Minor league baseball is a nearly year-round affair, but we’ve reached what I consider the end of the season. Thanks to all of you for subscribing and following, and thanks to for the donations (here’s the link if you still wish to participate).
SP Adrian Sampson: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 83 P / 52 S, 5.64 ERA RP Ben Anderson: 1.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.40 ERA RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.22 ERA CF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, BB, SB (14), .265/.380/.368 DH Sam Huff: 1-4, 2B, .246/.310/.416 1B Ben Hartl: 1-4, 2B
The lineup included three players not with the squad a few days ago and three more who joined earlier this month.
Adrian Sampson ranked third in the league and first in the organization with 137.1 innings.
Frisco stalwart Ben Anderson didn’t get to pitch in the AA playoff series but was rewarded with a Triple A appearance. Anderson’s second pitch was taken out by Jason Vosler for his 31st homer, after which Anderson retired five of six.
I’ve no idea what 14th-rounder Ben Hartl will accomplish in the long run, but he’ll always have his .333/.474/.452 professional debut that included an honest double in AA off someone (Rob Kaminsky) who’s pitched in the Majors.
Former draft picks LHP Grant Wolfram, C Matt Whatley, and infielders Frainyer Chavez and Jax Biggers can become free agents this fall. Whatley became a free agent last year but signed on again. Biggers posted a career-best .390 OBP and missed his previous slugging high of .383 by one point. All ought to be able to continue their careers in affiliated ball, some possibly with the Rangers.
Starts at SS by year for Biggers: 2018: 34 2019: 10 2021: 3 2022: 3 2023: 5 2024: 41
Texas’s domestic minor league system finished with a winning record for fifth consecutive season (318-288, .535).
SP Avery Weems: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 32 P / 19 S, 8.31 ERA RP Aidan Anderson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.28 ERA RP Reid Birlingmair: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 9.00 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, BB, .277/.370/.469 LF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, BB, .263/.377/.368 PH Ben Hartl: 1-1
Owen White allowed three runs (two earned) in 1.1 innings. In relief, he finished with a 4.13 ERA, an opposing line of .239/.343/.370, a 14% BB/HBP rate and 25% K rate. He allowed only one extra-base hit, a double, in his last eight outings. During that time, however, was a single appearance with the Rangers with two doubles and a homer.
Trevor Hauver was IL’ed, so his season ends with a line of .247/.360/.425 and 11 homers in 104 games. A mid-game removal Friday ended his on-base streak at 26, during which he batted .396/.513/.740. I haven’t delved deeply into the statcast data, but a partial explanation for the improvement is a decrease in strikeout rate from 33% outside that streak to 21% within it. For some, fewer strikeouts don’t necessarily translate directly into more hits, but not Hauver. On the whole, he’s posted some very impressive contact against breaking pitches, but fastball production has lagged and includes a high proportion of strikeouts.
Hauver’s absence earned Frisco 1B/OF Josh Hatcher a red-eye to Tacoma, where he walked in four trips to the plate. His one ball in play was a groundout at 103.7 MPH.
The final game of the minor league season begins at 3:35 CDT.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Friday 20 September Box Scores
AA: Frisco 2, Midland (OAK) 5 Frisco loses Texas League semifinals 1-2, season over Frisco: 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 11 hits, 8 walks, 14 strikeouts
SP Mitch Bratt: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 67 P / 42 S RP Josh Sborz: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO RP Jackson Kelley: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO RP Ryan Lobus: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO RP Skylar Hales: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 SO LF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, HR 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 2-3, HR, BB
Frisco managed to break through at critical moments on Thursday but couldn’t find a solution against Midland’s strong pitching and defense in Friday’s deciding game. Thursday hero Abimelec Ortiz opened the scoring with his second homer of the series. Josh Hatcher closed Midland’s margin to one in the 8th with a two-out solo homer. Beyond that, Frisco had two at-bats with runners in scoring position, both with two out, neither fruitful.
Mitch Bratt’s handled the first ten outs, dealing with runners every inning but managing to escape until the 4th. A single and walk to open the 2nd had the bullpen rousing, but after a sac bunt, Bratt struck out the next two to strand runners in scoring position. In the 4th, a double, single, and groundout plated Midland’s first run. Replacement Josh Sborz allowed a steal of third and RBI single before inducing an inning-ending double play. Sborz pitched all three games in the series and was making his first back-to-back appearance on rehab. Bratt tied a season-high 16 missed bats despite a modest 67 pitches.
