AAA: Round Rock 1, at Sugar Land (HOU) 8 Round Rock: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 1-2, 2 GB
SP Cal Quantrill: 2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 62 P / 35 S RP Patrick Murphy: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO RP Ryan Brasier: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO RP Josh Sborz: 1.2 IP, 1 H (HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB 1B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B
Cal Quantrill posted a 3.54 ERA in 471 MLB innings during 2019-2022 and started Games 1 and 4 of Cleveland’s ’22 ALDS versus the Yankees. He’s never been the same. An ineffective and injury-plagued 2023 led to designation for assignment followed by trips to Colorado, Atlanta and Miami. He’s suffered only a slight decrease in velocity but fewer strikeouts, more walks, homers, and hard contact in general. Quantrill received a little attention when signed as a dark-horse fifth-starter candidate, but I’d venture that was based more on the familiarity of his last name than what he’s done recently, and Spring Training was unkind. Texas hopefully can get him back to where’s he’s in the discussion as a depth starter, but we’re not there now.
Whatever Josh Sborz’s fate in the organization, the decision will be well-informed. Sborz was among the busier relievers in Arizona and has pitched twice in three AAA games. He missed five bats on seven swings at the slider, although the fastball averaged a mild 92.9. Curvelo has also pitched twice, and Mason Thompson pitched both Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes pitching on consecutive days is a tell that the player is being prepped for MLB duty, but not in Thompson’s case.
According to Statcast, Trevor Hauver hit a ball 107 MPH off the bat at a 30-degree angle. Result: a flyout to right-center, just 356 feet deep. Last year, MLB and the Pacific Coast League combined for 36 balls hit at this rate ad angle, resulting in 35 homers and a double, with nothing traveling less than 382 feet, and all but two scaling at least 400′. Sugar Land is a pitcher-friendly park, but come on. Either the reading is wrong or Hauver is the unluckiest competitor in the history of sport. Incidentally, the wind was blowing crossways, not in.
Per a local report, 37-year-old Scottsdale resident Mark Canha had an opt-out but remained in the organization in Surprise rather than joining the Express. He’ll work out there in preparation for a possible call-up, or if another club came calling, Texas would be unlikely to stand in his way.
1B Abimelec Ortiz had a fine opening weekend for AAA Rochester: two doubles, two singles, five walks, no strikeouts. In Spring Training, he’d quickly played himself out of whatever chance he had of making the Nats (.136/.296/.182).
Atlanta purchased the contract of LHP Martin Perez.
AAA: Round Rock 2, @ Sugar Land (HOU) 3 (10) Round Rock: 5 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 1-1, tied for 1st
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 68 P / 45 S RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO RP Alexis Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO RP Michael Otanez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO SS Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (1) 2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, HR (1)
Cam Cauley returned to the lineup unaffected by the HBP that forced an early departure Friday. He saw 34 pitches across his five plate appearances, resulting in a seven-pitch called strikeout, a six-pitch lineout, a seven-pitch single, and walks of five and nine pitches. Cauley has only contacted one ball “hard” (defined as at least 95 MPH off the bat) out of four in play, but the other three are in the 93.7-94.7 range.
Justin Foscue homered and hit a single at 106.9 MPH, the hardest in play by either team. I’ve pondered since late last year whether his time on the 40 and/or in the organization was reaching an end, but he’s here, and if he’s the hot hand if Texas decides another right-handed bat is needed, he could get one more shot.
The undrafted Josh Stephan has a respectable mix with a sinker that has occasionally leaned into the mid-nineties but tends low. Tonight averaged 91.6. Stephan has good control but lost a fair number of his strikeouts upon reaching AA, and he was also far more prone to homers. Last year’s end-of-season promotion to AAA wasn’t really a reward conquering the Texas League, but he’s off to a nice start, throwing plenty of strikes and missing five bats with that sinker plus three more with secondaries.
Marc Church loaded the bases before recording the final out. The slider was feat or famine, accounting for all of his four swinging strikes but also seven of his nine balls.
Alexis Diaz averaged 94.6 MPH with his fastball, well above the 92.9 of spring and in line with his heyday as a Red. He also threw nine of 12 pitches for strikes. Michel Otanez didn’t land any of three sliders but missed three bats in-zone and got four calls with a fastball averaging 97.9.
AAA: Round Rock 7, at Sugar Land (HOU) 4 Round Rock: 10 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 1-0, tied for first
SP Trey Supak: 2.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 71 P / 38 S RP Peyton Gray: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO RP Emiliano Teodo: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SO RP Gavin Collyer: 1.1 IP, 2 H (HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB 1B Jonah Bride: 2-4, HR (1), BB 2B Justin Foscue: 2-4 SS Cam Cauley: 2-3, HBP LF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, 2B
In his AAA debut, Cam Cauley lined the first two pitches he saw for singles. After a strikeout, Cauley was hit by a pitch on or near the elbow, which was protected but nevertheless required a visit from the trainer. He stayed in but was replaced two innings later.
Alejandro Osuna’s lined double at 109.1 MPH off the bat was the game’s hardest hit. His other two balls in play were in the 97-99 range, and he walked twice.
Peyton Gray replaced an atypically walk-happy Trey Supak with one out and runners at the corners in the 3rd. He struck out Cavan Biggio swinging on a changeup and induced an inning-ending fly. Gray then fanned the side around a single by ex-Ranger Jax Biggers. He missed six bats on 13 swings divided equally between the fastball and change.
Emiliano Teodo made an Opening Night appearance after no official Spring outings while recovering from lingering back issues. His fastball velocity averaged 98.3, a touch better than last year’s 97.5. As for placement, oh dear…
Teodo plunked his first two opponents and walked the fifth after a strikeout and pop. He had a 32% strike rate and 20% zone rate. It’s a long season.
Gavin Collyer replaced Teodo with three on and two out in the 6th. After a soft infield single to plate a run, Collyer whiffed Taylor Trammell on the eighth pitch with a 98 fastball. His 7th began with a solo homer and walk, but he recovered to strike out his final two batters.
Josh Sborz had a scoreless inning. The fastball averaged 92.7, halfway between his Spring (93.6) and last summer’s AAA rehab (91.7), still well below his former MLB levels. I fixate on his velocity more than perhaps I should, as what matters most are the ends, not the means, but then again, Sborz isn’t Cody Bradford. Much of Sborz’s previous success was predicated on running a 95-97 fastball by hitters, and he’s not that pitcher now. In terms of control, the primary issue last night was a curve tailing too far glove-side; opponents stared at all seven out of the zone.
1B Nick Pratto was transferred to the development list. Pitchers Dane Acker, Aidan Anderson and Jose Corniell were also inactive.
Off until Thursday
Elsewhere Ex-Ranger Kohl Drake drew the Opening Day start for AAA Reno. In four innings, he surrendered three runs on a couple of homers and struck out six against no walks. The present 6.75 ERA isn’t a bother per se — you try pitching in Reno — but I did notice a drop in velocity. Drake averaged 92.9 with his four-seamer in AAA last year. The Spring Training average was 91.5, and last night fell to 90.7. He missed six bats with it, eight overall, but still, it’s worth following. Drake missed the end of last season due to a shoulder strain.
No sign yet of Mitch Bratt, traded with Drake and David Hagaman for Merrill Kelly last summer, but former Ranger Dane Dunning will start against Reno as a Tacoma Ranier on Sunday.
Today’s Starters AAA: Stephan
Five Years Ago Yesterday Last year, I halted this feature because the 2020 minor league season was cancelled. Instead, I ran daily history lessons covering the 2007-2024 period. I’ll resume the Five Years Ago feature in 2026 but not on a daily basis until May because there were no games. From my report on March 24, 2021:The Triple A season has been postponed for a month. The original schedule called for Round Rock to begin at the typical time of early April, while the lower levels would have to wait until May. A bunch of people, me included, wondered whether that was possible. In the short run, MLB’s bubble rules and need for continued alternative training sites conflict badly with the economic and practical realities of travel in AAA. While the postponement was virtually expected and probably the wise move, it’s still a disappointment for AAA teams finally given leave to promote themselves after a year at the mercy of the pandemic and MLB’s takeover.
