Category: Daily Report

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at El Paso (SDG) 14
Round Rock: 15 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 18-20, 7 GB

SP Robert Dugger: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 72 P / 38 S, 23.63 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.76 ERA
1B Jake Burger: 2-6, HR (1), .350/.435/.500
DH Kyle Higashioki: 1-5, 2B
3B Cody Freeman: 3-5, 2B, .328/.372/.500
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 3-3, BB, HBP, .176/.292/.176

Look at the schedule next time, Mr. Dugger. If you’d said “I can’t start work until Tuesday, I’ve, uh, got to help my cousin move this weekend,” you’d have made your first start in Round Rock instead of El Paso.

Dane Dunning gave up six runs and retired five batters.

Jonathan Ornelas had 36 extra-base hits three years ago in AA and 28 his first season in AAA. This year, none. He’s always been among the most grounder-inclined hitters in the PCL. If we could combine Ornelas’s exit velocities, which remain strong, and Dustin Harris’s launch angles, we’d have a terrific MLB hitter.

AA: Frisco 1, at San Antonio (SDG) 2
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 20-12, 2 G up

SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 SO, 75 P / 52 S, 1.59 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.20 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, .246/.356/.368
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 2 BB, .221/.429/.368
1B Josh Hatcher: 1-3, 3B, BB, .271/.286/.458

In the 9th with Frisco up 1-0, CF Alejandro Osuna dove but failed to snare Kai Murphy’s sinking liner, resulting in a leadoff triple. As I looked up the catch probability needed to justify the dive (versus conceding a single), Mission Romeo Sanabria smashed a no-doubt two-out walk-off homer.

Mitch Bratt reached double-digit strikeouts for the first time. Bratt has 39 strikeouts and five walks in 31.2 innings. He’s been among the best pitchers in the system in 2025, and at 21, he’s quite young for the level. Bratt should be taken seriously as a back-of-rotation candidate.

Hi-A: Hub City 5, Greensboro (PIT) 9
Hub City: 5 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 14 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, 1 GB

SP DJ McCarty: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 70 P / 34 S, 11.34 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.42 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .217/.282/.304
2B Casey Cook: 1-3, BB, .163/.259/.204

2024 3rd-rounder Casey Cook’s trouble converting balls in play to hits has persisted. He’s striking out at a reasonable rate (22%) but has a .219 average on contact compared to the league’s .331. Cook has been grounder-heavy, but that doesn’t fully explain the situation. He’s hitting .189 on grounders (178th of 200 in high-A with at least 20), .125 on flies (145th of 176 with at least 20) and .455 on liners (231st of 239 with at least 10). I don’t have Statcast data at this level, but I would assume (or at least hope for) some bad luck.

Lo-A: Hickory 4, at Augusta (ATL) 9
Hickory: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-17, 4 GB

SP Aneudis Mejia: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 61 P / 34 S, 4.91 ERA
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .259/.300/.393

Guerrero read my notes from yesterday and said “more hits, I’m on it.” Brock Porter allowed a run on two hits but walked none in an inning.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Abbott
AA: Supak
Hi-A: Curtis
Lo-A: Agreda

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best strikeout-avoider during 2007-2024 was infielder Hanser Alberto, who fanned in 233 of his 2,537 full-season plate appearances, a 9.2% rate. OF Eduard Pinto was lower (7.8%) but had only 40% of Alberto’s trips to the plate, so I awarded Alberto. Five of the best 24 single-season K rates (min. 300 PA) belong to him. He fashioned an eight-year, five-team MLB career with a .269/.292/.381 line and 12% K rate. In 2019, he qualified for the batting title with 550 PA and hit .305, eight-best in the AL. His Orioles were terrible, but that wasn’t his fault. Now 32, he’s still active in Mexico.

Best SO%, season (min. 500 PA):
Yangervis Solarte, 7% (2012)
Jared Prince, 8% (2011)
Zach Granite, 8% (2019)

Best SO%, season (min. 400-499 PA):
Tomas Telis, 7% (2011)
Julio Borbon , 9% (2009)
Hanser Alberto, 9% (2014)

Best SO%, season (min. 300-399 PA):
Eduard Pinto, 5% (2015)
Hanser Alberto, 7% (2018)
Eduard Pinto 7% (2016)

Best SO%, career (min. 900 PA)
Eduard Pinto, 8%
Hanser Alberto, 9%
Tomas Telis, 10%

Fewest SO per H, career (min. 900 PA):
Eduard Pinto, 0.31
Hanser Alberto, 0.35
Tomas Telis, 0.37

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at El Paso (SDG) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 19-18, 7 GB

SP Ty Blach: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 73 P / 52 S, 0.00 ERA
1B Jake Burger: 2-3, BB, .357/.471/.357

Newcomer Ty Blach missed 11 bats, mostly with the change. He signed last week and pitched in the Complex League opener. He’s pitched 520 MLB innings for the Giants and Rox.

Cole Winn still hasn’t allowed an earned run but was on the mound when the game ended. An errant throw from 3B Cody Freeman put a runner on first to start the 9th. After a sac bunt and two walks (one intentional), Oscar Gonzalez hit a hard, high chopper than just eluded 2B Justin Foscue to plate the winning run.

David Buchanan signed with Taiwan’s Fubon club. Now his release makes more sense. Not that he was pitching well for Round Rock, but he was a Triple A Inning Eater, the type whose run-prevention prowess is almost secondary to organizational needs.