Emiliano Teodo appeared in the 5th and contributed his usual mix of outright dominance and some wildness. Employing his changeup more than usual, Teodo struck out the side in order after an opening single, In the 6th, Teodo walked two of four batters and was removed. After a season-high 86 pitches on July 6th, Teodo would throw only 19.2 additional innings across seven outings.
Two relievers appeared on no rest for the first time in their professional careers, and neither succeeded. Jackson Kelley, who’d thrown four pitches on Thursday, replaced Teodo with two on and two out in the 4th. He walked the next two batters, bringing in a run before gaining the final out on a full-count call. In the 9th, Skylar Hales (11 pitches Thursday) entered with two out and one on in the 9th and proceeded to allow three consecutive hits for only the second time all season. Two runs scored to extend Midland’s margin to three.
Is having untested relievers pitching on consecutive days a categorically bad decision? I can’t say I oppose the idea and wasn’t bothered when Kelley took the mound. After Thursday’s game, I wrote with the expectation that both Kelley and Hales would be available. That said, I do recall 2021, when both Chase Lee and Daniel Robert faltered badly pitching on no rest at the end of Frisco’s regular season. In 2022, when the Riders won the title, they never played on consecutive days so the situation never arose. Regardless, manager Carlos Cardoza and staff had leave to make the moves they believed gave the best chance to win the series, and they did, so I can’t complain. Midland scored only ten runs and batted .214/.293/.320 in the series.
The story of the series is Frisco’s bats against Midland’s pitching and defense, not reliever management. Frisco batted .141/.196/.283 and scored six runs in three games. Two of of those runs began their existence on second base in extra innings, and the other four came on solo homers. In the preview, I’d discussed Midland’s knack for gobbling up balls in play, and Frisco managed only a .154 average (10-for-65) in that regard. The Riders never had a multi-hit inning, and on only three occasions outside of extras did they put multiple runners on base.
Frisco had the second-best record in all of AA but the misfortune of playing a team with an identical record and slightly better peripherals. Midland finished with a better second-half record, a better run differential, and 12 wins in 18 head-to-head matches. It happens. Regardless, Frisco had a fine season.
In the finals, Midland will face Arkansas, a 6-5 winner over Springfield last night.
SP Jacob Latz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 34 P / 13 S, 1.59 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.98 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.36 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.70 ERA 3B Frainyer Chavez: 2-4, BB, SB (5), .265/.320/.325 CF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (13), .262/.373/.369
Gift-runner Alex De Goti scored on an error in the 11th. Daniel Robert stranded runners in the 10th and 11th.
In his first appearance on option, Jacob Latz walked three and reached three-ball counts to two others. He usually missed high, and he and his teammates weren’t getting high calls.
SP Kohl Drake: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 48 S RP Bryan Magdaleno: 0.2 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 0 SO RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO RP Dane Acker: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO 3B Cody Freeman: 1-5, HR 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-3, HR, BB SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4
One strike away. Three words that might still trigger Rangers fans even after 2023, but in this case the results were glorious. In the bottom of the 9th, down 2-1 with two outs and two strikes, the season on the line, Abimelec Ortiz whipped a Seth Elledge offering into the pool beyond right field for a game-tying homer. (Note: quick bat.)
In the 10th, Midland scored its gift-runner with two out on a soft liner to center. Down to a final out again, if not a final strike, Alejandro Osuna flared the opposite way to score pinch-runner Daniel Mateo from second. Dane Acker, steady once again in relief, shut down the Hounds in the 11th. With Max Acosta on third and one out, Ortiz offered the prettiest ungainly swing you’ll ever see, reaching down to loft a fly deep enough to plate Acosta.
Like Winston Santos Tuesday, Drake was sublime. If not quite as dominant on in whiffs, he seemed even less likely to allow a homer or string of baserunners. One of his two hits was a deep pop that 2B Max Acosta forcefully called for himself but then bailed out in favor of an unprepared RF Josh Hatcher. In summarizing Drake’s night, I first owe an apology. In the preview, I misread the platoon split and saw potential trouble against an expected all-RHB Midland lineup. In fact, the lefty Drake has a crazy reverse split, holding righties to a .164/.232/.270 line while lefties managed a respectable .262/.326/.365. So, with the background properly described, Drake continued to manhandle righties, effective and missing bats with his 94-95 fastball, curve, and change. The fastball/curve combo supplied the vertical trickery; batters weren’t picking up the curve and swung through several weakly. The change isn’t a standard fade/drop. He’ll move it around, bringing it inside or up as desired. Drake missed 16 bats (21% of all pitches, 43% of swings), his most in five AA starts and one shy of his career best. Here’s video.
