mid-90s fastball, slider and a hint of a change. He retired eight of 13 batters via strikeout, four swinging and four called. Given the often dismal state of control at the level, I’m honestly more pleased with the zero walks (although he did tally a hit batter and wild pitch). 

Rehabbing Case Matter is 24 and closed out last year at high-A Hub City. He instantly caught my eye with some impressive stuff, but he’s averaged a walk per inning as a pro. 

19-year-old Jamaurion “Jay” McQueen was Texas’s final pick last summer but received the third-largest bonus of rounds 11-20. Argudin is a 20-year-old Cuban who manhandled the DSL last year (.397/.497/.587).

Transactions
Texas released IF Danyer Cueva and LHP Angel Anazco. Cueva is among a sizable group of hitters in the 2020s (not just Rangers) who crushed at the complex but found the jump to low-A a little too wide. 

Elsewhere
Written around 8pm last night: Atlanta designated catcher Jonah Heim for assignment. He’d actually batted well in 45 trips to the plate: .231/.311/.410 with a homer and four doubles. He hadn’t nabbed any of 13 base-stealers, though. The true Heim is probably less bat and more defense, but with a modest $1.2 million left on his deal, he might be worth a claim by someone. This morning’s update: Atlanta traded Heim to the Athletics (Heim’s original team) for cash. 

St. Louis optioned IF Thomas Saggese to AAA Memphis. He’d batted .170/.228/.208 in 18 games for the Cards. In his MLB career, he’s made 34 starts at short, which I’ll confess are 34 more than I anticipated while watching him at Frisco, but he hasn’t hit enough to confirm a steady role. 

Detroit righty Ricky Vanasco made his first MLB appearance since September 2024 against the Rangers Sunday. 

Righty Carl Edwards Jr. took free agency after being purchased by the Mets from AAA and outrighted a few days later.

Washington claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers from Minnesota and optioned him to AAA Rochester, where he can make an acquaintance of 1B Abi Ortiz (now .250/.380/.430 after a slow start). 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I watched my first “real” minor league game in 619 days, not in Round Rock but Frisco, where the Riders defeated Midland 5-2. Davis Wendzel made his full-season debut in AA nearly two years after being drafted, and at shortstop, a position he barely played in college. Wendzel would prove capable there, if occasionally prone to mishandling routine plays. He walked twice and was hit by a pitch. OF Bubba Thompson tripled and singled. 1B Sherten Apostel homered, but the umps couldn’t see the carom off the Lazy River facade and ruled it a double. At low-A Down East, CF Evan Carter drew three walks in his pro debut 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City (LAD) 10
Round Rock: 6 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 13-20, 6 GB

SP Ben Anderson: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 77 P / 43 S, 7.71 ERA
RP Michel Otañez: 1 IP, 0 H (1 HR), 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.38 ERA
LF Michael Helman: 3-4, HR (3), .178/.259/.297

The fun came early while Blake Snell briefly overthrew his change, turning it into an mid-80s sinker. Cam Cauley rapped one past short for a single, stole second, and scored when Michael Helman powered another change over the fence. Robby Ahlstrom and Marc Church combined to surrendered seven 6th-inning runs, and Emiliano Teodo (1 IP, 3 runners, 2 runs) was again ineffective.

Round Rock has the fewest homers hit (22) and most allowed (45). So far, the Express are mid-pack in run prevention (5.5 runs per game) but sorely lacking on offense (4.5 per game, 85 OPS+), which has reached base at a respectable clip but isn’t slugging. 

Round Rock heads to Durham next for an interleague tilt against Tampa Bay’s AAA squad, which has the league’s worst record at 11-22.


AA: Frisco 5, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 10 hits, 7 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 14-13, 4 GB

SP David Davalillo: 4 IP, 9 H (1 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 86 P / 60 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.91 ERA
2B Frainyer Chavez: 3-4, BB, .270/.395/.450
LF Keith Jones II: 1-3, HR (4), 2 BB, .231/.378/.462

David Davalillo had a bunch of grounders reach the outfield yesterday, but the bigger issue has been a high proportion of liners plus a very high hit rate. The second part might be team-oriented, as Frisco is by far the worst in the league in turning batted balls into outs, 48 points above the league average of .310. Davalillo is still avoiding walks and striking out plenty (36 in 23.1 IP). 

Frisco’s offense has scored 6.4 per game, 23% above the park-adjusted league average. The Riders are batting .273, uncommonly high in this era. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, at Greenville (BOS) 5
Hub City: 8 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 13-13, 3.5 GB

SP D.J. McCarty: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 71 P / 44 S, 7.50 ERA
RP Jesus Gamez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 6.48 ERA
DH Arturo Disla: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (2), .366/.476/.634
1B Rafe Perich: 3-4, 3B, HR (2), .269/.324/.463

A few days after I wrote about how Rafe Perich wasn’t hitting as I’d hoped, he suddenly ranks second on the team in slugging after a strong week. 