Baltimore outrighted reliever Walter Pennington. The Orioles had claimed him off waivers from Texas. Finally pitching in real games, he walked six of ten batters across outings with high-A Aberdeen and AAA Norfolk.

AA: Frisco 4, at San Antonio (SDG) 3
Frisco: 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 20-11, 3 G up

SP Ben Anderson: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 84 P / 51 S, 6.29 ERA

Frisco had only four hits, but the Missions committed at least that many defensive mistakes including three meaningful errors. Bryan Magdaleno walked a couple and gave up two runs in two innings. He’s having a devil of a time control-wise, walking or hitting 14 in 9.2 innings and dealing strikes on only 51% of his pitches.

Hi-A: Hub City 1, Greensboro (PIT) 3
Hub City: 4 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-14, tied for first

SP David Davalillo: 6 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 76 P / 46 S, 1.37 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, SB (13), .271/.339/.299
C Julian Brock: 2-3, 2 2B, BB, SB (3), .171/.244/.300

David Davalillo pitched well, again, but Greensboro crept ahead late with runs off Willan Bormie and Joey Danielson.

Lo-A: Hickory 7, at Augusta (ATL) 4
Hickory: 9 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 15-16, 4 GB

SP Mason Molina: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 41 S, 4.50 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.23 ERA
1B Maxton Martin: 2-5, 2B, .294/.325/.471
DH Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2B, HR (3), .250/.293/.389
3B Rafe Perich: 1-3, 2 BB, .188/.310/.302
2B Antonis Macias: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (1), .234/.413/.325

Pablo Guerrero has six hits including two homers in his last four games. Nobody’s expecting him to be Vlad or Vlad Jr. or Vlad anything, but he is a first baseman, so keep the big hits coming.

I knew Rafe Perich would be the type to reach base even when slumping, but I didn’t think he’d be hitting .188 into mid-May. He’s 2-for-26 with 11 walks in his last nine games. Plenty of time, though.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Bratt
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Mejia

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
Texas’s ultimate walk machine during 2007-2024 was Jayce Easley, a 2018 fifth-rounder. Drew Robinson has the most, courtesy of a lengthier career, and Trevor Hauver has the most in a season, but for me, Easley had the best combination of high walk rate, a long-enough career, and dependence on walks. In 321 full-season games, Easley drew 214 walks and had 203 hits, one of only two players in the system with more freebies than hits (current Ranger Ian Moller is the other). 2021 was especially fun: 78 walks, 76 hits, 70 stolen bases.

I might have arrived at a different conclusion (like Johnny Whittleman) had I adjusted my data for seasonal league-wide walk rates, which have risen considerably post-covid. A 15% walk rate isn’t what it used to be. But after an exhausting work deadline and two-thirds of a glass a wine, the only adjustments were to my positioning on the couch.

Easley was released last summer and is currently the offensive coordinator for his high school team in Glendale, AZ.

Most walks:
Drew Robinson, 424
Preston Beck, 333
Johnny Whittleman, 322

Most walks, season:
Trevor Hauver, 93 (2022)
Aaron Zavala, 89 (2022)
Johnny Whittleman, 89 (2008)

Highest walk rate (min. 900 PA):
Jayce Easley, 18%
Ian Moller, 17%
Trevor Hauver, 16%

Highest walk rate, season (min. 300 PA):
Trevor Hauver, 21% (2022)
Jayce Easley, 19% (2021)
Nick Vickerson, 18% (2014)

Walk/hits ratio (min. 900 PA):
Ian Moller, 1.06
Jayce Easley, 1.02
Nick Vickerson, 0.98

Walk/Hit ratio, season (min. 300 PA):
Trevor Hauver: 1.26 (2022)
Marcus Smith, 1.22 (2022)
Aaron Zavala, 1.09 (2023)

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at El Paso (SDG) 4
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 18-18, 7 GB

SP Adrian Houser: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 SO, 91 P / 53 S, 6.46 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.63 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (12), .277/.371/.465

Jake Burger had the game’s hardest ball in play (114.2) and another at 98 but was 0-3.

Emiliano Teodo pitched a scoreless rehab inning with two strikeouts at the complex. (And 2024 5th-round MIF Devin Fitz-Gerald hit his first homer, and 3B Yolfran Castillo was 2-5 with a walk and two steals.)

AA: Frisco 12, at San Antonio (SDG) 6
Frisco: 12 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 19-11, 3 G ahead

SP Josh Stephan: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 60 P / 35 S, 9.10 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, BB, .306/.383/.450
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, BB, .252/.361/.369
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, 2 BB, .190/.393/.349
DH Abimelec Ortiz: 3-5, 2 2B, .214/.296/.350

Frisco scored four in the 9th to break open what was a closer game than the final score alleges. The Riders are the league’s only team better than average in both runs scored and allowed. Everyone reached safely except Josh Hatcher, who was hitting an even .400 early but is 4-for-44 with one walk in his last 11 games.

Hi-A: Hub City 2, Greensboro (PIT) 5
Hub City: 6 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-13, tied for 1st

SP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 68 P / 41 S, 0.47 ERA

Walks, HBPs and errors contributed to every Grasshopper run.

Lo-A: Hickory 3, at Augusta (ATL) 2
Hickory: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 14-16, 4 GB

SP Caden Scarborough: 4 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 67 P / 41 S, 4.03 ERA
SS Chandler Pollard: 1-3, 2 BB, 2 SB (16), .321/.398/.346
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .240/.279/.346

Pollard’s 16 steals leads the system; others with double digits are Kellen Strahm, Anthony Gutierrez and Cam Cauley. The MiLB leader is Cleveland prospect Tommy Hawke with 33 in 29 games. That’s a lot.

