
AAA: Round Rock 8, at Salt Lake (LAA) 11
Round Rock: 8 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 29-31, 7.5 GB
SP Gerson Garabito: 0.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 32 P / 18 S, 9.42 ERA
RP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 13.78 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 1-4, HR (5), BB, .243/.343/.435
CF Michael Helman: 2-3, 2 2B, .200/.286/.400
Garabito seemed a reasonable up-and-down option when the season began, but presently he’s about a far removed from Arlington as one could be while still occupying a 40 spot. In eight of 12 appearances among Texas and Round Rock, Garabito has surrendered at least as many runs as innings. Signed to gobble up AAA innings, Robrt Dugger hadn’t fared well at all early but was on track last night.
RHP Emiliano Teodo has returned to the IL. Texas re-signed catcher Tucker Barnhart and released Chad Wallach.

AA: Frisco 2, Springfield (STL) 6
Frisco: 9 hits, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-22, 0.5 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 5 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 56 S, 5.71 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 3-5, .274/.420/.425
SS Cam Cauley: 2-2, 2 BB, .247/.325/.396
Two homers off Josh Stephan (one by top St. Louis propsect JJ Wetherholt) determined the outcome. DH Sebatian Walcott walked twice. So far, he’s raised his walk rate slightly compared to 2024 (from 10.6% to 12.3%) and lowered the strikeouts (25.4% to 22.0%).

Hi-A: Hub City 7, @ Greensboro (PIT) 4
Hub City: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 29-25, 1.5 GB
SP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 1.03 ERA
RP Kolton Curtis: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 5.19 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, HR (), .264/.330/.440
RF Keith Jones II: 1-4, HR (6), .246/.392/.395
DH Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, HR (1), HBP, SB (16), .245/.312/.297
LF Yeison Morrobel: 3-4, 2B, HR (3), .230/.309/.379
Anthony Gutierrez notched his first homer, driving a generously located Jack Carey breaker over the fence with ease. One can find MLB outfielders with minimal power (Myles Straw being perhaps the most famous recent example), but it’s not common. Gutierrez is only 20 and isn’t a 40-man issue until next year, but a little more pop would be nice.
I’m not sure of Josh Trentadue’s future, but his probability of pitching at the next level is .99846. He’s got a functional four-seamer/slider/change trio, a quirkly delivery with jarring pauses a la Hans Crouse and even an occasional dip in his arm slot, and an ability to throw strikes and hit spots with said delivery.

Lo-A: Hickory 18, Columbia (KAN) 2
Hickory: 19 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 28-25, 0.5 GB
SP Dalton Pence: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 12 P / 9 S, 2.20 ERA
RP J’Brielle Easley: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.94 ERA
RP Brick Porter: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.69 ERA
RP Thomas Ireland: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3.09 ERA
3B Rafe Perich: 3-4, 2B, .244/.356/.369
CF Yeremi Cabrera: 1-3, 2 BB, .236/.381/.318
C Ben Hartl: 3-5, 2B, .185/.333/.228
RF Marcos Torres: 5-5, 2B, .271/.366/.400
2B Daniel Flames: 3-4, 2B, BB,
Behold the Hickory Crawdads, offensive juggernaut. Hickory has reached double digits in three of the last five games and hasn’t gone consecutive games with fewer than six runs in over two weeks. They did so last night despite a 2-for-16 line from the top three spots in the lineup. DH Max Martin was 1-6 with… six RBI? That’s a new one. Martin hit a bases-loaded double followed by three run-scoring groundouts. The bottom six were a combined 17-for-26.
18-year-old Daniel Flames was a 2024 signing who enjoyed a terrific Dominican Summer League season (.329/.529/.400). He joined the Crawdads after only a handful of games at the complex. It’s “flah-mehs”, not “flayms.”
Complex
2024 fourth-round RHP David Hagaman made his first pro appearance, striking out four in two perfect innings. The West Virginia alum underwent brace surgery last July, allowing for a quicker return to action than the traditional Tommy John. Hagaman pitched in relief at WVU but has the mix and stuff to at least attempt starting. Young fifth-round IF Devin Fitz-Gerald was 2-4 with a double yesterday and has continued to dominate, hitting .342/.441/.605 with five doubles, five homers and three steals in 23 games.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: Scarborough
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The seventh-best offense in the organization belongs to the 2016 Round Rock Express.
Runs per game: 4.8, 9% above park-adjusted league average
OPS: 107
wRC+: 107
This isn’t the most exciting entry. The raw numbers don’t impress, and the ranking heavily depends on a sizable park adjustment. At the time, the Pacific Coast League was essentially two separate leagues with limited interdivisional play, and Round Rock was a pitcher-friendly park within the pitcher-friendly eastern half.
That said, if you saw them play, you probably had a good time. Joey Gallo led with 25 homers. He, IF Drew Robinson, C/1B Brett Nicholas, OF Delino DeShields and IF Jurickson Profar (here for 42 games) posted OBPs of .350 or better. Robinson hit 20 homers and stole 17 bases, and OF Jared Hoying was 16 and 18, respectively.
If not for Nashville, which had one of the best offenses during this period, Round Rock would have the best road stats in the league. The Express hit .274/.345/.449 and scored 5.8 runs per game away from home.