Malcolm Moore (0-3, BB) has caught 17 games, most in the system (even including the AAA team which has played an extra week). He’s thrown out 32% of opposing runners versus the league average of 23%. Teams that excel at catching runners tend to squelch attempts, and the 45 against Hub City are the league’s fewest. An eight-game on-base streak has Moore up to .225/.337/.380, about a 105 OPS+.


Lo-A: Hickory 1, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 9
Hickory: 8 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 16-11, 1 GB

SP Jesus Lafalaise: 4 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 82 P / 50 S, 3.27 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
3B Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (9), .282/.383/.408
1B Marcos Torres: 2-3, 2B, BB, .271/.388/.563

Yolfran Castillo has matched last year’s 120 plate appearances at the level, and in 2026 versus the previous year he’s collected an extra two singles, six doubles and five walks. 

Former Ranger Yeremi Cabrera went 3-5 with his eighth double and fifth homer. If the Nats bump him to high-A, he can face the Rangers again this week in Spartanburg. Fredericksburg has the best offense in the league by a mile, scoring 7.2 runs per game. 

Rookie
The season begins tonight. I’ll have a preview tomorrow.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Oklahoma City (LAD) 8
Round Rock: 7 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 13-18, 5 GB

SP Trey Supak: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 84 P / 53 S, 5.04 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 6.57 ERA
2B Cameron Cauley: 2-3, BB, .245/.380/.367
SS Diego Castillo: 2-4

28-year-old Diego Castillo is a recently signed utility man who’s played in seven previous US organizations but most recently in Mexico. He hit .206/.251/.382 in 96 games for Pittsburgh in 2022 followed by sips of coffee in Arizona and Minnesota. In terms of AAA activity, he gets on base and has a little pop. 

Righty Patrick Murphy was transferred from the ordinary IL to the 60-day. Josh Sborz was transferred to the development list after last Sunday’s outing and has yet to reappear. 

On a chilly, wet night, Emiliano Teodo (1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO) was missing a couple of ticks off his fastball (94-98) and enough of the horizontal movement that Statcast classified most as four-seamers instead of his usual sinker. Location was odd, too, mostly down-in to lefties and down-out to righties. It wasn’t working for him, though he did miss two bats with a change and another with a slider. 


AA: Frisco 4, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 9
Frisco: 5 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-12, 4.5 GB

SP Leandro Lopez: 3.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 84 P / 48 S, 5.82 ERA
RF Orlando Martinez: 2-2, HR (3), 2 BB, SB (7), .330/.422/.545
3B Max Wagner: 1-4, HR (1)

In three of four innings, the first two batters reach safely before Leandro Lopez recorded an out, and he’d end up retiring only nine of 22 batters. Lopez was able to sneak out of some dicey situations in his first two starts but not lately, so now his ERA reflects the troubles he’s been having. He’s walked or hit at least three batters in all five starts. On the upside, he’s been exceptionally averse to fly balls.

Newcomer Max Wagner has two homers in two games as a Rider. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, at Greenville (BOS) 1
Hub City: 14 hits, 7 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 11-13, 4.5 GB

SP J’Briell Easley: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 39 P / 25 S, 3.72 ERA
RP Joe Adametz: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 8 SO, 3.66 ERA
DH Antonis Macias: 3-5, BB, .167/.303/.222
LF Paxton Kling: 1-3, 2 BB: .238/.371/.325
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-5, 2B, .265/.321/.458
CF Quincy Scott: 2-3, 2 BB, .212/.381/.394

Hub City broke open a tight game with a six-hit, six-hit 6th. Rafe Perich drove in three with a couple of singles. 

Paxton Kling has been patient and drawing walks at will but has the unlikely combination of a low swing rate and high miss rate, so nearly one-third of his pitches have resulted in a call or miss. 


Lo-A: Hickory 1, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 8
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-10, 0.5 G up

SP Evan Siary: 5.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 84 P / 59 S, 4.76 ERA

Hickory broke a four-game streak of one-run losses, but be careful what you wish for. Evan Siary held the Nats scoreless until the 5th, when three extra-base hits including an Eli Willits homer plated three. Hector Osorio was 2-4.

Catcher josh Springer is on the seven-day IL. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Thompson
AA: MacLean
Hi-A: Agreda
Lo-A: Russell

Hub City catcher Malcolm Moore hit a homer and double Wednesday night to improve to .231/.324/.400. “Comfortably above average in a pitcher-friendly environment” I thought, but when I did the calculations, I was surprised to find an OPS+ of only 98. If league production were the same as 2025, his OPS+ would be 118.