For the first time since mid-June, Bryan Magdaleno was mortal. In a 20-game span, he’d allowed one run and three hits in 25 innings, holding opponents to an impossible .040/.161/.040 line with a 47% strikeout rate. After two ordinary outs and two more strikes, Magdaleno delivered a slider he’d want back, and Daniel Susac parked it on the grass in left-center to erase Frisco’s 1-0 lead. Next, Will Simpson repeated his Tuesday feat, smacking the first pitch he saw for a go-ahead homer. Magdaleno had previously surrendered only four homers in 116 pro innings, and never two in the game outing, much less on consecutive pitches. A hit batter and single would end his night. Jackson Kelley entered and fanned Henry Bolte to end the threat. Midland wouldn’t put another batter on base until the 10th.
Frisco is expected to tender Mitch Bratt, another lefty, against Midland’s all-righty lineup. Bratt posted a 5.73 ERA in 33 AA innings. He offered better-than-average control (10% BB/HBP) and a decent K rate (22%) but was susceptible to strong contact at times (.420 slug vs. park-adjusted average of .377). He doesn’t have a meaningful platoon split (I double-checked).
Frisco used many of their best relievers in last night’s must-win game, and in AA, nobody (except rehabbing Josh Sborz) has any experience pitching in consecutive games. Acker is almost certainly unavailable after 27 pitches spread across three innings. I wouldn’t expect to see Magdaleno (23 pitches) again, either. Skylar Hales (11) and Jackson Kelley (4) are possibilities, depending on how they feel today, the game situation, and what the organization will permit. Frisco has 17 active pitchers, so manager Carlos Cardoza isn’t wanting for replacements if he has to pull Bratt early. In general, the relievers who haven’t appeared yet have all been reasonably effective but tend to be more walk-prone. Emiliano Teodo has yet to appear.
Frisco opened the scoring with Cody Freeman’s homer. Notwithstanding last night’s heroics, the Riders continue to struggle against Midland’s terrific defense. In 18 regular innings, Frisco has scored twice and is batting .125 (5-for-40) on balls in play.
In the other division, Arkansas used an eight-run 5th to defeat Springfield 9-6 and set up a deciding game tonight.
SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 53 S, 3.43 ERA RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.11 ERA RP Nick Krauth: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 3-6, 2B, SB (34), .275/.360/.395 1B Blaine Crim: 3-6, HR (20), .278/.372/.471 DH Trevor Hauver: 3-5, 2B, HR (11), BB, .245/.358/.424 C Sam Huff: 2-5, 2 HR (13), BB, .247/.312/.417 SS Jax Biggers: 4-5, .279/.394/.387
To be honest, at the end of 2023, I wondered if Ryan Garcia would continue to have a job in the organization. He’d posted a 6.66 ERA and .263/.367/.482 in 98.2 AA innings as a 25-year-old (admittedly a fairly inexperienced 25-year-old because of covid and elbow surgery, but still). When he allowed 12 runs in his first 12.1 AA innings this season, I wondered again. After that, he was a different pitcher, still a little more walk-prone than preferable but far less susceptible to hard contact. Upon promotion to AAA, he pitched better still, continuing to squash extra-base-type contact and widening the gap between walks and strikeouts. Although last night was far more fastball-oriented, he’s tended to lean on an upper-80s cutter in his six-pitch mix. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him in person and don’t have as strong a read on him as I should, but the difference between now and a year ago is palpable.
Blaine Crim has hit at least 20 homers in all four of his full seasons with the Rangers.