The Carolina League has bad control (14.4% BB/HBP rate). Hickory was worse early but at 14.1% has slid below the league average recently. Aiding that cause is none other than Caden Scarborough, who’s walked or hit only eight of 91 batters faced. He’d been quite wild previously, and based on what I saw in March, control wasn’t going to be a prominent feature of 2025. He’s been terrific lately.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: Molina

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best tripler in the system during 2007-2024 was OF Engel Beltre, one of the more exciting yet frustrating prospects to grace the Texas system. He leads the organization with 46 during that span. In 2012, he collected 17 plus 17 doubles and 13 homers. For his career, 24% of his extra-base hits were triples.

 A strong alternative is OF Chris Garia, who hit more triples (27) than doubles (24) in his career. In 2014, he had seven doubles, 11 triples and four homers, so a full 50% of his extra-base hits were triples.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at El Paso (SDG) 12
Round Rock: 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 9 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-18, 7 GB

SP Gerson Garabito: 3.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 71 P / 39 S, 9.95 ERA
DH Jake Burger: 2-4
1B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, BB, .308/.411/.504
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, .327/.371/.500

Jonathan Ornelas played left field yesterday so the second time this season. Texas promoted OF Marcus Smith from Hub City, but that’s just a “we need a guy” situation.

While I’m happy for Blaine Crim, of course, it’s telling that Justin Foscue did not get the call, as he was already on the 40 and is hitting the same as ever plus a few extra singles.

AA: Frisco 6, at San Antonio (SDG) 1
Frisco: 12 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 0 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 18-11, 3 G up

SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 2.42 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 3.38 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 6.34 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, SB (7), .252/.361/.369
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, BB, .190/.393/.349
3B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, 2B, 3B, .345/.394/.476
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-5, .214/.296/.350
SS Cam Cauley: 3-4, HR (2), .220/.307/.330

The Texas system threw its third no-hitter of the still-young season. One was an eight-inning version that Hickory lost 1-0 and might not appear wherever the record-keepers keep their records, but it’s not for others to tell us what’s worth remembering. Anyway, Kohl Drake handled the first 18 outs, Ryan Lobus the next four, and Skylar Hales the final five.

Frisco hadn’t thrown a no-hitter since July 2011, when Joe Wieland took care of business all by himself in the same stadium. He threw 109 pitches as a 21-year-old, an impossibility today. His next start would be in the same stadium but wearing a different uniform, as he would be traded to San Diego with Robbie Erlin for reliever Mike Adams at the deadline. The Rangers were really strong that year and might have won the World Series had the season not been cancelled. A pity.

Sebastian Walcott peaked at an OBP of .409 and slug of .451 about two weeks ago, after which he’s batted .148/.207/.148. Long season.

Abi Ortiz through 26 games played at the same level in 2024 and 2025:
Line: .222/.288/.374 in 2024, .214/.296/.350 in 2025
Hits: 22 both years
Extra-Base Hits: 10 last year, 8 this year
Walks: 9 last yeaar, 10 this year
Strikeouts: 21 last year, 29 this year

Hi-A: Hub City 7, Greensboro (PIT) 5
Hub City: 8 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 17-12, 1 G up

SP Aidan Curry: 4.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 87 P / 48 S, 5.51 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.64 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.63 ERA
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, .224/.284/.282

Yeison Morrobel batted third and acted like it in his first game back fro the lef injury.

I’ve been doing this long enough to avoid prematurely suggesting a player has turned a corner. After his best start in two years, Aidan Curry matched a season-high four walks. He’d actually avoided that trouble through four, but difficulty in putting away batters resulted in walks to three of four batters on a total of 24 pitches in the 5th.

Lo-A: Hickory 1, at Augusta (ATL) 2 (10)
Hickory: 4 hits, 5 walks, 17 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 13-16, 5 GB

SP J’Briell Easley: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 68 P / 43 S, 2.70 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.65 ERA

In the 10th, Hickory put runners on the corners with none out, but every subsequent batter struck out. In the bottom half, Augusta’s Nick Montgomery “singled” off the very top of the wall in left-center off the first pitch from Jake Jekielek to drive in the gift-runner.

Brock Porter missed on nearly half his pitches but managed to record outs in two of three three-ball counts. 2B Antonis Macias isn’t especially K-prone but donned the platinum visor last night.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Stephan
Hi-A: Trentadue
Lo-A: Scarborough

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The most doubles-intensive batter during 2007-2024 was 3B Johnny Whittleman. The leader isn’t obvious like Guilder Rodriguez with singles. Jared Hoying hit the most, and Chad Tracy’s 41 were the most in any one season, but Whittleman was near the top in both categories and tended to make doubles a higher percentage of his hits. 2008 was the standout year, when he hit 38 doubles out of 121 hits between high-A Bakersfield and Frisco. He achieved the pinnacle of doubledom on July 10th, hitting three doubles, driving in one, and scoring three times in a 6-2 victory.