The minor league season begins tonight, but only for Round Rock. Trey Supak and company will face Houston’s Sugar Land affiliate on the road. Following Supak will be Josh Stephan and Cal Quantrill. The other clubs must wait until next Thursday. Here’s the “break camp” rosters with my thoughts:
AAA ROUND ROCK EXPRESS Pacific Coast League Round Rock, Texas The Dell Diamond (2000)
Pitchers Dane Acker (Age 26) Robby Ahlstrom (26) Aidan Anderson (28) Ryan Brasier (38) Marc Church (24) (on 40-man roster) #30 Gavin Collyer (24) #4 Jose Corniell (22) (on 40) Luis Curvelo (25) (on 40) Alexis Diaz (29) Austin Gomber (32) Peyton Gray (30) Patrick Murphy (30) Michel Otañez (28) (on 40) Cal Quantrill (31) Josh Sborz (32) Josh Stephan (24) Trey Supak (29) #17 Emiliano Teodo (25) (on 40) Mason Thompson (28)
Numbers for Corniell and others are from MLB Pipeline’s Texas top 30.
I admit to a lukewarm feeling about the Express entering Spring Training, but the actual roster is more engaging than I expected. Texas will need reinforcements, of course, and we have a host of interesting battles for depth chart supremacy. Luis Curvelo probably tops the relief list, but even that is uncertain. Will Sborz improve enough to warrant a spot (and what happens if he does but none is available)? Can Marc Church (on his final option) and Emiliano Teodo finally maintain both health and consistency? Collyer has the stuff, but can he throw enough strikes? Can the outrighted Diaz recover past form? Might Peyton Gray and his unhittable changeup leapfrog all of them?
The rotation could be Corniell, Gomber, Murphy, Quantrill, Stephan and Supak. None is tickling my fancy as an MLB replacement starter at present. I’d ultimately prefer Corniell, who made his MLB debut late last season, but he has only 34 innings above high-A.
This afternoon, Texas re-signed Ryan Brasier to a minor deal.
Late edit: Of the players listed, Acker, Anderson, Corniell, and Pratto are inactive tonight. Pratto specifically is on the development list. Catchers Jose Herrera (29) Cooper Johnson (27) Willie MacIver (29) (on 40)
MacIver and Herrera will battle for the upper hand should Jansen or Higgy suffer an injury. Herrera has much more MLB service but a very poor record at the plate. MacIver has better AAA production and the advantage of an existing 40 spot.
Infielders Jonah Bride (30) #13 Cam Cauley (23) Justin Foscue (27) (on 40) Richie Martin (31) Nick Pratto (27) Tyler Wade (31)
I suppose Cauley had a small chance of repeating AA for a little while, but his standout spring assured a promotion. He and Tyler Wade are the primary competitors for an infield job in Arlington should need arise. Foscue, on his last option, is also a competitor but of a different sort, mostly as a replacement for either Jake Burger or Joc Pederson. Despite his lack of success in MLB, he’s ahead of Nick Pratto, a former top prospect who couldn’t maintain an MLB job a few years ago and hasn’t even hit AAA pitching lately. Outfielders Trevor Hauver (27) Michael Helman (29) (on 40) Alejandro Osuna (23) (on 40) Aaron Zavala (25)
April is Osuna’s chance to prove he deserves a promotion before the older Helman, although Helman is probably preferable as a last-man-on-bench role in order to keep the at-bats flowing for Osuna in AAA.
Zavala, the 2021 second-rounder, had surprisingly solid chase and whiff rates in AAA following multiple years of trouble recovering from elbow surgery. Those rates ballooned in March, although he continued to post fancy numbers. I wouldn’t totally discount Hauver, who has a bunch of bodies in front of him but has evolved into a solid AAA hitter.
AA FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS Texas League Frisco, Texas Riders Field (2003) Pitchers Austin Bergner (28) Jonathan Brand (26) Wilian Bormie (24) Zach Bryant (27) #7 David Davalillo (23) (on 40) Janser Lara (29) Ryan Lobus (25) Eric Loomis (23) #14 Leandro Lopez (23) (on 40) Dylan MacLean (23) Bryan Magdaleno (25) Austin Roberts (27) #5 Winston Santos (23) (on 40) Blake Townsend (24) #23 Josh Trentadue (24) Ricardo Velez (27)
Frisco has four ranked starters led by Winston Santos, who made a season-ending start at Round Rock in 2025 but returns to AA for at least a little while. Last year, I ran a daily feature of Texas’s minor league history including best pitching performances during 2007-2025. In my updated rankings, Davalillo’s 2025 ranks sixth. He has exceptional control, an aspect I’m going to cover more in the upcoming Daily Primer.
Texas prospect watchers have had an eye on Lopez since he was known as Leandro Calderon and known mostly for a mesmerizing curve. Injuries and oft-errant control have delayed his ascent, but he progressed exceptionally in 2025 and wowed in Surprise. Trentadue pitched much better than his 2024 ERA of 4.46 would indicate, and he steamrolled high-A last season before running into control issues at Frisco.
Bormie can reach 100 and miss bats at will. He could reach the Majors this year. He could also issues bases-loaded walks in back-to-back outings. Loomis was indomitable in high-A and a hot mess in 7.2 Frisco innings (39% SO, 24% BB+HBP).
Frisco has six offseason mound signings: Bergner, Brand (a minor league Rule 5), Bryant, Roberts, Townsend and Velez.
Catchers Julian Brock (24) Tucker Mitchell (25) Ian Moller (23)
Here’s where we run into trouble. At the calendar end of 2025, Frisco had six position players, and no hitters in Hub City other than perhaps Dylan Dreiling had made a strong case for promotion. (And Walcott’s injury sure didn’t help.) So, absent aggressive roster assignments, management would be forced to sign several free agents to complete the roster, and that in fact is what occurred.
At catcher, though, everyone is home-grown. Ian Moller is the highest pick (4th round, 2021), reaching AA almost entirely via patience (219 career BB+HBP, 217 hits). All three were here for at least part of 2025, and Frisco’s batteries were among the best in minor league ball at shutting down the running game.
Infielders Jack Blomgren (27) Frainyer Chavez (26) Theo Hardy (24) Keyber Rodriguez (25) John Taylor (24)
Rodriguez and Chavez are in their ninth seasons in the organization. The undrafted Hardy has bounced around multiple levels during 2024-2025 depending on organizational need. Taylor was plucked out of the indy Atlantic League last year and reached base at a nice clip while playing six positions, mostly shortstop. The free agent Blomgren has a nifty .398 career OBP but only 300 plate appearances in the past four seasons.
Outfielders #10 Dylan Dreiling (22) Keith Jones II (23) Marcus Lee Sang (25) Orlando Martinez (28) Jake Snider (27)
The 2024 second-rounder Dreiling hit .226/.319/.381 at Hub City, not awe-inspiring but good for a 112 OPS+ in the light-hitting South Atlantic League. Dreiling has a terrific contact rate and air-oriented swing. He was also very patient, arguably to a fault, watching 62% of pitches and taking a very high number of called strikes.
Jones, a 9th-round senior sign from the same class, was the first 2024 pick to reach AA. His approach is similar to Dreiling, if more inclined to grounders. Lee Sang, Martinez and Snider are all offseason signings.
HIGH-A HUB CITY SPARTANBURGERS South Atlantic League Spartanburg, South Carolina Fifth Third Park (2025)
Pitchers Joe Adametz (26) #28 Ismael Agreda (22) Aidan Curry (23) Joey Danielson (25) J’Briell Easley (24) Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa (25) Thomas Ireland (23) D.J. McCarty (23) #12 Dalton Pence (23) Brock Porter (22) Josh Sanders (24) Luke Savage (24) Enrique Segura (21) Cole Stasio (24) Anthony Susac (23) Paxton Thompson (26) Adonis Villavicencio (25)
Pence has adapted well to starting and might spend more than half the season at Frisco. Agreda was a short-burst starter at Hickory, facing around 16 batters per outing, stingy with hits but generous with free passes. He had the second-fastest recorded pitch of any Ranger in Spring Training, 99.9 MPH.
Danielson was Loomis’s tag-team partner in Hub City, very effective and promoted simultaneously to Frisco, but he had trouble with walks as well in AA. He didn’t appear in a spring game and finds himself back in Hub City for the moment. Porter (2022 4th-round pick but 1st-round talent) spent most of 2024 in Hickory, where he posted a 3.06 ERA and fanned 27% of opponents but walked or hit 17%.
Catchers Ben Hartl (23) #18 Malcolm Moore (22) Cal Stark (23)
Hub City has a bunch of repeating position players, not a surprise given the fairly aggressive nature of last year’s assignments to the squad. The good news is that nobody in Frisco is blocking a promotion.
Top 2024 pick Malcolm Moore had a rough 2025, and not just because of an unlucky injury that sidelined him for two months. He hit .198/.293/.271 (72 OPS+) at Hub City and .213/.275/.328 in the Arizona Fall League. True, catchers require more patience, and perhaps the injury affected his results, but 2026 still feels like a make-or-break year.