I’d previously written about how many more runs were being scored in low-A, but the differences in other leagues had eluded my notice. So last night I gathered data in the minors through April for 2025 and 2026. At the three lowest levels, scoring has increased dramatically, primarily because of an explosion homers. And base-stealing in AA has skyrocketed:



My immediate thought was that AA and A levels were using the MLB ball instead of the gentler minor-league ball, but that wasn’t part of the 2026 rule changes to my knowledge. Could the 2026 version of the ball be more lively, though? Possibly. 

Here’s how some 2026 rates compare to the average of the past ten Aprils:



Rates of runs, stolen base attempts, walks plus hit batters and four true outcomes (HR, BB, HBP, SO) are all the highest of the past ten seasons, possibly the highest ever in some cases. The rate of homers is the third highest (behind 2021 and 2022), and the strikeout rate is the second highest (behind 2021). 

Incidentally, I’d previously written about how control in the minors was generally worsening while the rate of walks and hit batters in MLB had barely budged. In 2026, MLB is budging:



Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Oklahoma City (LAD) 3
Round Rock: 4 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-17, 4 GB

SP Austin Gomber: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 94 P / 64 S, 8.87 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (2), .302/.405/.453

Austin Gomber had his best night by far. In nearly every previous outing, the question wasn’t whether he might provide help to the Rangers if needed but instead whether he could even give the Express five not-terrible innings. Last night’s performance would have handled MLB hitters pretty well, I think. He missed 16 bats, nine more than his previous best, featuring a sublimely commanded changeup that consistently teased the arm-side and lower borders of the zone. Texas can shift Jacob Latz if needed, and Cal Quantrill is already in Arlington, but I’m always thinking about depth in the minors, and Gomber made a case for inclusion last night. 

Indeed, he outpitched the well-regarded prospect Jackson Ferris, who I saw for the first time and must have caught on an off night. The lefty emphasized a slider even to righties, and his sinker and change tended to lean glove-side as well, so a bunch of his pitches were landing in the same area. His curve was just another look, not a useful pitch in and of itself. His basic control wasn’t sharp, either. I’m providing a general impression because Statcast unfortunately did a dreadful job of categorizing his pitches. 


AA: Frisco 6, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 13-11, 4 GB

SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 58 P / 44 S, 10.80 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.35 ERA
LF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, .306/.392/.419

Will Bush homered off Ryan Lobus with one out in the 9th to end it. Winston Santos allowed all the runs in the 1st. His control was terrific, but 11 balls in play resulted in seven hits including three for extra bases. 


Hi-A: Hub City 6, at Greenville (BOS) 2
Hub City: 5 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 10-13, 4.5 GB

SP Enrique Segura: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 70 P / 37 S, 5.54 ERA
SS Rafe Perich: 2-5, HR (1), .236/.300/.382
SS Luke Hanson: 1-4, HR (2), .182/.270/.333

Paxton Kling drew three walks and stole his eighth base, and 1B Arturo Disla reached on two hits and a plunking. 

2024 7th-rounder Rafe Perich was a highlight of my 2025 trip to Surprise*, but so far his career hasn’t proceeded as I’d hoped. Not to say I was thinking “Major Leaguer” last March, but at least “he’ll reach AA, and then we’ll see what we have.” AA is still on the table, of course, but he hasn’t hit well at the A levels and is currently part of a semi-regular rotation, sitting at least twice a week and playing more often at first than third. He’s hitting for more power in 2026, but his walks and strikeouts are both trending the wrong direction. 

* I wasn’t alone in this assessment. Brendan Gawlowski, then a Pittsburgh scout and now a writer for FanGraphs, saw the same games and had this to say in his 2026 writeup: “After seeing Perich go nuts on the backfields one day, he’s always been ‘Rake’ in my internal monologues. He’s a switch-hitter with a viable blend of power and contact from both sides. It hasn’t materialized into production yet, but there are ingredients to stay with.”


Lo-A: Hickory 6, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 7 (10)
Hickory: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 15-9, 1 G up

SP Kamdyn Perry: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 41 P / 28 S, 2.89 ERA
RP Louis Marinaro: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 6.30 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 1-3, HR (4), 2 BB, SB (6), .253/.400/.494
SS Yolfran Castillo: 1-3, 2B, BB, HBP, SB (7), .289/.396/.433
1B Esteban Mejia: 2-5, HR (2), .279/.404/.419

Four straight one-run losses, the last three by walk-off. Hickory led 6-0 at the halfway point, but Wily Nivar endured his worst outing (1.1 IP, 6 runners, 4 runs). After three shockingly walk-free outings to open the season, his familiar control issues have returned lately. Louis Marinaro fanned four in two innings and allowed only one hit, but that hit brought home the gift-runner in the 10th. 