Most doubles (full-season only):
Jared Hoying, 163
Chad Tracy, 153
Drew Robinson and Preston Beck, 150

Doubles as % of hits:
Johnny Whittleman, 29%
Cristian Santana, 27%
Mitch Moreland, 26%

Doubles as % of PA:
Mitch Moreland, 7.2%
Julio Borbon, 6.6%
Curtis Terry, 6.4%

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at El Paso (SDG) 9
Round Rock: 14 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 17-17, 7 GB

SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 73 P / 43 S, 12.46 ERA
RP Joe Barlow: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.11 ERA
SS Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, 2B, HR (4), .346/.393/.673
1B Jake Burger: 1-4, BB
DH Justin Foscue: 2-4, HR (5), BB, .307/.409/.500
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, BB, .320/.366/.490
CF Sam Haggerty: 3-5, 2B, HR (1), .316/.389/.405

Jake Burger had a bloop single in his first AAA appearance.

Sam Haggerty’s chances of returning to the Majors improved with the departure of Leody Taveras, so I’ll point out that his Statcast figures back up his impressive line. He’s making plenty of singles-oriented contact, and while I see some luck on grounders, he’s hit only one ball in excess of 45 degrees (essentially an automatic out) all season.

AA: Frisco 2, at San Antonio (SDG) 9
Frisco: 5 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 17-11, 2 G ahead

SP Daniel Missaki: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SO, 60 P / 35 S, 4.20 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB, .318/.390/.467
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, .169/.381/.339

Recently, the Express active roster appears to contain fewer than the maximum 28 players. Since Taveras won’t be joining, the AAA outfield now consists of Haggerty, Kellen Strahm, Trevor Hauver, and Alex De Goti, an infielder whose eight OF starts in 2025 are already the most of his career. That is all to say, if the Rangers wanted to promote someone from Frisco, maybe a stocky 22-year-old born in Mexico who can hit for average and power and swipe a bag, I’d sign off on that.

Hi-A: Hub City 6, Greensboro (PIT) 2
Hub City: 7 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 1 G ahead

SP Leandro Lopez: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 1.77 ERA
LF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, .261/.355/.380
RF Keith Jones II: 1-4, HR (3), .263/.436/.421
DH Arturo Disla: 1-4, HR (4), .240/.302/.427

Historically wild Leandro Lopez has an 11% walk rate, not bad by modern standards, and opponents are hitting only. 194/.299/.247.

I had no idea what to expect from Keith Jones, a money-saving 9th-round sign from New Mexico State. He crushed the ball as a senior (.367/.472/.710) but did so in the sprawling, video-game environment of the Western Athletic Conference. Even with a high-A assignment, he’s an above-average 23 years old. Such players might have little leeway for extended slumps, but Jones has reached in 22 of 24 games including seven with at least two walks.

Lo-A: Hickory 3, at Augusta (ATL) 1
Hickory: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 13-15, 5 GB

SP Kamdyn Perry: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 4.95 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 1-3, HR (2), .302/.330/.481
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-3, HR (2), .240/.275/.354

Kamdyn Perry, co-owner of Hickory’s no-hitter in April, tossed another five hitless innings. Augusta would single against Michael Trausch the next inning and put at least one runner in scoring position in the final four frames, but only one would score.

Movement
Texas released Round Rock reliever Hunter Strickland, who immediately signed with the Angels. Catcher Cooper Johnson was promoted to Round Rock, and recently signed Kale Emshoff replaced him at Frisco. OF Yeison Morrobel, injured in the Spring Breakout game running to first, was assigned to high-A Hub City after a brief stay at the complex. Catcher Jesus Lopez was assigned to the complex. I could have sworn he was on Hickory’s injured list, but that transaction was either deleted or only existed in my head.

Per local scribes, righty Robert Dugger signed a minor deal with Texas. Dugger was the leader of Round Rock’s rotation in 2023. He spent part of last year in Korea (with no success, sad to say) and had been in Oaxaca to start 2025. MLB Trade Rumors suggested the possibility of a spot start or long relief with the Rangers, and I suppose that’s the upside, but in general I’d say he’s mostly here to bolster a thinned-out Express staff. Texas also signed 29-year-old Cory Abbott, who threw 104.2 not particularly enchanting innings for the Cubs and Nats during 2021-2023. He had been pitching in the Mexican League as well.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Garabito
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Curry
Lo-A: Easley

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The most single-heavy Texas Rangers minor league hitter during 2007-2024 was Guilder Rodriguez. In six seasons and 2,502 plate appearances, Rodriguez batted .256/.335/.288. 498 of his 555 hits, or 90%, were singles, the highest career percentage of any Ranger with at least 200 hits. He never collected more than 13 extra-base hits in any season and had a career total of two homers. My writeup for the first: “Guilder Rodriguez entered Saturday with 534 games, 1,863 plate appearances, and zero home runs. Now he has one.”

Rodriguez also holds the records for highest percentage of singles in a season with 97%. In 2012, he doubled on April 30 and June 6. That was it. He batted .219/.303/.226 with 56 singles.

Texas had acquired him in the minor league phase of the 2008 Rule 5 draft. I can’t say for sure, but I believe he was eligible for free agency five times as a Ranger but always re-signed. In 2014, Rodriguez was rewarded for years of service with a promotion to the Majors, a highlight of Texas’s otherwise dismal season. In his sixth game, he tallied his first hit, a single to left against the Astros, and would later score. In the 7th, he would line a go-ahead RBI single, and Texas would hold on for a 4-3 victory.