Gleider Figuero has fallen off the lower levels of the top 30. He’s still just 21 and popped 38 homers the last two years but hasn’t provided much else, and he’s strictly a corner man. Perich (2024, 7th round) impressed me in Surprise last spring but didn’t really shine at the A levels aside from a predictably high walk rate.
The undrafted Disla is generously listed at 240 pounds. He belted eight homers in just 34 high-A games in 2024 but only nine in 99 games last year. The speedy, versatile Pollard (2022, 5th round) was injured in his first high-A game last June and missed the rest of the season.
Outfielders #29 Anthony Gutierrez (21) #21 Paxton Kling (22) Antonis Macias (21) #24 Maxton Martin (20) Yeison Morrobel (22) Quincy Scott (23)
An outfield collision ended Kling’s 2025 a little early. He hit only .244/.329/.311 in 11 games but was far better at Hickory and generally impressed in all aspects. Martin took a big step forward after two ordinary seasons at the complex, clubbing 14 homers and 34 other extra-base hits. He’s not fast but has exceptional base prowess, swiping 21 bases without ever being caught as a professional.
In 2024, Anthony Gutierrez radically altered his swing, but his production didn’t budge, and 2025 was a repeat. He’s six months younger than Figuero but also beginning his fourth season at an A level. He can run and man center capably in terms of both range and arm. Morrobel is one of good number of Texas prospects who has struggled with the sizable jump from the complex to low-A. (That’s not a Texas issue per se, as the elimination of short-season ball has made life tougher for many pro players.)
LOW-A HICKORY CRAWDADS Carolina League Hickory, North Carolina L.P. Frans Stadium (1993)
Pitchers Angel Anazco (24) Alejandro Chiquillo (23) Aidan Deakins (22) Jake Jekielek (23) Jesus Lafalaise (21) Louis Marinaro (21) Frank Martinez (23) J.D. McReynolds (23) Aneudis Mejia (22) Moises Morales (22) Luimy Munoz (23) Jormy Nivar (22) Geury Rodriguez (21) #3 AJ Russell (21) Evan Siary (22) Michael Trausch (22) Wily Villar (27)
Russell has no real-game pro experience but is the one ranked pitcher. Reading about him in various publications reminds me of Alejandro Rosario in that the Rangers saw a strong but underdeveloped pitch mix that they intend to improve.
The other newcomers are Chiquillo, Marinaro, McReynolds, Morales and Munoz.
Management put Jormy Nivar and Wily Villar on the same team specifically to confuse me. Villar is a fun story, a 26-year-old rookie who reached 100 MPH and struck out 41 in 30 innings between the DSL and Arizona. His late-season stint in Hickory was marked by extreme wildness. Nivar pitched well in 17 low-A innings after getting knocked around in Arizona.
Catchers Josh Springer (19) Juan Sulbaran (20) Jhocsuanth Vargas (19)
Infielders Angel Arredondo (19) #8 Yolfran Castillo (19) Carter Garate (22) Pablo Guerrero (19) Luis Marquez (20) Esteban Mejia (21)
Texas’s system isn’t rife with hitting prospects, the brightest of them is injured, and several will remain in Arizona, so Rangers Nation turns its lonely eyes to Yolfran Castillo. Castillo hardly ever misses, but his impact was oddly muted: .269/.310/.366 at the complex and .255/.325/.321 in Hickory. I’m hoping for more.
Vlad’s son reached low-A a day before reaching adulthood in 2024, but he’s yet to hit his way out. Garate, undrafted out of Oregon, is the lone position player lacking any full-season experience.
Osorio and Torres have the most low-A experience and are likely the first two outfielders to graduate. Osorio commands the zone best (55 walks, 43 strikeouts in 2025) and might have a little more pop hiding in there. Torres repeated the level last year and improved his contact rate from a futile 61% to 75%.
Morel had a bear of a 2025, losing contact, walks and power from his promising 2024 at the complex. The younger Santana had a more patient approach but wasn’t rewarded, as he didn’t walk much and missed just as often when he did swing. Tovar is the greenest, having spent all but seven 2025 games in Arizona (.313/.434/.536).
Unassigned MLB Top 30 Prospects #1 IF Sebastian Walcott (injured) #2 RHP Caden Scarborough (recovering from offseason melanoma surgery) #6 IF/P Josh Owens (headed for Arizona Complex League) #9 OF Elian Rosario (young) #11 RHP Izack Tiger (TJ recovery) #15 IF/P Seong-Jun Kim (18, presumably Complex) #16 OF Elorky Rodriguez (18, presumably Complex) #18 IF Jack Wheeler (19, presumably Complex) #20 RHP Mason McConnaughey (TJ recovery) #26 LHP Ben Abeldt (TJ recovery) #27 RHP Jacob Johnson (19, presumably Complex)
Unassigned AAA/MLB level in 2025 – pitchers Ben Anderson and Josh Hejka, IF Andrew Velazquez, OF Dairon Blanco, Mark Canha and Gilberto Celestino
Blanco was designated for assignment to make room for Andrew McCutchen. He’s been outrighted before and can declare free agency if he clears waivers. Texas chose this rather than placing one of the Codys (Bradford, Freeman) on the 60-day IL, which would have sustained a spot for Blanco.
Canha will stay in the organization (per local reports) but wasn’t named to the initial AAA roster. Celestino was a mid-camp addition.
High-A level – pitchers Jesus Gamez, Case Matter, Caden Scarborough, Kai Wynyard Low-A level – pitchers Kamdyn Perry, Owen Proksch and Maicol Reyes, catcher Jack Collins, IF/P Josh Owens, and OF Marco Argudin.
Scarborough and Owens I mentioned. Argudin received a late-‘25 low-A assignment straight from the Dominican Summer League but didn’t appear. I expect he’ll debut at the complex.
Spring Breakout Recap Against Kansas City, Starter Dalton Pence struck out the side in order following an opening walk. In the second, he walked two more on nine pitches but also fanned a couple. He would face two more in the 3rd, retiring one and watching the other reach on an error. Pence’s fastball dwindled from 93 in the 1st to 90 by the 3rd, noteworthy because he spent his college years in the bullpen. However, last season’s switch from relief was quite encouraging, and the gap between the Breakout game and Opening Night for his minor league team is 20 days. Pence relied heavily on that rising fastball, adding only a handful of sliders, changes and curves.
Two-wayer Seong-Jun Kim dealt a scoreless 4th with one double, aided by a liner to 3B Jack Wheeler resulting in a double play. Kim’s four-seamer averaged 93 with 16 inches of induced vertical break, and he added an 83ish slider. He also went 0-for-2 as a DH. Still just 18, Kim has scant pro experience consisting of one pitching appearance and a few at-bats in the Dominican Summer League.
Josh Trentadue had a rough day: six batters in the 5th, a Wilian Bormie interlude, five more batters in the 6th, just three retired overall, three walks, four hits, six runs. The four-seamer averaged 93.4 but lacked location, registering only a 30% in-zone rate and 40% strike rate. Trentadue has back-of-rotation potential, but his control declined sharply upon promotion to Frisco last summer.
Gavin Collyer already owned Texas’s fastest pitch in a “real” Spring Training game at 99.8 MPH, but in the Breakout he reached an even 100 for a swinging strike. Collyer impressed this spring but in early games had a strike rate below 60%. Lately, he’s been much better, and if he can maintain that, he’ll be among the top contenders for replacing injured or ineffective relievers in Arlington.
Texas’s hardest throwers by maximum velocity in Spring Training: Gavin Collyer – 100.0 (Breakout) Ismael Agreda – 99.9 (Breakout) Jack Leiter – 99.6 (MLB) Wilian Bormie – 98.8 (Breakout) Michel Otanez – 98.8 (MLB) Kumar Rocker – 98.5 (MLB) Jacob deGrom – 98.4 (MLB) Aidan Curry – 98.4 (Breakout)
The 24-year-old Bormie escaped Trentadue’s inning with a called K using a 97-99 fastball and a couple of mid-80s sliders. Ismael Agreda, 22, threw five pitches that would round up to 100 on a tv screen and five more at 99. He added several mid-80s sliders and a few tailing curves hovering around 79. He missed only one bat, though, and most contact was hard. Both have the stuff but lack the control.
The bats were light on excitement, mustering three hits and five walks. Texas hit six balls in excess of 103 miles per hour (1B Maxton Martin leading at 109, 1B Pablo Guerrero, RF Dylan Dreiling, 2B Antonis Macias twice, and 3B Gleider Figuereo), but only Dreiling managed to reach safely. SS Curley Martha doubled down the line to right, and CF Marcos Torres flared a single.