The win means that for a 26th consecutive season, Texas’s AAA club will not finish ten or more games below .500. That’s admittedly a weird stat, but I’ve always found it interesting. You’d think for any number of reasons — the needs of the parent club, prospects stalling out, injuries, mostly pure randomness — every minor league team would be a clunker every so often. Not so with the Rangers in AAA. How unusual is this? For the other teams in the Pacific Coast League, here’s the most recent season in this category:
Colorado: 2024 LA Angels: 2024 (probably) Houston: 2023 San Diego: 2023 San Francisco: 2023 LA Dodgers: 2019 Seattle: 2019 Oakland: 2015 Arizona: 2013 Texas: 1997
During these 26 seasons, Texas’s AAA squad has 15 winning records, nine postseason appearances, four finals appearances, and…. zero championships. The last winner was 1996.
Reno has clinched the second-half title and will play Sugar Land in the PCL finals.
Elsewhere Frisco hosts Midland tonight in Game 2 of the Texas league semifinals. The Riders must win tonight and tomorrow to advance.
Tampa-affiliated Bowling Green won the high-A South Atlantic League title over Hudson Valley (NYY). The Hot Rods have won three championships in four seasons since the 2021 Great Reorganization. In the low-A Carolina League, Fredericksburg (WAS) defeated Kannapolis (CHW) two games to one in the finals.
The Rangers announced their minor league award winners: Player: OF Alejandro Osuna Pitcher: Alejandro Rosario Reliever: Bryan Magdaleno Defender: IF Cody Freeman True Ranger: IF Jax Biggers
SP Winston Santos: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 12 SO, 90 P / 59 S, RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 3B 1B Abi Ortiz: 0-3, BB DH Sebastian Walcott: 0-2, BB
Winston Santos was sublime, generating a career-high 23 swinging strikes and tying a previous best of 12 strikeouts set in April against high-A Greensboro. Leaning heavily on a mid-90s fastball that reached 98, Santos fanned seven the first time through the order and missed 10 bats out of 16 swings. Santos won’t pitch again unless the Riders reach the finals, and playoff stats aren’t added to season totals, but as it stands, he’s struck out 150 in 116.1 innings. After a month to acclimate to AA, his last seven starts are 37.2 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 11 BB, 53 SO, 35% strikeout rate.
That said, he’d love do-overs on a couple of batters. 1B Will Simpson, fresher to the level than Santos, drilled the first pitch he saw over the alley for a solo homer in the 2nd. In the 6th, two gentle grounders resulted in an error and single. Santos then walked Jack Winkler on four pitches to load the bases. Winkler had a decent overall season but compressed most of his production into the first half and had batted a paltry .182/.259/.265 since August 1st. With the bases now loaded, Jordan Groshans propelled the next pitch to center for a sac fly.
As for the other part of the winning-at-baseball equation, themes mentioned in the preview included Midland’s ability to turn opposing contact into dust, the Frisco offense’s particular struggles against the Hounds, and Midland closer Seth Elledge’s annoying knack for mowing down hitters without missing bats. All were on display Tuesday. Frisco batters not named Max Acosta were zero-for-26 with two walks, and the team was 2-for-21 on balls in play. In the 9th, Elledge retired the side in order without a swinging strike.
The Riders essentially had two chances to do some damage. In the 6th, Acosta tripled over the head of RF Henry Bolte with two out, but Josh Hatcher struck out. The next inning, Cody Freeman reached on an error and Abi Ortiz walked (and tripped over himself on the way to first). Sebastian Walcott had the right idea on a high curve but swung a little underneath it for the first out. Cooper Johnson struck out, and Keyber Rodriguez lined gently to center to end the threat. Walcott was Frisco’s first baserunner, ignoring an outside breaker for a full-count walk in the 2nd.
Springfield (STL) defeated Arkansas (SEA) 4-1 in the other Texas League opener.
SP Adrian Sampson: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 80 P / 49 S, 5.71 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.83 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 1-4, 2B, 2 BB, .275/.371/.465 RF Kellen Strahm: 2-6, 2B, HR (), .246/.365/.352 SS Jax Biggers: 3-5, 2B, .271/.389/.381 3B Frainyer Chavez: 3-5, 2B, .233/.292/.301
Round Rock led 8-3, trailed 11-8, led 12-11. In the bottom of the 10th, rehabbing Avery Weems entered and threw three sliders resulting in a single, flyout, and game-ending three-run homer by Jake Slaughter.
Jonathan Hernandez threw a scoreless inning despite three runners. LF Nick Solak was 3-5 with a double.