Most singles:
Engel Beltre, 554
Hanser Alberto, 506
Guilder Rodriguez, 498

Highest % of Hits For Singles (min. 200 hits):
Guilder Rodriguez, 90%
Yonny Hernandez, 85%
Carlos Garay, 83%

Highest % of Plate Appearances For Singles (min. 200 hits):
Carlos Garay, 25%
Luis Sardinas, 22%
Julio Borbon, 21%

The Rangers dismissed offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and placed OF Leodys Taveras on outright waivers after Sunday’s win. Someone on bluesky asked when the Rangers would make changes (beyond the Burger demotion). I hadn’t answered, and I can’t find his post now, but the answer in my head was 40 games, roughly the seasons’ quarter mark. The Rangers themselves decided an extra week would be a waste of time.

Should Ecker have been fired? Ultimately, it does come down to results, but as to how much responsibility he bears, I don’t know. I’m not in the room, I’ve no idea to what extent his methods had run their course. Frustratingly, Texas’s results can be pinned firmly on just four players.

“Everyone Else” is hitting well (which isn’t to say every individual in that group is, particularly Adolis Garcia), while the others… well. Semien is the oldest and perhaps in the midst of inevitable decline, although hopefully not at the currently drastic rate. Pederson are the two newcomers. Saying “they were fine until they joined the Rangers” seems a gross oversimplification, but you could at least say so in knowledgeable company without being mocked to your face. Still, I’d expect improvement irrespective of who’s in charge of hitting.

As for Taveras (sigh), maybe this is who he is. That’s deeply disappointing, as he has the ability to be (and for a while, actually was) a strong defensive centerfielder whose bat would play well enough to start, if at the bottom of the order. Statcast still rates him above average defensively in 2025, but he sure doesn’t meet the eye test. At the plate, he’s chasing more often but also taking more called third strikes. All of his advanced metrics are dreadful.

Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll almost certainly head to Round Rock rather that take free agency and forfeit the rest of his salary. Does Evan Carter replace him? I’ll leave that for another day (maybe tomorrow!), but the short version is I’m not overly enthused about the idea right now, and if the Rangers were 20-15 with an extra 30 runs scored instead of 17-18, I’d be even less so. But then, if the Rangers were five games above .500, Taveras probably would have contributed to that, and these paragraphs are never written. Carter would very likely be an improvement on Taveras, at least against righties, so the circumstances may require his retrieval.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 13, at Sugar Land (HOU) 0
Round Rock: 15 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-16, 6 GB

SP Michael Plassmeyer: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 53 P / 36 S, 4.97 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.94 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, HR (3), .340/.392/.617
SS Cody Freeman: 2-5, 2B, .313/.355/.479
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, HR (4), HBP, .278/.369/.489
RF Trevor Hauver: 3-5, 2B, HR (4), .243/.339/.421

The Express have used 26 pitchers including 11 starters in 33 games. That’s just a description, not a criticism; most of the league competition has similar usage.

Cole Winn has no earned runs and an opposing line of .145/.255/.145 in 21.2 innings. Cody Freeman has started the last two days at short. Texas successfully outrighted IF Nick Ahmed to Round Rock.

AA: Frisco 6, Wichita (MIN) 1
Frisco: 10 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-10, 3 G ahead

SP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 39 P / 24 S, 6.14 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.12 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, SB (6), .245/.363/.372
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, 3B, SB (6), .333/.388/.427
CF Cam Cauley: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB (10), .207/.302/.293

Sebastian Walcott’s line has dwindled recently thanks to a 2-for-22 spell with no extra base hits. He’s not striking out much at all, just not accomplishing much with the contact. No worries.

Cam Cauley manned center for the fourth time.

Hi-A: Hub City 1, at Rome (ATL) 8 (7)
Hub City: 7 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts

SP DJ McCarty: 0.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 32 P / 16 S, 12.83 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-4, .283/.353/.315

Rome batted around in the 1st against DJ McCarty. Eric Loomis stranded three.

Hi-A: Hub City 0, at Rome (ATL) 2 (7)
Hub City: 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-12, tied for 1st

SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 66 P / 45 S, 2.37 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, SB (6), .250/.350/.364

Not long ago, Hub City ranked near the middle of the league in runs scored despite a weak slash line. Unfortunately, last week’s regression to the mean involved fewer runs, not more hits. The Burgers scored eight runs in the six-game series, and five came in a single game.

Lo-A: Hickory 1, at Columbia (KAN) 0
Hickory: 7 hits, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 12-15, 6 GB

SP Ismael Agreda: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 67 P / 40 S, 3.24 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.00 ERA
RP Dalton Pence: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.68 ERA
DH Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2B, .301/.324/.456
LF Marcus Torres: 2-4, 3B, SB (2), .214/.313/.393

Hickory avoided a six-game sweep but was outscored 30-14 in the series. The pitching was close to ideal, as 21-year-old Ismael Agreda no-hit the Fireflies through five, Brock Porter was back on point, and former UNC closer Dalton Pence retired the final six in order on 24 pitches.

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The 10th-best full-season team during 2007-2024 is the 2008 Frisco Roughriders.

Record: 84-56
Run-Differential Record: 77-63
Component Record: 76-64

Not the best team ever, but arguably the most famous. Among those who spent significant time in Frisco and would make their MLB debuts that season or in the next two years were Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Chris Davis, John Mayberry,  Manny Pina, Max Ramirez, Thomas Diamond, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter. Andrus (.295/.350/.367) spent the entire season there.