Other News Kumar Rocker rallied to win the final rotation spot. Good for him. My spreadsheet preview said in part: “[he] needs to be normal for once.” He’s always been weird. Sometimes weird in a dazzling way like the 2024 return from elbow surgery, but weird nonetheless. Wild swings in velocity. Idiosyncratic mechanics. Pitch types gained, discarded, rediscovered. If he could be steadily, blandly effective, within shouting distance of league average, that would be a boon to the team’s chances.
Jacob Latz lost his way down the stretch. Hopefully he finds it because he’s no less important within a cobbled-together bullpen, plus he may be needed to start later. The last time Texas used fewer than ten starters in a season was 2011.
Carter Baumler more-or-less won a battle with Josh Sborz for a single bullpen spot. He missed fewer bats but delivered more strikes overall and fared better on contact. He also threw two tics harder with the fastball and three with the secondaries. Critically, the Rangers faced the cardinal decision on Baumler now, while Sborz’s fate can be delayed until after a handful of AAA appearances. Luis Curvelo might outpitch them both, but since he has options he’ll yield to others for now.
Cal Quantrill looked swell Tuesday in his first real game in nearly a month, albeit against late-inning subs. Who knows.
Did Joc Pederson ever need Tuesday’s homer, his first extra-base hit of the spring. A few days ago, I’d argued for a potential uptick in his production (then .172/.314/.172) based on respectable Statcast data. Since that time, instead of an improvement in the slash stats, the data headed downward, primarily in the form of additional swinging strikes. Among 40-man members entering the spring, Pederson ended up tied with the lowest overall contact rate (66%) and lowest alone on out-of-zone pitches (42%), although his chase rate was acceptable as were the various measures of exit velocity.
To The 60-Day IL RHP Paul Bonzagni (holdover from last year’s TJ) RHP Declan Cronin (free agent recovering from surgery, has a 2-year deal) RHP Brooks Fowler RHP Alberto Mota (hurt last year as well) RHP William Privette RHP Julius Sanchez (2025 18th-rounder, injured when picked) RHP Izack Tiger (holdover from last year’s TJ) C Jesus Lopez IF Sebastian Walcott (brace surgery on elbow) OF Casey Cook (2024 3rd-rounder)
To The Full-Season IL RHP Nabil Crismatt (injured early in ST) LHP Kolton Curtis (pitched in 2025 Arizona Fall League) LHP Larson Kindreich (had appeared once in February) RHP Daniel Missaki
In the past, these transactions weren’t noteworthy beyond the actual injuries and prognoses. Now, with organization-wide roster limits, injuries can create havoc with filling out minor league rosters. As with the Major League 60-day IL, those on a long-term minor league injured lists don’t count against the cap. Released RHP Ryan Brasier – The vet had an out and took it. He’d improved after two early wipeouts but still wasn’t missing many bats. Even so, he probably would have ranked high on the depth chart had he accepted assignment to Round Rock.
On Their Final Options RHP Marc Church RHP Jose Corniell RHP Michel Otanez IF Justin Foscue
Elsewhere 1B Abimelec Ortiz had a rough spring for the Nats, hitting .136/.296/.182 without a single recorded ball in play traveling more than 258 feet in the air. 1B apparently will be manned mostly by Luis Garcia (career 0.8 WAR per 150 games, .266/.299/.410). Ortiz was the most advanced prospect in the MacKenzie Gore trade. I’ll cover the assignments for the others traded in the coming days.
1B Blaine Crim, never IL-ed professionally in seven previous seasons, had the terrible misfortune of an oblique injury in late February, eliminating any chance of an Opening Day spot. He’s been cleared for activity but is yet to reappear in a game. Colorado claimed him off waivers last summer.
RHP Daniel Robert – The former Ranger collapsed during his first bullpen session of the spring. Medics were able to transport him to a hospital, and he’s been released. He’d been held back because of a cardiovascular issue and had suffered a similar incident last fall that necessitated both CPR and a defibrillator. He was then fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
1B Rowdy Tellez recently signed a minor deal with Atlanta. Pitchers Jon Gray (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) and Luke Jackson haven’t signed anywhere to my knowledge. OF Marcus Smith signed with the indy Kansas City Monarchs. He’d become a free agent after last season.
I’ve seen no word of Joey Gallo signing anywhere. He’d announced an attempt to return to the Majors as a pitcher following his release from the White Sox last spring.
Greetings From… Austin. Still in Austin. Work and my daughter’s upcoming state archery tournament have conspired to keep me homebound. I am hoping to compensate with a later trip, perhaps the Carolinas, perhaps Arizona later on.
Tables! I’ve built tables containing a bunch of Statcast data for everyone who’s played this spring. See the ’26hitters’ and ‘26pitchers’ tabs in this set of sheets. Included are pitch results, chase rates (swings at out-of-zone pitches), contact rates in and out of zone, hard-hit and exit velocity info, ground/line/fly/pop info, and (for pitchers) average velocities for each pitch type. Also included are latest outings for pitchers and my original and updated thoughts on player performances and situations. For some stats, I have color codes indicating a performance in the top 25% (green) or bottom 25% (purple) of the league.
My intention is to maintain a similar list for AAA Round Rock during the season. I’ll also work on enhancing the visually appeal, though I can’t promise anything.
Obviously, the info isn’t to be taken too seriously. The quality of competition in Spring Training varies widely between games and innings, the environment strongly favors hitting, and players are often working on things rather than treating every pitch as career-defining. Pitcher Notes At present the Opening Day bullpen would appear to be manned by Tyler Alexander, just-signed Jalen Beeks, Robert Garcia, Jakob Junis, Chris Martin, Cole Winn, and two among Carter Baumler, Luis Curvelo, Josh Sborz, and the loser of the battle for fifth starter between Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker.
Texas signed the 32-year-old lefty Beeks to a Major League deal. Beeks has league-average fastball velocity, but his money pitch is a changeup that missed 35% of swings and yielded minuscule results on contact in 2025. His overall strikeout rate is pretty bland, though. This addition was necessary, as the bullpen looked a little uncertain, particularly since the Rangers lack a sure-fire closer.
The moderately surprising deletion from the 40 to clear room for Beeks was reliever Alexis Diaz, signed just three months ago. Diaz’s formal outings have been dire, and I assume side sessions weren’t a source of optimism. Diaz cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA. With three-plus years of MLB service, he’s in same boat as Dane Dunning last year, permitted to declare free agency but at the forfeiture of his million-dollar deal (plus performance bonuses, if he can rebound). Not a fortune, but since 29 other teams weren’t clamoring to absorb that contract, he’s better off staying put from a monetary standpoint.
Rule 5 selection Carter Baumler has yet to allow a run in 6.2 innings and has fanned six while walking two. He’s dealing a fastball averaging a shade under 96, an 85 curve and a few sliders around 89. The underlying data is solid, if not to the level of the basic stats. He’s throwing plenty of strikes but missing bats at a below-average rate (19% vs Cactus-average 26%), although the contact isn’t causing much damage. He’s reached a maximum of nine batters and 32 pitches in a single outing, and multi-inning mop-up relief could be his initial role if he makes the squad. At the moment, I think he does.
Josh Sborz also has a pleasant line: 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts spread across one-inning outings. Recall that last year on rehab, his fastball velocity was well below normal, his location was spotty, and results weren’t there, so I had the unfortunate duty of writing “he can’t pitch in Arlington” on a weekly basis.
Here’s Sborz’s average fastball and whiff rate during 2023-2026: 2023 (MLB): 96.9, 34% 2024 (MLB): 95.1, 28% 2025 (AAA): 91.7, 23% 2026 (ST): 93.7, 27%
So: better, but still not at the level of 2024, much less 2023. Sborz’s fastest pitch this spring is 94.8, below his average for ‘24. Sborz is here on a minor league deal, and I’m leaning toward some time in the minors to see if he can further reduce the gap between his present and former selves. He has been out of options for ages, so he can’t be an up-and-down reliever, at least not in the traditional sense.
Both Sborz and NRI Ryan Brasier pitched three times in the last five days, unusual for Spring Training. Brasier has righted the ship after veering well off course early (1.1 IP, 6 R) but has fanned just two in six scoreless March innings. He’s one of those Article XX(b) free agents with a quickly approaching opt-out date, although he could hang around for at least a while as a minor leaguer if persuaded.
Cole Winn’s had a pretty good spring, getting a ton of chases (if only a half-ton of misses) with a five-pitch mix. My late-February spreadsheet comment was “Out of options, probably on unless terrible spring, Rangers need him.” During 2022-2024, when he was either giving up eight runs per nine innings in AAA or recovering from injury, the Rangers were exceedingly patient and protective of his 40 spot That’s a compliment, not a criticism. In nearly every outing, he’d string together at least an inning’s worth of hints at a favorable future if he could just straighten himself out.