Texas League Division Series (best-of-three) Frisco RoughRiders (84-54) vs. Athletics-affiliated Midland RockHounds (84-54) Season Run Differential: Frisco +121, Midland +180 Last 24 Games: Frisco 16-8, Midland 18-6 Season Series: Midland 12-6, +23 run differential
How They Got Here Frisco and Midland both set franchise records for winning percentage and were by far the best teams and only serious competitors for the split-season division titles. Frisco clinched the first half with an unassailable eight-game lead heading into a concluding series at Midland. Good thing, as the Riders would lose five of six. Needing not worry about Frisco in the second half but never letting up, Midland secured the second playoff spot 12 days ago.
History Frisco won the 2022 series in dominating fashion over San Antonio (semis) and Wichita (finals), breaking an 18-year drought that included two losses in the finals and four first-round exits. Championship participants whoâve since reached the Majors are Luisangel Acuna, Evan Carter, Justin Foscue, Jonathan Ornelas, Thomas Saggese, Cody Bradford, Mason Englert, Jack Leiter, Ricky Vanasco, and Owen White.
Midland has seven league titles including four straight from 2014 through 2017, but the Hounds are in the postseason for the first time since 2019. A long-time Oakland affiliate, Midland is semi-notorious for fielding, shall we say, some veteran pitching staffs. This year, three of the last four seasons, and six of the last 13, the Rockhounds have had the Texas Leagueâs oldest average age among pitchers. Frisco has six active pitchers younger than anyone who has pitched for Midland all season.
The squads last met in the playoffs in 2014, when Midland knocked off a Frisco team that included Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Jorge Alfaro, Hanser Alberto, Odubel Herrera, Keone Kela, Jered Eickhoff, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Alec Asher, and Jake Thompson.
Top 30 Prospects per MLB.com Frisco: 1. IF Sebastian Walcott 3. RHP Alejandro Rosario (inactive) 6. RHP Emiliano Teodo 8. RHP Winston Santos 16. OF Alejandro Osuna 18. LHP Mitch Bratt 21. LHP Kohl Drake 27. RHP Dane Acker 28. RHP Skylar Hales
Rosario was scratched from his AA debut 11 days ago with fatigue (general, not arm-specific) and has not appeared in a Frisco uniform.
Midland: 2. IF Nick Kurtz (injured) 5. OF Henry Bolte 6. RHP Mason Barnett 10 OF Denzel Clarke 11. C Daniel Susac 18. RHP Jack Perkins 24. IF Brennan Milone 26. OF Brayan Buelvas (injured) 29. IF Will Simpson
2024 fourth-overall selection Nick Kurtz suffered a hamstring strain in his fifth AA game and hasnât played in three weeks.
Frisco: C Cooper Johnson / Tucker Mitchell 1B Abimelec Ortiz 2B Max Acosta (also SS) 3B Cody Freeman (also 2B) SS Sebastian Walcott (also 3B) LF Aaron Zavala CF Alejandro Osuna RF Luis Mieses Also OF Josh Hatcher, IF Keyber Rodriguez, OF Daniel Mateo
Frisco lacks a Gallo-esque power source or Carter-esque OBP machine, but the offense is well-rounded and absent glaring weaknesses. All the projected starters have an OPS in excess of 100 except Aaron Zavala, and even he reaches base at an acceptable clip. They donât walk much as a group but excel at contact.
Leadoff hitter Alejandro Osuna (.306/.379/.523) led the team in every slash stat. He, Max Acosta, Cody Freeman, Josh Hatcher, and Cooper Johnson had career seasons at the plate. Abimelec Ortiz suffered most of the season but smacked ten of his 18 homers and slugged .720 in the seasonâs final month, so maybe he is our new Joey Gallo. Acosta and Hatcher are the likeliest running threats. 18-year-old Sebastian Walcott hit four singles, three doubles, and a homer in his first five AA games.
I have Hatcher in the âalsoâ pile but expect him to play regularly. He leads the teams in RF appearances but has bounced around left, first, and DH of late. Daniel Mateo hasnât hit well in AA but could be employed as a pinch-runner and/or defensive replacement.
Frisco hit terribly against Midland during the regular season (.219/.291/.305, 2.4 runs per game), but a healthy portion of those plate appearances came from folks now off the roster or not expected to play much, if at all.