The busiest pitchers weren’t necessarily the best, so Frisco’s run prevention was only league-average, but the offense led in runs scored (adjusted for park) and OPS+. Davis and Ramirez were on fire before moving on, Borbon carried the flame as a midseason addition, elder OFs Ben Harrison and Dustin Majewski were OPS machines, and OF Steven Murphy led the squad with 20 homers. One of the highlights of my baseball career was watching the AA debut of Holland and seventh start by Neftali Feliz on consecutive nights in August.

The playoffs were deeply annoying. Frisco swept a strong San Antonio squad in three games and entered the best-of-five championship against the 62-78 Arkansas Travelers, which limped into the playoffs with a 36-34 first-half record, were 26-44 in the second, and somehow swept a much better NW Arkansas in the opening round. Despite having Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz lined up to start four of five potential games, The Riders lost in five, scoring a total of ten runs.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, at Sugar Land (HOU) 6 (7)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

SP Adrian Houser: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 65 P / 41 S, 7.36 ERA
RP Joe Barlow: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.73 ERA
SS Ezequiel Duran: 2-4, 2B
3B Cody Freeman: 3-3, 2B, BB, .308/.353/.473
LF Kellen Strahm: 3-3, 2 2B, .267/.357/.453

Round Rock faced lefties in both starts. Evan Carter started the first and would ground out and strike out against the starter.

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Sugar Land (HOU) 2 (7)
Round Rock: 8 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Record: 16-16, 6 GB

SP Trey Supak: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 75 P / 50 S, 3.60 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (5), .333/.391/.571
2B Justin Foscue: 1-2, HR (4), 2 BB, SB (2), .306/.402/.481
PH/LF Evan Carter: 1-2, HR (3), .221/.333/.416

Carter replaced Alex De Goti late and homered against a righty. Statcast lists the distance as 322 feet; if so, Sugar Land’s right-center alley is only about 280′. The Express batted around in the 7th so he also made the final out.

Ezequiel Duran has started eight games at short and three at third in AAA.

No sight of Jake Burger yet. Round Rock finishes the series today and heads to El Paso Tuesday.

Texas bumped the elder Trey Supak to AAA. He threw 57% four-seamers and sinker averaging 93 MPH with good movement, mostly mid-to-upper 70s curves as a secondary and some cutters, changes and sliders. He missed five bats.

AA: Frisco 5, Wichita (MIN) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-10, 3 G up

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 77 P / 57 S, 2.45 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1.29 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (2), .148/.364/.315
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, SB (6), .317/.387/.462
C Cooper Johnson: 2-4, 2 2B, .267/.380/.500
RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, 2B, 2 SB (3), .308/.316/.505

Lefty. Mitch Bratt has four walks and 29 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

Someone asked why Josh Hatcher was lounging in AA at the age of 26. The basic answer is Round Rock doesn’t have room for him right now. Maybe if Sam Haggerty has and takes an opt-out, or if Texas decides the depth is sufficient elsewhere and releases him, that would create a spot, although Alejandro Osuna could have first dibs. Also, Hatcher signed as a fifth-year senior in 2022 and was on the old side of 23 when he played his first professional game.

Hi-A: Hub City 5, at Rome (ATL) 1
Hub City: 6 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-10, 1.5 G up

SP David Davalillo: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 52 P / 31 S, 1.33 ERA
RP josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.09 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (12), .271/.347/.306

This was the completion of Friday’s suspended contest. The regularly scheduled game was rained out. Hub City didn’t score Saturday but didn’t need to, as Josh Mollerus, Victor Simeon, Joey Danielson and Anthony Susac combined to shut out the Emperors over five innings.

Lo-A: Hickory 0, at Columbia (KAN) 10 (5)
Hickory: 3 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 11-15, 7 GB

SP Aneudis Mejia: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 30 P / 14 S, 4.11 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 2-3, .230/.437/.311

The MVP was the rain that halted proceedings after five innings, meaning this game ended without further indignity. Hickory committed five errors and added two hit batters, a balk and a wild pitch. Columbia hit back-to-back triples and stole four bases.

Complex League: Rangers 4, Padres 3
The rookies squandered an early 3-0 league but walked off victorious on rehabbing OF Yeison Morrobel’s RBI single. The Rangers scored three in the 1st on a double by 1B Klemir Lemos plus a walk, HBP, wild pitch and sac fly. CF Paulino Santana, 3B Devin Fitz-Gerald, and Josh Springer all singled, and Santana swiped a base. The pitching was led by 34-year-old Ty Blach, out of contract since September and recently signed presumably to aid Round Rock in the near future.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Garcia
AA: Serrano
Hi-A: Gonzalez / TBD
Lo-A: Agreda

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The 16th-best position player season during 2007-2024 belongs to Abimelec Ortiz.

Born in Puerto Rico, Ortiz played for Florida SouthWestern State College and signed as a free agent with Texas in late July 2021. He was able to play 40 games in the Dominican Summer League because the season started so late. His initial foray to full-season ball was unexceptional: .226/.308/.380 with 11 homers in 94 games at Down East. His prospect stature exceeded his production at that point, but he’d yet to show much at a “show me” position. In the offseason, he was fitted with contacts.

The first month of 2022 was similar (.246/.329/.377), but Ortiz suddenly began torching the ball, hitting .400 and slugging .950 over an 11-game span that earned a quick promotion to high-A Hickory. There, Ortiz hardly ever slowed down, hitting five homers in his first ten games and batting .283/.358/.609 overall. Ortiz’s 33 homers tied for the fourth-most in minor league ball, and everybody ahead of him was older (although, for combined power and youth, Junior Caminero’s 31 homers at Age 19 were the true standout).