Luis Curvelo is the rare reliever in the system with both options and more than a few minutes of MLB experience. Unfortunately, that means his fate isn’t really in his own hands. The front office might decide he’s one of the top eight and keep him. They might also decide he’s one of the top eight but option him anyway to give someone else a chance. Unfair, but such is life. Regardless, with continued strong outings he’ll force the issue.
Waiver-pickup Michel Otanez showed why he was claimed and why he was designated in the first place. His staccato delivery is fun to watch and probably disconcerting to hitters, but results were wildly inconsistent. He’s been optioned, and I wouldn’t put rent/mortgage money on him maintaining a 40 spot through early April. I do hope I get to see him in Round Rock, though.
Gavin Collyer’s average fastball velocity of 97.8 is the highest in the system this spring. He’s fanned eight in 7.2 innings but also walked or hit five. At present his strike rate is a respectable 63%, but until recently it was under 60%, a level at which innings are under constant threat of unraveling. He’d have a better chance as the final piece of a bullpen with no other questions, but that’s not the situation. He is, however, putting himself in a position to be among the earliest call-ups.
Peyton Gray’s fastest spring four-seamer of 94.3 is 0.8 below Collyer’s slowest, but he’s raised his profile as much as anyone. Gray was unscored upon until Monday and has struck out 14 in 8.2 innings while walking none. Nearly half of his pitches have been changeups, and more than half (56%) of opposing swings against them have drawn air. (The league miss rate on changes is 33%.) Gray is 30, originally an undrafted Rockie in 2018, then a Royal, then a Red (but injured) after two years of indy ball, and finally a Ranger as of the previous January.
Marc Church and Emiliano Teodo are still recovering from last season’s injuries. Church made one appearance and was promptly optioned.
40-newcomer Leandro Lopez had no realistic chance of making the squad, but if he’d been made available and claimed in the Rule 5 draft and pitched this well for some other team, he’d be making that squad, and we’d all be ill. Lopez has struck out 10 with one walk and one HBP in 4.1 innings. Among Rangers with at least 50 spring pitches, Lopez’s 44% whiff rate is highest, and his repertoire has expanded to six pitches. I expect he’ll return to Frisco and continue to develop as a starter.
NRIs with MLB experience aside from Sborz and Brasier include Austin Gomber, Patrick Murphy and Cal Quantrill. Murphy hasn’t appeared in a real game in over three weeks. Neither has Quantrill, who received a little attention as a potential fifth-starter fallback because his name is Cal Quantrill, but he hasn’t slowed his precipitous downhill course this spring. His velocity remains okay, but anything in the zone tends to head the opposite direction in a hurry. Gomber has been better, if not exactly encouraging. Beyond the loser of the Rocker/Latz battle, ranking Texas’s starting depth isn’t a fun task.
Hitter Notes Joc Pederson has an ugly line (.172/.314/.172) but looks better under the hood: 58% hard hit, 58% lined or flown, decent chase and contact rates, patient but not passive. That buys some time for the slash stats to (hopefully) catch up to the underlying data, but not an eternity.
Evan Carter is 0-for-11 against lefties this spring, but the rest is mostly favorable: three walks, just one strikeout, three hard hits out of seven in play, just one swinging strike. Ultimately, like Pederson, only the production will matter, but at the least he’s in a much better position than at this time last year.
Aaron Zavala is enjoying the best spring among minor leaguers, hitting .480/.536/.800 with a triple and two homers in 28 trips to the plate. That’s fantastic, but he’s also chasing and missing far more than average, and he’s struck out in more than one-third of his appearances. It’s an issue he’s been fighting since elbow surgery preceding the 2023 season. He’s somehow batting .800 and slugging 1.333 when he puts the ball in play. That won’t last, but regardless, he’s entering the season pointed the right direction.
Alejandro Osuna is hitting .320/.433/.320. Per usual, his contact rates are terrific, but he’s hitting nearly everything on the ground, thus the eight singles and zero extra-base hits. He appears behind Sam Haggerty and Andrew McCutcheon in the pecking order, so his job is to be first in line when a reinforcement is needed.
Departures Texas released RHP Grant Cherry and 1B/RF Kleimir Lemos. The undrafted Cherry was signed out of Long Beach State and threw primarily in long relief for low-A Hickory. The 20-year-old Lemos batted .264/.305/.428 at the complex last summer and played a few games for Hickory late.
Upcoming Analysis of initial minor league rosters, the annual Daily Report Primer, and actual game reports because Round Rock opens the season in just nine days.
Baseball! And Challenges Revisited The Rangers are playing as I type.
Yesterday, I mentioned the nascent analysis by sabermetrician Tom Tango on what situations were preferable for challenges. Essentially, early counts with fewer runners aboard are the worst times to challenge, and deep counts with runners in scoring position are the best.
In Texas’s spring opener, catcher Kyle Higashioka challenged a 0-0 pitch with none on and two out in the top of the 1st. Per Tango’s analysis, that actually has the worst breakeven rate (88%) of any combined count, out and baserunner scenario. The difference between a ball and strike in that situation is about 0.03 runs.
In the 2nd, starter Nathan Eovaldi successfully challenged a full-count ball call with a runner on second to strike out Lane Thomas. The KC announcers mentioned that defensive challenges by the Royals would be made only by catchers.
Yes, I know these are exhibitions, but I’ll be watching how these challenges proceed.
Incoming (All Minor Deals) RHP Austin Bergner (Age 28 on Opening Day) – Usually a starter, Bergner has shuttled between AA and AAA the last four years. He’s handled the lower level just fine (2.96 ERA with solid peripherals), but every stint in AAA has been dreadful (an aggregate and genuine 8.39 ERA).
RHP Ryan Brasier (38) – A name to remember, perhaps. The Wichita Falls native isn’t a kid anymore but in 2025 was dealing a 94 MPH four-seamer and cutter with good extension plus a slider and cutter.
RHP Zach Bryant (27) – Bryant is looking for his first AAA action and had a 6.14 ERA in 48 AA innings with Boston last year, although his peripherals were much better.
RHP Nabil Crismatt (31) – Never mind. He might have ranked ninth or tenth on the starting depth chart but immediately suffered an elbow injury.
RHP Declan Cronin (28) – He’ll miss this year due to elbow surgery but is signed through 2027. Cronin had some success with the Fish in 2024, employing a low-slot sinker and slider to induce grounders and whiffs.
LHP Austin Gomber (32) – Gomber had to settle for a minor deal after reaching free agency. His fastball often dips under 90 nowadays and his K rate is more suitable to the 1970s, but he spent his entire career to date in Colorado, so don’t question his bravery.
RHP Josh Hejka (29) – The submariner is the only John Hopkins alum to play in affiliated ball at any level during the last 13 years. (Most notable alum by far: Davey Johnson.) He’s bounced around several levels over and within the years, and I imagine he’ll keep that role in the Texas system.
RHP Cal Quantrill (31) – In 2022, Quantrill posted a career-high 186 innings with a 3.38 ERA, but most of his statistical markers trended downward, particularly a troubling whiff rate. He bottomed out in 2025, hitting the waiver wire before an outright release in early September. He finished the year in Round Rock and probably will return as potential starting depth.
RHP Austin Roberts (27) – Roberts is into his late 20s without reaching MLB but still has a chance. Last year in AAA he threw a mid-90s four-seamer, cutter, curve and change equally and fanned 23% of his opponents. His control is below average but not outside the realm of acceptability.
RHP Cole Stasio (24) – Stasio went undrafted after five years in a swing role at Baylor. He then pitched for Ogden in the indy Pioneer League with a 5.29 ERA and 65 SO in 64.2 innings. The league ERA was 7.42, so 5.29 is actually pretty salty, ranking 13th among the 51 pitchers with at least 60 innings.
RHP Mason Thompson (28) — Roberts had a memorable June 2021, pitching in Round Rock (where he was born and raised) for opposing El Paso and reaching the Majors a couple of weeks later. Last year’s return from a second elbow surgery (the first was in high school) didn’t go to plan. He relies mostly on mid-90s sinker and slider. Control is an ongoing issue.
LHP Blake Townsend (24) – The beefy Australian switched to (mostly) starting in 2025 in his one free-agent season for the Bucs. He was quite successful, posting a 2.05 ERA in 66 AA innings, albeit with a so-so 20% K rate. I’ve seen a low-slot fastball (that topped at 88 in a lone AAA outing) and sweeper.
RHP Ricardo Velez (27) – An undrafted signing by Minnesota in 2021, Velez was born in Puerto Rico and schooled at the University of Science and Arts in Chickaska, Oklahoma. He spent 2025 mostly in AA Springfield (Cards) and fanned 53 in 58.2 innings with below-average control.