Midland: C Daniel Susac / Shane McGuire 1B Will Simpson 2B Euribiel Angeles 3B Jordan Groshans SS Jeremy Eierman LF Junior Perez CF Denzel Clarke RF Henry Bolte Also 2/3/DH Brennan Milone, 2/3/S Jack Winkler, LF Caeden Trenkle, RF Jeisson Rosario
Like Frisco, Midland has an above-average if not quite thrilling offense. They donât walk much, either, strike out more, and hit for a little more power (after adjusting for park). Midland has several hitters (Susac, Groshans, Winkler, Perez) with sub-par OBPs. Milone led the team with just 15 homers, but the Hounds are likely to have up to five guys in the lineup who slugged .400 or better. Outfielders Bolte, Clarke, and Perez steal more frequently than anyone on the RoughRiders.
Pitching Frisco: 14% better than avg. runs allowed, .231/.324/.353, 93 OPS+, 12% BB/HBP, 25% SO Midland: 24% better than avg. run allowed, .219/.301/.335, 78 OPS+, 11% BB/HBP, 25% SO
Santosâs early days in AA contained some memorably rocky outings, including three with multiple homers and a renewed tendency to plunk batters. He improved substantially down the stretch. While I wouldnât put much stock in a lone head-to-head, he did shut out the Hounds for five innings in mid-August.
Drakeâs Frisco stats donât include his one-off appearance in mid-April, when he very uncharacteristically walked six in 1.1 IP. Drake began the season in the low-A rotation. Five months later, he had his schedule adjusted to insure a playoff start in AA. Not bad. Notably, Midland might offer an entirely right-handed lineup against Drake, who was relatively ordinary against them (.262/.326/.365) compared to lefties (.206/.271/.316).
Frisco hasnât announced a third starter, and the fluidity of the rotation down the stretch doesnât point to an obvious choice. Mitch Bratt would be the most rested. He posted a 5.73 ERA, but his peripherals are better.
In relief, Frisco has a wealth of options. Frisco didnât have a firm closer, but Skylar Hales (2.10 ERA, .241/.303/.352) might fit the role. Newcomers Ryan Lobus and lefty Bryan Magdaleno pitched well enough that I expect them to be trusted in a meaningful situation. Dane Acker has been strong in shorter spells (1.35 ERA, .240/.269/.260). Jackson Kelley (3.38 ERA, .194/.267/.239)doesnât throw as hard but has been no less effective.
Whither Emiliano Teodo? Short-leash Game 3 starter? 2-3 innings behind Santos or Drake? The 9th inning? Teodo hasnât pitched on fewer than five days rest all season, so expecting more than one appearance may bit too much to ask, but I suppose itâs possible.
Frisco had a great pitching staff. Midland had the leagueâs best (plus stellar defense), allowing 98 fewer runs than the park-adjusted league average.
Barnett has spent most of 2024 with AA Northwest Arkansas and was acquired with others for RHP Lucas Erceg at the deadline. The stats above constitute only his seven Midland starts, which are the most recent and better than his time as a Royal. Perkins is a 2022 fifth-rounder out of Indiana. Both have mid-90s fastballs, a change they will actually use, and a couple of breakers.
Midland had the leagueâs best bullpen, although their walk and strikeout rates werenât anything fancy. Closer Seth Elledge (2.22 ERA, .175/.228/.292) is 28 and spent parts of 2020-2021 with the MLB Cardinals. (Did I mention the Aâs have a thing for older men?) Elledge deals what looks to me like a pro forma low-90s fastball and low-80s slider, and his swinging strike rate is a shockingly low 7.5%, but he doesnât walk anybody and has been very hard to hit.
As a group, Frisco tended not to hit lefties especially well, and Midland southpaw relievers David Leal and Domingo Robles were quite effective against same-side hitters. Busy right-handed relievers were Tyler Baum (4.01 ERA, .233/.332/.367, 31% K rate but not as dominant as some), Shohei Tomioka (4.14 ERA, .208/.310/.284), Colin Peluse (2.05 ERA, .213/.274/.301), and Ryan Cusick (1.73 ERA, .213/.318/.245 in relief).
Defense Both defenses are strong. Frisco ranked at or near the top in preventing steals, errors, potential double plays turned, and balls in play turned into outs. Midland was average-or-better in most defensive aspects but outrageously good at limiting hits on balls in play.