Since then, Ortiz has often struggled at AA. In 2024, he endure a long dry spell before resuming his earlier glory, and 2025 has been slow as well. Ortiz doesn’t strike out excessively and has more to offer than brute-forcing of bad pitches over the fence, but he has some miss in his bat. Watching him in person, you’re likely to say “wow, quick bat” and “wow… he missed that slider by a foot” in the same game. Ortiz was omitted from last year’s 40-man additions and will need to get back on track to be added this fall. He’s still below the average age for a Double A hitter.

Box Scores

AAA :wet

Two today

AA: Frisco 3, Wichita (MIN) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 15-10, 2 G up

SP Ben Anderson: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 72 P / 43 S, 7.78 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-3, HBP, .310/.383/.460
RF Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (3), .218/.306/.379
SS Cam Cauley: 2-3, .209/.296/.302

Abi Ortiz hit a two-run homer, and Alejandro Osuna’s 5th-inning RBI grounder would prove necessary. Lefty Bryan Magdaleno spread three runners across two scoreless innings for the save. Magdaleno was a potential 40 addition and Rule 5 pick last winter but was ignored in both processes. He’s suffered instances of very poor control during 2025, so Spring Training on a different club’s MLB roster probably wouldn’t have worked out, and his ordinary spring and return to Frisco are best for his development.

Hi-A: suspended

Hub City leads 4-1 in the 5th. David Davalillo is the only pitcher of record, fanning six in four innings on 52 pitches.

Lo-A: Hickory 5, at Columbia (KAN) 7
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 11-14, 5 GB

SP Mason Molina: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 42 P / 28 S, 4.34 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.25 ERA
CF Yeremi Cabrera: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (9), .191/.360/.206

Rain shortened Mason Molina’s outing.

Texas released OF Jose De Jesus, one of the pricier signings of the 2022 class. De Jesus had hit well in the Dominican Summer League and a second try in the complex league, but he was off to an .067/.125/.067 start in low-A, albeit with very few strikeouts. Some unfortunate defense might have guided the decision.

Complex League
The season begins today at 1pm CDT. I don’t cover the league regularly anymore, partly for lack of time, partly for structural changes (a pre-draft start, for example) that have partly turned it into a graduate level for the Dominican Summer League. Not to deride the DSL its players, of course, but a good number aren’t more than names on a page to me, and many will never advance to full-season ball. I do check the box scores and report occasionally.

I’ve updated the roster on my organization pages. Among the noteworthy participants:

2024 picks: RHP David Hagaman (4th round out of West Virginia, a low-end top-30 prospect, had brace surgery last July), MIF Devin Fitz-Gerald (5th, high school), LHP Garrett Horn (6th, out of Liberty), C Josh Springer (12th, high school), LHP Aidan Deakins (13th, juco)

Internationals: MIF Yolfran Castillo (18, best prospect of the bunch, I thought he had a shot at low-A from the get-go), IF Curley Martha (18), IF Daniel Flames (18), OF Braylin Morel (19, didn’t see him in Surprise), OF Paulino Santana (18), OF Yeison Morrobel (21, hurt in Spring Breakout game), RHP Jormy Nivar (22, saw him in Surprise, my note was “messy but fun,” 92-93 sinker with massive horizontal movement)

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD x 2
AA: Bratt
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Mejia

Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The 16th-best starting pitching performance during 2007-2024 belongs to Cole Ragans:

The 2016 pick missed three seasons to two elbow surgeries and covid, and in 2021 he finally resumed a normal baseball career. In 2022, after passing through the Rule 5 draft untouched, Ragans returned to Frisco and quickly drew attention with a seven strikeouts in 3.1 scoreless innings. On the whole, he didn’t overwhelm the Texas League but clearly re-established himself as a genuine rotation prospect. After ten starts, he advanced to Round Rock. I missed his AAA debut, but in subsequent starts I recall being especially impressed with a changeup that he could place anywhere along the bottom and arm-side borders of the zone. In that debut, he threw 34 of them and missed 11 bats. Despite one predictably ugly outing at high-altitude Las Vegas, Ragans actually held opponents to a better slash line in the PCL than AA. In early August, after 38 post-surgery appearances during 2021-2022, he would make his MLB debut.

Blaine Crim
The offense needs a spark, so the Rangers are calling up an almost-28-year-old AAA first baseman in his minor league walk year.

Wait. What?

Texas drafted Blaine Crim in 2019’s 19th round from Mississippi College. He signed for the princely sum of $5,000. Across six seasons, Crim has batted .296/.372/.507, and he’s never endured a season-long slump. His worst batting average is .277, worst OBP .357, worst slug .469. He’s been remarkably consistent and healthy.

He’s hit 49 homers in 295 AAA games across 2023-2025 (about 19 per 500 PA), plus a combined 78 doubles and triples. His walk/HBP rate is an impressive 13%, and he doesn’t strike out that much (18%).

His swing tends to lean more towards liners than towering flies, and his contact is stout and true. In 2025, he sports a 52% hard-hit rate (league average is 39%), a median exit velocity of 95.9 (league 90.0), and a 90th-percentile exit of 107.9 (league 104.0). He’s prone to neither popups nor excessive grounders. This season, he’s hitting .313/.365/.515, and in looking at the balls in play I’m not seeing weirdly lucky results like I found with JP Martinez a couple of years ago. His line seems honest, at least as honest as any line in the Pacific Coast League can be. He has a pronounced reverse split so far, but on the whole I’d say his platoons are close to normal. He tends to whiff more than average against breakers and changes, but that’s offset by a good take rate against the out-of-zone versions and solid results on contact.