C Jose Herrera (29) – At present, he’s fourth on the catching depth chart. He batted .200/.280/.259 across four seasons in Arizona, varying between frontline, caddy and up-and-down roles.
1B/OF Mark Canha (37) – Canha is a decade older than Nick Pratto (see next) but more likely to contribute to the Rangers as a bench/platoon bat. After eight consecutive seasons of no worse than average offensive production, he pretty much collapsed at the plate in 2025. The question is how much of that can be pinned on a couple of injuries rather than Father Time.
1B Nick Pratto (27) – In my January report, I joked about which AAA vet would replace Abimelec Ortiz in Round Rock. We received an answer within days. Picked 14th overall in 2017, Pratto blasted 36 homers and slugged .602 in the upper minors in 2021. Pratto’s dismal whiff rate (despite not chasing too much) overwhelmed his positives in MLB, and lately, that problem has extended to AAA as well. Maybe Texas can get more from him, but as it stands, I’m loathe to consider him an in-season replacement for Burger or Pederson.
OF Marcus Lee Sang (25) — Frisco is potentially lacking in position players, depending on how aggressive management is with last year’s Hub City squad. Lee Sang might fill the void. He missed nearly all of 2025 to injury. He has a .230/.297/.387 line in 132 AA games in the Philly system.
OF Orlando Martinez (28) – The Cuban was a mid-tier prospect five years ago, but a .250/.303/.393 line in 67 games in 2022 at high-altitude Salt Lake put an end to seeing his names on any lists. He’s spent most of his time in AA (career .268/.337/.420) or Mexico since.
OF Jake Snider (27) – A COF with prior 2B and CF experience, nearly all at the A levels. See also Lee Sang, Marcus.
Likelihood of playing in Arlington this year: Best Odds: Brasier, Canha A Fighting Chance: Gomber, Quantrill, Roberts, Thompson Unlikely: Herrera, Pratto Minimal/None: Bergner, Bryant, Crismatt, Cronin, Hejka, Stasio, Townsend, Velez, Lee Sang, Martinez, Snider
Also incoming and covered previously are RHP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa C Cooper Johnson IF Jonah Bride IF Ritchie Martin IF Tyler Wade IF Andrew Velazquez
Returning Pitchers Josh Sborz (32 on Opening Day), Gavin Collyer (25), Ben Anderson (27) and Aidan Anderson (28) are back. If Sborz can recover the velocity lost after last season’s injury, he could be a factor. If not, he almost certainly won’t. As has been the case since 2023, Sborz is out of options.
Collyer was an honorable-mention 40-man candidate last season but instead became a free agent for a spell. He’s reached the upper 90s, and his breakers have excited the Stuff meters, but control is seriously wanting. In AAA, he missed a ton of bats in the zone, but opponents simply ignored his plentiful out-of-zone pitches. But hey, if Alex Speas could tighten his control enough to reach the Majors, Collyer can too.
Ben is Texas’s 2019 13th-rounder who’s started mostly at Frisco the past two years. Aidan is Grant’s twin brother, back for his fourth season at Texas’s upper levels. At least one Anderson has played for the Rangers every year since 2015, as required by the CBA.
Departing Texas lost RHP Dom Hamel on waivers to the Yankees. The Rangers had claimed him late last September from the Mets, and he always seemed a ripe candidate for designation. His quest to become the first Dominic to play for the Rangers is delayed, if not defeated. The Yankees subsequently ran him through waivers successfully.
Former Royal, Marlin and Cardinal lefty Anthony Veneziano was a Ranger for a few weeks but released in January to join Korea’s SSK Landers (formerly known as the SK Wyverns).
Texas released minor league infielder Williams Wong, noteworthy as Texas’s first-ever Italian signing in 2025, and pitchers Yeimison Arias, Jesus Delgado and Luis Valdez. 2025 Free Agents Moving On (minor deal unless noted) P Geraldo Carillo – Arizona P Jose Gonzalez – Angels (I’d have liked him back) P Michael Plassmeyer – Toronto IF Jax Biggers – Houston OF Dustin Harris – White Sox OF Kellen Strahm – Houston and C Jonah Heim – Atlanta (MLB deal) More Signings and Movement P Kolby Allard — Cleveland P Hans Crouse – Baltimore P Dane Dunning — Seattle P Carl Edwards Jr. — Mets P Gerson Garabito – Milwaukee (he’s back from Korea) P Jonathan Hernandez – Philadelphia P John King – Miami (MLB deal) P Martin Perez — Atlanta C Jorge Alfaro – Kansas City IF Nathaniel Lowe — Cincinnati IF Nick Solak – San Diego IF Davis Wendzel — Pittsburgh
IF Luisangel Acuna was traded to the White Sox (part of Luis Robert deal)
The Dodgers designated IF Andy Ibanez for assignment three weeks after signing him to an MLB deal at $1.2 million. He was claimed by the Athletics.
Baltimore released lefty Walter Pennington. He was on the minor 60-day IL when the season ended.
Last Thursday, Texas traded OF Yeremi Cabrera, IF Gavin Fien, IF Devin Fitz-Gerald, 1B Abimelec Ortiz and RHP Alejandro Rosario to Washington for LHP MacKenzie Gore. I was in the midst of some lengthy days inspecting several south Texas ranches when the news broke. Instead of typing a draft of my trade thoughts that evening, I reviewed my notes from the work day and planned the next as I ate enchiladas at a dive in Hebbronville. Gore would have to wait.
Baseball America had Fien 3rd on the Rangers, Fitz-Gerald 8th, Rosario 13th, Cabrera 14th and Ortiz outside the top 30 (but he shouldn’t be, in my opinion). Baseball Prospectus had Fien 2nd, Rosario 3rd, Fitz-Gerald 8th, Ortiz 16th and Cabrera 18th.* MLB Pipeline hasn’t offered its prospect rankings yet.
I’ll be honest: My immediate reaction was “that’s too much to give up.” And now I’ll be really honest: My immediate reaction to such trades is always “too much” because I’m biased. I write about Texas’s prospects, and when the Rangers trade them, I have fewer to write about. Instead of watching Abi Ortiz, I’ll be largely ignoring the yet-to-be-signed AAA vet who replaces him.
Despite that bias, over the years I have moved to the belief that prospects mostly exist to be traded. I don’t mean traded willy-nilly, but since most prospects don’t pan out, a critical skill for any club is to identify the time frame in which a prospect has possibly peaked in value and then capitalize, especially when the club’s competitive window demands it.
The Rangers may have accomplished just that for as many as four of the five players involved. Maybe that’s an overstatement, but Fitz-Gerald, Cabera and Ortiz are certainly on the upswing, and Fien hasn’t been around long enough to be anything but 2025’s 12th-overall pick. That of course doesn’t mean they’re all standing next to a cliff. Fien could be a top-100 guy next year (or right now, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law). Ortiz could make Washington’s Opening Day roster with a good spring. But it’s also possible that a good number of them could have middling seasons resulting in blander reassessments come autumn.**
“Polarizing” might be too strong a description of Fien, but he does have champions (like Law) and detractors (like Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, who rated him more a comp-round pick than a top-15. Nominally a shortstop, he has the common, conjoined questions of how far he’ll slide down the defensive spectrum and whether he’ll hit well enough at his eventual resting place. The Nats obviously viewed him favorably.
A baseball player from birth, Fitz-Gerald is exceptionally polished for his age. That can sometimes be a backhanded compliment. Polish gives a player a strong leg up in the lower levels compared to those still figuring out how to play, but at the higher levels, polish-over-talent types get exposed. Fitz isn’t lacking talent, though, and has the upside of an everyday 2B or 3B. Another possibility is a super-utility role, although how super will depend on what he can offer at short. Fitz-Gerald was the 165th player taken in the 2024 draft, so in a sense, his becoming a critical piece of a major trade is already a win for the Rangers.
Rosario is the one traded at an ebb, although he still has plenty of value. Remarkably, the gap between his elbow injury and surgery will be nearly a year, and he might still be ramping up when the 2027 season starts. Remember, Rosario missed the tail of 2024 as well. He’d been promoted to AA Frisco at the beginning of September but was shut down with fatigue before making an appearance there. Rosario will have no fewer than 32 months between pitches in real games.
Incidentally, Rosario’s final low-A start in 2024 was against Washington’s Fredericksburg affiliate and witnessed by yours truly while on business in DC. It was his worst of the seasons in terms of runs allowed, but I was still dazzled. A couple of hiccups aside, his stuff was terrific, he controlled it well, and he wasn’t one of those “well… if he can figure out a change” wannabes destined for relief. This fall, he’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if unprotected, and I’m inclined to think he’ll be added despite the lengthy absence, assuming the recovery proceeds as planned. His upside is that high. In a chat, Longenhagen described his ceiling as “that of a player you basically can’t acquire.”