Park Factors Frisco â 1.03 for runs, 1.03 for homers Midland â 1.04 for runs, 0.94 for homers
Both parks are mildly hitter-friendly, if in different fashion. Frisco depresses doubles ever so slightly but favors singles and homers. Midland actually diminishes homers more than anywhere save San Antonio and Arkansas but promotes everything else (making Midlandâs low defensive BABIP all the more impressive).
On the whole, the offenses were equal, but I favor the current roster of Frisco over Midland.
Midland allowed 58 fewer runs during the season. Friscoâs offense relies on contact, while Midlandâs pitching and defense turn contact into outs far better than any other team in the league. Are the Hounds a little lucky? Maybe, but I wouldnât count on that suddenly disappearing after 138 games. The series could be decided by whether Frisco can generate an extra it or two at the right time.
These are two of the three best teams in AA, and one side is going to be unhappy. If forced to bet, I too would be unhappy because the series is a tossup, but I suppose I would pick the Rockhounds on the basis of their slightly better regular season performance.
Elsewhere Round Rock catcher Matt Whatley crumpled rounding third Saturday night and remained prone on the grass until tagged out. He was IL’ed today. 2024 14th-rounder Ben Hartl was promoted from low-A Down East. Adrian Sampson is scheduled to start the first game of Round Rock’s season-ending series at Tacoma.
I’m happy to say that Kinston has already secured professional baseball for 2025. The Down East Bird Dawgs are the newest members of the Frontier League. The new logo has an amazing callback to the old tenant:
SP Dane Dunning: 2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 56 P / 34 S, 5.28 ERA RP Tim Brennan: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.47 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 7.46 ERA RP Jacob Latz: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 2-5, 2B, .272/.357/.393 LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, BB, .238/.353/.408 DH Kellen Strahm: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB (12), .241/.366/.319
Last Wednesday, I mentioned the difficulty of Dane Dunning returning to MLB this reason regardless of how he pitches. Yesterday won’t help.
Josh Sborz received a visit from the trainer and was pulled after three batters and 16 pitches, only seven if which registered strikes. Yesterday was his first attempt at pitching on one day of rest while on assignment, which (as it stands) expires in about a week.
Eli Ben-Porat led off his “10 Statcast Standouts” ($ link) at Baseball America with none other than Blaine Crim and began that entry with my photos him receiving his team MVP award. “A remarkably consistent batter year-to-year, with a robust sample pointing to excellent discipline, average contact skills and 60-grade raw power with the ability to get to optimized launch angles,” says Ben-Porat.
Round Rock concluded the home portion of the schedule with a 35-39 record.
SP Ben Anderson: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 91 P / 53 S, 3.48 ERA RP Ricky DeVito: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4.00 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.38 ERA RP Seth Clark: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.22 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (9), .306/.379/.523 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, BB, SB (7), .234/.285/.369
Frisco set a franchise record with a .609 winning percentage. The 2007 edition holds the record for wins with 85. Frisco tied rival Midland for the second-best mark in AA, trailing only Cubs-affiliated Tennessee (87-50).
The Riders scored on a sac fly and Alejandro Osuna’s 18th homer of the season. Ben Anderson had been skipped last time through the rotation but finished strong. Sebastian Walcott had the day off.
Frisco will head to Midland for Tuesday’s opener of the Texas League semifinals. Arkansas (80-57) and Springfield (79-59) will meet in the other bracket. Winston Santos is the listed starter for Game 1, followed by Kohl Drake, whose short outing on short rest did indeed set him up for a playoff start. Game 3 is TBA.
SP Steven Jennings: 2.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 43 P / 32 S, 5.33 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.50 ERA RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.33 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, 2B, BB, .277/.372/.468 LF Trevor Hauver: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (10), .237/.352/.408 3B Frainyer Chavez: 2-4, 2B, .213/.279/.277
The Express named Blaine Crim the team MVP in a ceremony before the game. Prizes included a commemorative plaque, a pair of boots, and a hug from dad.
I’ve been grumpily frustrated about Marc Church for over a year. Back in March, he drew some attention and had a chance at the Opening Day active roster, but most of his AAA outings just haven’t quite looked the part. Last night, he was in fine form, striking out three in two scoreless innings and generating seven misses on nine swings at the slider. Just promoted San Francisco prospect Bryce Eldridge waved through two of them. The slider has nearly always been an absolute beast, but the fastball has been erratic, both in terms of basic control and what happens on contact. Church’s strikeout rate in AAA since returning from injury is 22%, ordinary for a reliever nowadays, but his control has improved dramatically, and he’s largely avoided noisy contact. On the season, Church has a 41% whiff rate with the slider (league rate 28%) and 15% on the fastball (league rate 25%). Nothing he throws moves much horizontally. He relies on impressive vertical break for the fastball, and the slider acts like a fastball until the batter commits. Most of his 2024 has been spent on the shelf, but he still has a shot at being a worthy MLB reliever.