Kamdyn Perry hasn’t walked or hit a batter in 9.1 innings. The 2023 17th-round high-school pick had a .592 ERA in 51 low-A innings last year, but the peripherals were a little better. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Supak
AA: Lopez
Hi-A: Easley
Lo-A: Siary

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City (LAD) 7
Round Rock: 6 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 12-16, 4 GB

SP Ben Anderson: 3 IP, 8 H (2 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 74 P / 46 S, 11.81 ERA
RP Carter Baumler: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.00 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.35 ERA
RP Michel Otañez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA
DH Cameron Cauley: 2-4, .239/.370/.364

Carter Baumler is supposed to throw back-to-back games before returning to Arlington, per local reports. The results of yesterday’s putative Round One were iffy. Seven of 17 pitches caught the zone, not a terribly low proportion, but all the misses were by a large enough margin that opponents didn’t swing at a single one.


AA: Frisco 10, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 8 (10)
Frisco: 12 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 12-10, 5 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 9.39 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Orlando Martinez: 4-6, 3 2B, .321/.404/.500
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, HR (3), .318/.333/.557
RF Marcus Lee Sang: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), BB, .329/.405/.557

Marcus Lee Sang homered in the 10th with assistance from LF Tyler Whitaker, who’d entered in the top of the 9th as a defensive replacement. Whitaker successfully tracked Lee Sang’s sharp fly to the wall, but it bounced out of his glove and over the short wall. 

In the bottom of the 10th, Eric Loomis walked the bases loaded before getting a strikeout and game-ending double play. Loomis started the season with four straight walk-free outings but has seven (plus a hit batter) in his last six. Control has been an intermittent but sometimes serious issue throughout his college and pro careers. 


Hi-A: Hub City 6, at Greenville (BOS) 12
Hub City: 8 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 9-12, 5.5 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 82 P / 46 S, 3.06 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 3-3, HR (5), 2 BB, SB (1), .394/.483/.704
C Malcolm Moore: 1-4, 2B, BB, .213/.304/.328

Curry’s walks in individual starts have increased from zero to one to three to five. 

Arturo Disla knocked his fifth homer and stole his first base. He has 12 steals against four caught in his pro career. While pretty large and pretty slow, he actually has some baserunning skills and will certainly tiptoe to second against a heedless enemy. Last night, he was part of a second-and-home double-steal attempt with fellow speedster Malcolm Moore. Disla on first took off, but Greenville’s catcher faked a throw to force Moore to dive back to third. 


Lo-A: Hickory 12, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 13
Hickory: 13 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 15-7, 2 G up

SP Frank Martinez: 2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 54 P / 30 S, 9.95 ERA
RP Aneudis Mejia: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 8.78 ERA
1B Deward Tovar: 2-6, HR (7), .279/.361/.616
SS Yolfran Castillo: 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, .289/.392/.434
CF Marcos Torres: 2-5, 2 HR (5), .266/.379/.595
2B Daniel Flames: 2-4, BB, .276/.354/.310

On Sunday, the Crawdads led 8-2 and then allowed seven runs despite not surrendering another hit. Yesterday, Hickory trailed 11-0 after the 3rd yet managed to bring five batters to the plate as the tying or winning run before finally succumbing. League-wide run scoring is loopy. Hickory’s seemingly ordinary 4.7 per game allowed actually leads the league, while the offense’s seemingly outstanding six runs per game ranks fourth of 12. 

The opponent is Washington’s low-A club, which contains Gavin Fien and Yeremi Cabrera from the MacKenzie Gore trade. Last year’s top pick Fien is IL’ed with wrist inflammation, which might explain the 2-for-17 start with nine strikeouts. Notably, he was listed as “infielder/outfielder” and had only played RF so far. The 20-year-old Cabrera is hitting a stout .297/.447/.608 repeating the level. He doubled and walked twice last night. 

Elsewhere
Minnesota designated RHP Zak Kent for assignment. He made a couple of appearances for the Twins early in April. 

2019 2nd-round righty Ryan Garcia found a home in Campeche of the Mexican League. One teammate: 39-year-old lefty Zach Phillips, drafted by the Rangers in 2005 and beginning his tenth season south of the border. 

I found a few ex-Rangers in the indy Atlantic League:
LHP AJ Alexy (Yu Darvish trade) — Lancaster
RHP Noah Bremer (2017 / Rnd. 6)– Lancaster
RHP Nic Laio (2018 / 20)– Lexington 
RHP Josh Mollerus (Yerry Rodriguez post-DFA trade) — York
LHP Justin Sanchez (2022 / 18) — Southern Maryland