Cabrera batted .256/.364/.366 as a 19-year-old in low-A. More power may be on the way, and he’s a strong runner (43 SB, 4 caught) and solid in center. I’d tend to think of him more as a future 4th or 5th outfielder than a regular, but everyday play is conceivable. I will say that I saw Cabrera several times in two trips to Surprise, and he never showed me anything in person. Just completely, annoyingly nondescript. That’s just bad luck, not an indication of his future. Former Texas Echedry Vargas awed me in March 2024, and a year later he was batting .201/.255/.322 in high-A. Never get too high or low on limited looks.
I was looking forward to Ortiz’s 2026, and I say that as someone who at times has been out on him as a prospect. As a Ranger, there was a scenario in which he hit well from the get-go to replace a struggling Burger or Pederson. Everyone’s production is amplified by the environment in AAA, and Ortiz did play 11 of his 38 games at Albuquerque last year, but his line of .283/.388/.565 is backed by formidable Statcast data. He was especially proficient at attacking upper-third fastballs, particularly those starting the at-bat. I did notice that, as a group, opposing pitchers never adjusted, continuing to deal his preferred offerings despite ample evidence of negative outcomes. At some point, they will, and then we’ll find out what Ortiz can really do. The Nats don’t have a set 1B right now, best as I can tell.
This was a volume trade. I would rather the Rangers send this type of package than fewer and better prospects. Texas still has Sebastian Walcott, Caden Scarborough, David Davalillo, Jose Corneill and Winston Santos. Despite relative weakness in hitting prospects, the Rangers effected a hitter-heavy package. That does leave the Rangers very light on future bats and in the short run forces us to dream harder on last year’s draft haul and January’s international intake.
I’m not going to focus as much on Gore, because you probably already know about him. Rather than write about him at length myself, I’ll recommend this deep dive by Adam Morris of Lone Star Ball.
The short version is the Gore has the makings of a top-of-rotation pitcher. Contra Texas’s reputation as a place where pitchers go to die, the Rangers actually have a several-years-long history of getting strong results from newly acquired pitchers, plus a stadium far more favorable than The Ballpark. There’s a chance Gore surpasses prior results as a Ranger. But more likely, Texas is getting a #3 type, and that’s fine. Some days you’ll be thinking Texas simply stole him form the Nats, and some days you’ll be grimacing and checking on Fien’s stats at low-A Fredericksburg.
Gore misses a ton of bats but struggles with wildness and hard contact. He has a .325 career average on opposing balls in play, about 30 points above the NL average. Regression toward the mean would seem to be in order, but he’s faced 2,300 batters, and his season-long BABIP has never been lower than .309. Moving to Texas might help some, as Washington had perennially poor defense, but at this point the safer bet might be to assume he’s an outlier.
As of now, Texas has a rotation of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Gore, Jack Leiter, and probably either Jacob Latz or Kumar Rocker. That’s pretty darn good.
What of depth? Texas has needed at least ten starters in each of the past three seasons. Even with Gore, counting up to ten with the current roster isn’t easy. Cody Bradford is hopefully back in May, Jose Corniell is knocking on the door, and Winston Santos and David Davalillo are walking up the path. The latter three are awfully green, though. There are and will be more NRIs, of course, but I’d be amenable to another MLB contract if there’s any change to spare. Imagine an injury to one of the top four during Spring Training. Suddenly, both Latz and Rocker are in the rotation, the immediate backups are Corniell and someone like Nabil Crismatt, and the rebuilt-from-scratch bullpen will be under more pressure. Texas doesn’t have to rush another signing, though, if one’s in the offing. Last year, Patrick Corbin (an unexpected godsend) was signed on March 18th in response to Jon Gray’s injury.
The Rangers badly needed a pitcher of Gore’s caliber to contend, and they got one despite monetary constraints. They gave up a lot to acquire Gore.
** To be clear, I’m not rooting against anyone Texas traded. Quite the opposite. Trade analysis can get a little bloodless, but at the end of the day, these are actual people, and rooting against people is a bad way to go through life.
The Rangers began the day with six openings on the 40. That’s the most since at least 2017, the farthest back I checked.
In the MLB portion of the draft, the Rangers didn’t select or lose anyone but subsequently acquired the fifth pick via trade. 23-year-old righty Carter Baumler will attempt to win a spot in the Texas bullpen. Originally drafted in 2020’s fifth and final round by Baltimore and given 1.5 million reasons to spurn a TCU commitment, Baumler has spent more time on the shelf than the mound. From 2021 through 2024, he made a total of 21 appearances covering 49 innings. Not until 2025 did he string together a lengthy group of appearances, and even then he missed the opening month. He’s pitched only 7.2 innings above high-A, finishing 2025 with six AA relief outings.
Baumler has appeared sparingly on various prospect rankings over the years but always with caveats about his perpetually hindered development. 2025 was a major step forward, though, as his fastball graduated to middle 90s with strong induced vertical break. His primary bender is a taut low-80s curve, and he adds a slider and change. In late June, he pitched a season-high 2.1 innings with one flared hit and three strikeouts against Texas’s high-A affiliate in Spartanburg. Given the jump being asked of him, I’m congenitally disposed to say odds aren’t great that he’ll make the Opening Day roster, but he’ll be offered a full and legitimate chance.
Pittsburgh drafted Baumler and traded him to Texas for cash and 6’4” righty Jaiker Garcia, who I’ve never mentioned before. Until today, neither had anyone else I know with the exception Jamey Newberg, who typed the name in one of his missives from Fall Instructs, but only because Garcia was facing infield prospect Devin Fitz-Gerald, the focus of Jamey’s report. Garcia signed as an infielder in early 2022 but converted to the mound after one season. In 2025 as a 20-year-old, he made his stateside debut and in 19.1 rookie-level innings fanned 26 and walked 14 in 19.1 innings with a 4.66 ERA. Per Fangraphs, Garcia has touched 98 and flashed a plus changeup.
Cam Cauley remains a Ranger. In recent seasons, Baseball America has presented an initial, brief list of potential Rule 5 picks augmented to absurd proportions by the time the draft actually occurs. This year’s final list had 85 names but only one Ranger, Cauley, who wasn’t on the original shortlist but added soon after. MLB.com held Cauley in higher esteem, including him as one of only two hitters on a nine-player list televised just prior to the draft. Of 13 players selected, the only batter was Athletics catcher Daniel Susac, picked by the Twins and traded to the Giants.
In the minor league phase, the Rangers added one and lost two. Joining the organization from Boston is righty Jonathan Brand, listed at 5’9” and a stout 200 pounds. A 2022 eighth-rounder and 26 come February, Brand split most of 2025 in high-A Greenville and AA Portland, posting a 2.45 ERA with 16 walks and 59 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. He also had a lone belly-flop in AAA Worcester (5 batters, 4 runs). Brand offers a four-seamer around 91 plus a little bit of everything else. He’s not subject to any retention rules; Texas simply inherits his contract, which at the minor level could run through 2028.
Gone are RHPs Jackson Kelley (White Sox) and Kyle Larsen (Pirates). Kelley was picked out of Mercer in 2022’s 12th round. The side-armer had missed bats with abandon until 2025, when an injury kept him off the field until June, and he K’ed only 26 in 30 AA innings while also walking more than usual. He might pitch well in AAA, but reaching the Majors would really be something.
In the ’21 draft, Texas was able to sign 2nd-rounder Aaron Zavala on the cheap because of his medicals, and the Rangers spent only $135,000 combined on picks 6, 7, 9 and 10. (Incidentally, two of those reached the Majors: Chase Lee and Liam Hicks. Nice job, scouts.) Several others reaped the benefits including Larsen, who was awarded $575,000 despite his 18th-round selection. Unfortunately, Larsen has been as injury-prone as Baumler, pitching only 2.2 innings in his first three pro seasons and 96 thereafter, and he’d yet to reach high-A. Still, in a draft that is intended mostly for filling organizational holes, Larsen might actually have some upside.
Incoming
Texas has signed a few players recently. Back with the Rangers is righty reliever Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, aka “AHT,” aka “Bubba.” He was a fringe 40 candidate after 2023, then traded for Robbie Grosssman Part II in May 2024. He didn’t pitch in any real games in 2025, and his transaction list reads oddly: temporarily inactive in March, restricted in April, released in July, out of contract until late November.