So, why hasn’t he been promoted before now? Ultimately, I’d have to say because the decision-makers (both in Arlington and around the Majors) have never quite reached the point at which they’ve felt compelled to make a move. I’ve sometimes talked about a player forcing management’s hand. Crim just isn’t quite that type. He has always been very good, but kind of quietly so. He doesn’t really impart a “best player on the field” vibe, although I’ve attended many a game where I’ve marveled at how perpetually locked in he is compared to most of his teammates and opposition. He has some flaws, namely a lack of positional flexibility and a listed height of 5’10”.

We can analyze and hypothesize all day, but as I’ve said before, we can learn a great deal from the (in)actions of the teams. Obviously, he hadn’t reached the Majors before today. Crim has been a potential 40 addition since the fall of 2022 but never protected. He’s been available in three Rule 5 drafts but never taken. Last December via two trades, the Rangers swapped a starting 1B with two years of control for one with four years of control. He wasn’t the prize or a pot sweetener in trades for Jordan Montgomery, Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly, etc.

A recent Baseball America piece discussed the decline of lefty-throwing position players, including at first, adding: “Major league first basemen are more likely to throw righthanded today than they were a decade ago… First basemen also are shorter on average than they used to be… A greater number of sub-6-foot players are playing first base today.”

All true, but a good many of those players are shy of six feet by one inch, while Crim is listed at 5’10”. A negligible difference to most of us, perhaps, but in terms of getting an opportunity in the first place, it’s huge. Crim also bats exclusively right-handed. And although Crim has moonlighted at third over his pro career, he’s essentially an adequate defensive 1B, and the likelihood of him playing the hot corner in the Majors is remote.

I queried Baseball Reference’s Stathead service for players and seasons meeting these criteria since 1920: 1) listed height 5’10” or below, 2) bats right-handed only, 3) played at least 75% of games at 1B, 4) played no other positions (except DH), 4) minimum 20 PA.

Andrew Vaughn, 2023-2025
Steve Garvey, 1974-1987
Chuck Harrison, 1965-1969, 1971
Lew Fonseca, 1929, 1933
Stuffy McInnis, 1920-1926
Dutch Schliebner, 1923

That’s it. Crim is up against over a century of animosity toward his type of player, and while analytics have changed the game radically, baseball is still a sport steeped in inertia. Plus, this positional selection begins far earlier than the upper minors. If you see an adolescent below six feet, you’re looking for where he can play other than first.

In terms of Texas minor league history, the analogs for Crim that come to mind are catcher Brett Nicholas and OF Jared Hoying. Both were minor league lifers awaiting free agency in 2016, and both would be called up to assist a contending club, not after roster expansion but in the early part of the season. Nicholas was later traded for some low-level relief prospect named Emmanuel Clase, while Hoying parlayed his call-up into three seasons in Korea.

Someone on social media asked if I thought Crim could hit MLB pitching. If I knew with certainty, I wouldn’t have placed this paragraph down at the bottom, plus my involvement in baseball would be more intense than blogging as a side gig. I don’t know. I’ve seen so, so many guys smash AAA pitching in hitter-friendly parks, only to be overwhelmed in the Majors. The history of hitters who debut at Age 27 isn’t great. Mostly, they have their moments but can’t hang on.

I do know with certainty that Crim deserves this chance.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 0, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 3 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 6 GB

SP Gerson Garabito: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 60 P / 36 S, 9.00 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA

A despondent Crim-less Express mustered only three singles, two by Zeke Duran.

Texas signed catcher Kale Emshoff and assigned him to Round Rock. The 27-year-old had signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and was released just four days ago.

AA: Frisco 2, Wichita (MIN) 5
Frisco: 6 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 14-10, 1 G up

SP Josh Stephan: 3 IP, 7 H (4 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 69 P / 42 S, 7.00 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.52 ERA
RP Janser Lara: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, .231/.375/.346

Four of Josh Stephan’s first 11 opponents went deep. He’s always been slightly homer-prone but not scarily so. 28-year-old Janser Lara originally signed with KC in 2015, didn’t pitch after 2018 and was released in 2020. Over four years later, the Rangers signed him and placed him two levels higher than any previous, and he’s been fine.

Hi-A: Hub City 1, @Rome (ATL) 0
Hub City: 3 hits, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-10, 1 G up

SP Kolton Curtis: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 66 P / 39 S, 2.70 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.60 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.60 ERA
RF Keith Jones II: 2-4, .273/.442/.409

Hub City engineered a second straight 1-0 victory at Rome. C Julian Brock doubled to start the 6th, advanced on a flyout and scored despite a drawn-in infield on a Theo Hardy grounder.

Lo-A: Hickory 4, at Columbia (KAN) 5
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 11-13, 5 GB

SP Caden Scarborough: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 63 P / 45 S, 4.42 ERA
1B Maxton Martin: 1-3, 3B, BB, .297/.323/.462
C Ben Hartl: 2-4, 3B, .200/.351/.267
SS Chandler Pollard: 2-4, 2 SB (13), .345/.415/.379

Hickory led 4-3 in the 9th, but a triple to center over Jose De Jesus’s head, a walk and double to LF Maxton Martin plated the tying and winning runs for the Fireflies.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Houser
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: Molina