Trevor Hauver has reached safely in 22 consecutive games and is batting .380/.500/.722 with 12 doubles and five homers. Up until that stretch, he carried a line of .193/.303/.311 in 77 games.
Reno won as well, so Round Rock is eliminated from postseason contention.
SP Bryan Chi: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 51 P / 34 S, 4.66 ERA RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.00 ERA RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.98 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.10 ERA RP Dane Acker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.05 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 4-6, 2B, HR (8), .307/.378/.515 LF Josh Hatcher: 3-4, 2B, HR (12), .300/.350/.448 1B Abi Ortiz: 5-6, 2 HR (18), .243/.326/.433 SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-6, HR (1), .348/.375/.609 DH Aaron Zavala: 2-4, HR (5), .223/.333/.306
Once again, Frisco took full advantage of the friendly hitting conditions and a pitching staff that is poor even accounting for those conditions. The Riders connected on seven homers including the first from Sebastian Walcott at this level. Walcott’s dinger left the bat at 107 MPH. Abi Ortiz had a five-hit night with two homers. In his last two months, Ortiz is hitting .293/.385/.581 with 13 homers in 43 games. This is the Ortiz of 2023 and gives the front office something to think about on 40-man deadline day.
Frisco employed a covey of relievers to place them in line for Tuesday’s playoff opener at Midland. Emiliano Teodo hadn’t pitched in three weeks and has thrown no more than 68 pitches since July, so I’m assuming he’s a reliever (or starter on a short leash) in the playoffs.
Greetings from the Dell Diamond. I awakened to no internet and still had none when I left for tonight’s game, so today’s belated report comes to you courtesy of whoever provides internet service to the Round Rock Express. Today’s report is also in haste, so if I missed anything critical, hopefully I’ll recap it tomorrow.
SP Peter Solomon: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 90 P / 53 S, 6.27 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 7.71 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.97 ERA DH Trevor Hauver: 1-2, HR (9), 2 BB
Round Rock made the most of a handful of hits. Trevor Hauver has hit well of late (he also homered about 15 minutes prior to this sentence).
Any Reno win or Round Rock loss the rest of the way will eliminate the Express. I had the elimination number at three yesterday, but it should have been two. I wasn’t considering the tiebreaker which favors Reno on account of a 3-2 advantage in head-to-head games in the second half.
SP Kohl Drake: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 34 P / 20 S, 3.10 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.57 ERA 2B Max Acosta: 5-6, 2 2B 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 2-4, 2 HR (16), 2 BB, SB (2) DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, BB, SB (1) C Cooper Johnson: 2-4, HR (14), 2 BB SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, 3B, HR (2) RF Luis Mieses: 3-5, 2B, 2 HR (5)
As expected, Kohl Drake had a short outing. Still, it’s noteworthy that he came back to pitch on four days rest. I don’t think it’s the equivalent of a reliever dealing in consecutive games, but a general indication of confidence? Very much so.
Frisco opened multiple cans of whoop on Amarillo’s pitchers.
Today’s Starters AAA: Jennings AA: Chi
Five Years Ago Yesterday Down two games to one in the South Atlantic League finals, Hickory lost 3-1 on a walk-off homer in the 13th by Reed Rohlman off Tyree Thompson. Thompson had pitched 3.2 scoreless with only one hit allowed until the end.
RF Pedro Gonzalez was one of the team’s heroes, breaking up Lexington’s no-hitter with a game-tying solo homer in the 7th, then slamming into the wall to catch what would have been a walk-off extra-base hit in the 12th. Another was reliever Jesus Linarez, called upon with no notice when putative starter Abdiel Mendoza suffered an injury during warmups. Linarez threw 4.2 scoreless innings with two runners allowed. Ace reliever Kelvin Gonzalez threw innings seven through nine without a run allowed. The Crawdads mustered only eight runners in the game and batted .155/.247/.246 in the four-game series.
The next official game wouldn’t be for another 599 days.