Soon-to-be-30 3B Jonah Bride hit an out-of-nowhere .276/.357/.461 in 71 games for Miami in 2024 (while managed by Skip Schumacher) but couldn’t maintain that success last year with the Fish or Twins. 31-year-old Tyler Wade has enough positional flexibility to have played in nine consecutive MLB seasons despite a career line of .216/.294/.284. Also 31, infielder (and occasional OF) Andrew Velazquez spent 2025 with the AAA club of the Yankees (.242/.304/.345 in 106 games) following occasional MLB action with the Rays, Guardians O’s and Angels during 2018-2023.
Returning after a brief spell as a free agent is catcher Cooper Johnson, who’ll share duties in Round Rock. Also back is IF Ritchie Martin, a first-rounder from 2015 swiped by Baltimore from Oakland in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Martin stuck out the whole season but didn’t hit much, and he was playing for Gastonia in the indy Atlantic League when Texas offered him a org spot last summer.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW: HIGH-A SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
Hub City Spartanburgers (65-66) vs. Tampa Bay-affiliated Bowling Green Hot Rods (69-61)
Season Run Differential: Hub City -1, Bowling Green +63 Last 20 Games: Hub City 10-10, Bowling Green 11-9 Season Series: Bowling Green 6-5
How They Got Here Bowling Green solely owned the first-half lead for the last 3.5 weeks but never by more than two games, holding off Hub City and a Greenville squad that faltered late.
With 13 games to play in the second half, Hub City, Bowling Green and Greenville were tied at 27-26. The Spartanburgers led by two games entering the final series but lost four of six while Bowling Green won five to capture the second-half title. Hub City still advanced because of the second-best second-half record (34-32). Greenville (66-66) would have advanced instead of Hub City under the old playoff rules that used the second-best full-season record.
History 2025 is Hub City’s inaugural season. Texas’s high-A squad was eliminated in the opening rounds of 2023 and 2019 following league championships by Down East (2017) and 2016 (High Desert).
Bowling Green’s history is formidable, including three Sally titles in the four seasons since realignment. Prior to 2020, the Hot Rods were a perennially strong low-A entry.
Top 30 Active Prospects Per MLB.com Hub City: #8 RHP Caden Scarborough #11 C Malcolm Moore #16 OF Dylan Dreiling #23 RHP Kolton Curtis #29 OF Maxton Martin
Bowling Green: #6 OF Aidan Smith #10 RHP Trevor Harrison #11 RHP Santiago Suarez #12 RHP Jose Urbina #13 RHP Gary Gill Hill #27 C Nathan Flewelling #28 MIF Emilien Pitre #29 MIF Adrian Santana Offense / Possible Position Players C Malcolm Moore / Ben Hartl 1B Arturo Disla / Rafe Perich 2B John Taylor / Casey Cook 3B Gleider Figuereo / Rafe Perich SS Luke Hanson / John Taylor LF Casey Cook / Yeison Morrobel CF Dylan Dreiling RF Maxton Martin / Antonis Macias
Sorry, but this is a bland offense. The Burgers scored 6% fewer runs than the league average with a 95 OPS+ and didn’t do anything well except avoid strikeouts. 3B Gleider Figuereo (.201/.287/.353) led the club with 18 homers but hit only three in 36 games after the All-Star break. Malcolm Moore (.198/.293/.271) sneaked in a nice week in August but otherwise struggled after returning from a broken finger. Rafe Perich (.202/.322/.274) didn’t hit much after being promoted, and Yeison Morrobel (.170/.248/.278) declined in a repeat at this level.
The good news is that both 2025 2nd-rounder Dylan Dreiling (.226/.319/.381) and 3rd-rounder Casey Cook (.205/.302/.294) were better down the stretch. Dreiling had the team’s most homers (four) after the break and pushed his season OPS+ to 113. Newcomer Maxton Martin (.258/.347/.445 including Hickory) hit well after his promotion from Hickory. Ben Hartl (.245/.389/.305 including Hickory) is the #2 catcher but also the best on-base threat thanks to 33 walks and 32 (!) HBP in 337 trips to the plate, mostly in low-A. 1B/COF Quincy Scott (.231/.328/.321) was activated from a lengthy IL stint today; he’s yet another slightly-below-average hitter but an improvement on Morrobel and can swipe a base.
Paxton Kling played only 11 games with the Burgers, but his injury last week brought wholesale changes to the defensive alignment. Casey Cook spent his entire season at second or short until last Friday, when he made the first of three straight starts in left (his most common position at UNC in his draft year). John Taylor started the final three games at second, which he’d manned before but never that frequently. Dylan Dreilng shifted back to center, which he’d typically occupied before Kling’s arrival.
Hub City will bat Macias, Dreiling, Moore, Hartl (DH), Martin, Cook, Figuereo, Taylor and Hanson. I’m happy to say that for fun, I played manager this morning and made my own lineup, and it was nearly identical with the primary exception of moving Moore to the bottom.
Bowling Green outscored the league average by 9%. Other than leading the league in walks, the offense isn’t especially dynamic, but they do everything pretty well and it adds up. 40-steal batters are CF Aidan Smith (.237/.331/.388, 14 HR), SS Adrian Santana (.263/.324/.326) and OF Mac Horvath (.233/.333/.395, 16 HR). 2B Emilien Pitre (.268/.356/.393, 9 HR, 14 SB) is good all-around.
Pitching / Possible Rotation (* equals guess based on past use) Hub City: SP1: Dylan MacLean (3.34 ERA, .200/.243/.366 oppo, 6% BB+HBP, 23% SO) SP2: Caden Scarborough (0.00 ERA, .133/.204/.133 oppo, 8% BB+HBP, 39% SO) SP3: Dalton Pence (1.55 ERA, .192/.259/.234 oppo, 9% BB+HBP and 28% SO)
MacLean isn’t the big name but is a capable starter, one of the only pitchers on the staff with good control. Aidan Curry, ordinarily the starter for Hub City’s second game of the week, is being skipped to push up Scarborough and Pence, who will still be pitching on normal rest because of a day off Wednesday. Scarborough has been indomitable, and Pence has adapted well to a starting role. Curry has been better since returning from an Arizona reboot, but Hub City has its three best starters lined up. Hopefully, they can be pushed a little harder than usual under the circumstances, because…
Hub City’s relief corps is worryingly thin. Gone are Erik Loomis, Wilian Bormie, Joey Danielson and Josh Mollerus. To a man, the relievers have distressing control, in aggregate a BB+HBP rate of over 20%. Victor Simeon got most of the save chances down the stretch but walked or hit 49 and unleashed 11 wild pitches in 44.2 IP. Simeon does miss bats, though (32% rate), and relying on him and the other high-K guys (Jesus Gamez, Case Matter, Adrian Rodriguez) might be a path forward.
Bowling Green’s run prevention was above average, but opponents batted .237 and slugged .374, both among the worst figures in the league. The Hot Rods were shockingly homer-prone, easily worst in the league, and they weren’t strong in strikeouts. They’re superior at avoiding walks, one of the best teams I’ve encountered. This does leave an opening for Hub City’s hitters, who as a group don’t have good power but don’t strike out much. A line of attack could be putting a bunch of balls in play, potentially stringing together some hits and maybe launching a few.
Drew Dowd (2.60 ERA, .196/.268/.286, 9% BB+HBP, 32% SO) was the save leader down the stretch and hasn’t allowed a run in 20 innings. Noah Beal and Seth Chavez were the busiest relievers; neither was especially effective. As a group, the BG pen has less upside but more stability. This afternoon, Bowling Green received relievers Jonathan Russell and Jadon Berkovich both of whom pitched well for low-A Charleston.
Defense Hub City’s defense isn’t a weakness, but Bowling Green is better in several respects such as converting double play opportunities, limiting the running game and avoiding errors.
Advantages Hitting – Bowling Green Pitching – Hub City (rotation), Bowling Green (bullpen) Defense – Bowling Green
Park Factor Both parks are dead average.
Outlook If I had to put $100 on the series, first I’d question my life choices, and then I’d pick Bowling Green. They’re better on paper. That said, this series is roughly the equivalent of the Royals facing the Mets. Hub City emerging victorious isn’t a stretch.
Most Recent Texas-Affiliated Championship Teams AAA: 1996 Oklahoma City 89ers AA: 2022 Frisco RoughRiders Hi-A: 2017 Down East Wood Ducks (co-champion) Lo-A: 2015 Hickory Crawdads Short-A: 2008 Spokane Indians (RIP) Rookie: 2019 Rangers DSL: 2014 Rangers
Elsewhere Tampa Bay claimed RHP Caleb Boushley. Trey Supak (AAA) and Josh Trentadue (AA) are starting tonight. Hickory’s season is over.
